“Budget,” Hadley repeated. “That’s a good name for a hamster.”
I rolled my eyes. My little sister had a way of zooming off topic. “Hadley, we’re not getting a hamster. We already have a dog—”
“If we get a hamster.”
“Well, if we get a hamster, which we’re not, we’re definitely not naming it Budget!”
“Girls,” Mom said distractedly. She checked her watch. “Yikes, I’m already late. And that Robert Reinhold—”
I looked up. “You mean your new boss? What about him?”
“Oh, he’s just been giving me a hard time. Never mind.” Mom stepped into her black work pumps. “Come on, baby, let’s get you to the bus stop. Mila, if you want me to drive you this morning, you’d better be ready the second I get back. And seriously, sweetheart, when you get home from school today—”
“I’ll wash my sweater, Mom, I promise.”
Mom blew me a kiss as she led Hadley out the door.
HUG
Yesterday, after Ms. Fender had announced the section leaders, she’d assigned the rest of us our chairs based on how good she thought we were as musicians. I was second chair in the trumpet section. Second best, which meant I was seated right next to Callum.
“Although chairs may change over the course of the year,” Ms. Fender had told us, “depending on your commitment to rehearsing, and your focus during class.” Also on whether I decree that you’re my pet, I mentally added as I inched my music stand away from Callum’s.
Ms. Fender had also handed out some new music—“Pirate Medley”—which we were supposed to start practicing at home. Stupidly, I’d forgotten to pack my music folder in my backpack this morning, which meant that today I’d be coming to band unprepared, already endangering my position as second chair. So when I got to school, I went straight to the band room, hoping to find an extra copy of the sheet music.
The band room was empty when I got there. But a second later Callum, Leo, and Dante stepped inside, laughing in a rowdy way that for some reason made my stomach knot. What were they all doing in here, anyway?
They stopped for a basketball-teamish huddle over by the door.
I pretended not to notice.
“Hey, Mila,” Leo called out from across the room.
“Oh, hi,” I said as I scanned the shelves for “Pirate Medley.” “Do you know where Ms. Fender keeps extra sheet music?”
“What for?” Dante asked.
“I forgot to bring my music folder. And I wanted to look at ‘Pirate Medley’ before band today.” Why was I explaining this to them? It wasn’t their business.
“I’ll let you borrow mine if you give Leo a birthday hug,” Dante said.
What?
I glanced at Dante, then at Leo. Maybe I hadn’t heard that right.
“Excuse me?” I said.
“Yeah, Mila, today’s my birthday.” Leo smiled. A cute-boy sort of smile.
“It is?” I said.
“Why, you think I’d lie about my birthday?”
Callum was nodding. Not looking at me, though. “Yeah, it’s definitely his birthday. He’s having a bowling party this weekend. With pizza and chocolate cake.”
“And one of those papier-mâché donkeys,” Dante added.
“You mean a piñata,” Leo said. “And that’s just for little kids, moron. Anyway, Mila, if you don’t want to give me a birthday hug, it’s cool. My feelings aren’t hurt at all.”
Dante laughed and slapped Leo on the shoulder. Callum kept smiling.
I could feel the back of my neck getting damp and my heart speeding.
What exactly was going on here? Whatever it was, it felt weird.
And where was Ms. Fender? For someone with perfect timing, she should be walking in here right now.
Right now.
Right… now.
“Whoa, Mila, don’t you think that’s a little nasty?” Dante was saying. “We all hugged Omi for her birthday, didn’t we?”
Nobody asked you to. Plus, you messed up the O.
“Zara hugged Leo five minutes ago,” Callum added. “On the bus.”
She did? Well, because she likes him, that’s why.
Now I could hear Zara scolding me. Oh, Mila, why are you being such a baby? They’re just being friendly. Yes, incredibly awkwardly, but—
And then I had this thought: They haven’t moved from the door. I’ll need to pass them to get out of here.
This isn’t a choice.
“Okay, fine,” I said, pretending to laugh. I walked over to Leo, threw my arms around him and squeezed once. “Happy birthday.”
“Fuzzy sweater,” he replied, grinning.
MOTHS
Zara was a head taller than most of our classmates, with black hair piled on top of her head in a big puff. So even though our homerooms were at opposite ends of the hallway, I spotted her right away, just as she was about to walk inside.
Should I wait until we were together at lunch? Maybe I should, I told myself.
Except my stomach was doing this fluttery-moth sort of thing. Which wasn’t the same as a fluttery-butterfly thing. Because butterflies were soft and pretty, but moths just gave me the creeps.
I ran down the hallway, calling her name. She didn’t hear me right away, or maybe she wasn’t fully awake. Zara had plenty of energy once she got going, but we all knew she wasn’t a morning person.
When I caught up to her, I pulled her over to the wall outside her homeroom. Today she was wearing a red tee that said NO SMORKING. A lot of her tees were bad translations into English; her dad thought they were hilarious, so he was always buying her new ones.
“What’s up?” she asked in a foggy voice.
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Obviously.” She yawned without covering her mouth.
“Well, this is sort of weird, but…” I paused. “Did you hug Leo on the bus just before? Like we did for Omi yesterday?”
“Leo?” Zara blinked. She was finally waking up. “Why would I do that?”
“You know. For his birthday.”
“You mean today?”
I nodded.
“Mila, Leo’s birthday is in December.”
“It is?” More moth flutters. “How do you know that?”
“Because I just do.” Like: Of course I’d know my crush’s birthday. Her brow wrinkled. “Why are you asking?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I think I misheard something before. It’s not important.”
The bell rang for homeroom.
We looked at each other.
The moths fluttered.
Should I tell Zara about the band room? How Leo and his friends had lied about her? And basically tricked me into hugging Leo?
I desperately needed to share this information with my friend.
But something in her eyes—it felt sharp and stinging, like a slap—made me stop.
“Never mind,” I said brightly. “See you at lunch, Zara, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” Zara said, shrugging.