the past week. They’re both out sick today, which I know means they’re probably together.
We’re sitting outside at the picnic tables because it’s actually sort of warm out. Hannah is across from us, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she watches Andrew chewing.
“She’s really nice underneath everything,” Hannah says in typical Hannah fashion. “She just has a tough shell. She’s like a turtle.”
“That girl is not a turtle.” Andrew raises his eyebrows. “If you’re going to compare her to an animal, at least make it something carnivorous. Like a flesh-eating piranha or a tyrannosaurus rex.”
Hannah sighs. “Okay, well, maybe she’s a snail.”
Andrew laughs. “Now you’re just being ridiculous. If you’re looking for something with a shell, how about a hand grenade?”
“What animal am I?” Hannah asks.
Andrew doesn’t hesitate. “You’re a bird. Something colorful and artsy.”
“With strong claws,” I add.
“Careful around this one though.” Andrew nods toward me and grins. “You know how she gets around birds.”
“You’re hilarious,” I say, sarcastic.
Hannah laughs. “Okay, what animal is Keely?”
Andrew turns to me and bites his lip, thinking for a minute. “You’re a giraffe.”
“What, why?” I ask. “I’m so short.”
“I know,” he says. “But giraffes are my favorite.” He smiles at me, his mouth full of peanut butter. I smile back, oddly flattered by the compliment.
Hannah sighs and looks down at her hands, her face serious. “I guess Danielle’s the best one of us for this to happen to. If someone had written that about me, I’d probably cry.”
“People suck,” I say. This is why I’m terrified to have sex with anyone—it’s because of what could happen after.
“Shit, I have to go.” Andrew checks the time on his phone. “I have a study date.”
“Cecilia?” I ask.
He crumples up his sandwich bag and stuffs it into his backpack. “Cecilia and I are done.”
“Hey, Andrew?” The voice comes from behind us, soft and melodic. It’s a junior named Abby Feliciano, pretty and small with straight black hair. I feel a sudden pang of sympathy for Cecilia. For the millionth time, I wish that Andrew wasn’t so careless with people’s feelings.
“Hey, Abby,” Andrew says, standing up.
She holds out a notebook. “I copied down some notes for you if you want. If you don’t have time, we can go over them tonight.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll see you guys later, okay? Abby and I have some studying to do.”
“He’s such a good tutor,” Abby says, and her voice is so full of admiration it makes me a little sick.
Once they’re gone, I grimace. “Why is it so easy for him? Is he trying to go through the whole junior class before graduation?”
Hannah shrugs, taking a bite of her sandwich. “He got hot. Girls noticed. Especially, it seems, the juniors.”
“It’s like everything I’m anxious about is no big deal to him.”
When Andrew lost his virginity, the last thing he was probably thinking about was whether or not the girl would respect him in the morning. People don’t write horrible things on the wall about guys who’ve had sex.
“He just doesn’t realize how good he has it,” I say.
“Well, maybe he could teach you,” Hannah says, shrugging. She crumples up her empty sandwich wrapper and throws it into the trash, then pulls out a bottle of iced tea. The lid twists off with a satisfying pop.
“Yeah, I’ll just have him tutor me,” I say, laughing. I flutter my eyelashes in imitation of Abby Feliciano. “He’s such a good tutor.”
“That’s seriously not a bad idea,” Hannah says, offering me a sip of the tea. I take it from her, still laughing.
“What?”
“He could tutor you. If you’re worried about what you said to James Dean, Andrew could give you a few pointers. He obviously knows what he’s doing.”
“I guess I could ask him for some advice,” I say, feeling my ears get hot. I take a sip of tea and hand it back to her. Now that Andrew