She had been asked this question a lot and already had an answer prepared. “Ornithology.”

The teachers looked at one another, impressed by her specificity. She wasn’t actually planning on studying ornithology. She had no idea what she wanted to do with her life, but that response was too mirthless for a party. Before she could get roped into a lengthier conversation about her hopes and dreams, Finn felt a sharp pain in her foot and gasped. She looked down and realized that she had stood on someone’s discarded disposable fork. The weight of her body had cracked the plastic, and a piece of it was wedged in the sole of her foot.

“Excuse me,” she gasped, and limped in the direction of the bathroom.

She was halfway across the deck when she heard a voice say, “Hey, Finn.” She turned and saw Jonathan, anchor of the four-by-four and former crush of Finn’s, standing with a group of guys from the track team. He had eyes that could look either brown or green depending on the light. Today they looked green.

“Oh, hey, Jonathan,” she said, half grimacing and shifting her weight to her uninjured foot.

He glanced from Finn to the bouncy castle, which was now overrun by a group of Steve’s colleagues’ children and a traumatized-looking Labrador retriever who couldn’t keep its footing on the inflatable rubber floor. “Cool party.”

Her cheeks grew hot. “Thanks.” Okay, maybe Jonathan was more of a current crush than a former one. Technically, they didn’t know each other that well, but Finn had felt a special connection with him ever since she’d taken over his old locker at the beginning of last school year. Every time she opened it, she would get a whiff of one of his old memories: a friend clapping him on the back, the song he was listening to, a test marked with a red D that he’d crumpled up and tossed behind a pile of dirty gym clothes. Jonathan didn’t really know her, but she knew him (in a skulking, unrequited-love sort of way).

“Got any big plans for the summer?” he asked.

“My sister and I are going to the beach for a week. How about you?”

“Just chillin’,” he replied. The guys he was standing with all nodded in agreement. Chillin’ was by far the most popular activity among the suburban teen population. In contrast, Finn could think of nothing more boring than hanging out in her basement all summer watching Netflix. “That sounds … fun.”

Jonathan nodded slowly, chill-ly. His gaze drifted to the ground and a disgusted look came over his face. “Is your foot bleeding?”

Finn looked down and noticed a smear of blood on the deck. She shrugged and tried to play it cool. “It’s no big deal. It happens all the time.”