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coffee and then reached for a fry, chewing it slowly.
    I balled the empty paper wrapper from my hamburger and sipped the last of my drink. Everything was fine. We were just having a normal lunch, and who cared what dorks were hanging out at the burger joint. But, of course, when we got up to leave, we had to pass their booth.
    "Hey, Holly," called out Mark.
    "Hi," I said, unsmiling.
    "So, you're into older dudes now?" he said, gesturing toward Aldo. Some of the guys at the table laughed. "That's hot."
    I stopped and turned. "What?"
    "You heard me—"
    "Hey, don't be a jerk," Jason said. His face was flushed, and he was glaring at Mark.
    "Uh, this is my grandpa." I was shocked at Jason shutting Mark up but still pissed enough to say something for myself.
    "My bad. I'm just saying hello," Mark said. He held out a hand to my grandpa, who looked like he was about to punch him. Mark withdrew his hand. "Sorry."
    "Enjoy your lunch," I said, glaring at him.
    We moved off, and as I held open the door for Grandpa Aldo, I could sense the whole table was still staring at us. And I didn't care. Now I had more important things to worry about than Rob's dumb friends.
    ***
    Jason couldn't bring himself to do it before or after chemistry on Monday, but he had to talk to her, especially after the lame incident at the restaurant over the weekend. He'd meant to do it last week, but he'd lost his nerve. So, today was the day. It was now Tuesday, and on Tuesdays after school, Holly usually took the number 6 downtown.
    He sat in the brown metal and Plexiglass bus shelter, waiting for her. The once-clear walls of the place were pockmarked and scarred. Someone had taken the time to scratch BRIAN LOVES GINA into the paint on the metal framing. He checked his watch again, realizing ten minutes had already crept by since the last bell. And then—success.
    Coming down the block in a blue track jacket and jeans, Holly was heading right for him. He smoothed a hand over his hair, suddenly feeling nervous. He always had trouble talking to girls. That was where Rob had come in. Rob had been the outgoing one, able to make some kind of random compliment or ask girls a simple question to get things rolling. Jason had admired Rob's skill at that.
    He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the thought that Holly was someone he needed to talk to, that was all. What a lie.
    His palms felt sweaty, because she wasn't just any girl. She was a girl he'd always thought was beautiful. And now that thm"> now things were all screwed up for everyone, but especially her, a girl that he needed to check in on.
    He exhaled, ready for her to sit on the bench next to him, but Holly passed the stop and was heading down the block. He popped up from the slatted metal bench. "Hey," he said as he jogged up next to her.
    Startled, she stopped in her tracks. Her expression wasn't friendly, but at least she was holding eye contact.
    Jason said, "Um, I just wanted to—"
    Frowning now, she turned and started walking again.
    Again he matched her quick pace. "Hey, wait up."
    "I have to be somewhere," she said, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
    "Okay, well. I'll just walk with you, then," he said.
    "Your call."
    They walked along silently for a moment, the traffic whizzing by on the road—first a string of cars filled with upperclassmen and then the long yellow-gold line of buses. Jason noticed the dandelions poking out from the broken sidewalk, the way Holly's feet shuffled along in her sneakers, how the hems of her jeans were frayed white on the bottom from dragging on the ground all the time.
    "If you're not going to talk, then why are you walking with me?" Holly paused at the corner, her arms crossed. Her track jacket was the same light blue as her eyes. Even with her mouth turned down, she was still pretty.
    Jason felt his cheeks getting red. "I did need to talk to you."
    The light changed and Holly started into the crosswalk. Jason caught up to her at the other