On Tuesday nights, my dad works late, so I wait until dinner on Wednesday to ask if I could have friends over on Friday.

My mom smiles happily as if it’s the first time I ever made friends. “Of course, you can! Will they be staying over for dinner?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Are all parents that intense, or is it just my mom?

“Your mother and I will both be at work,” my dad comments. It’s a lie because I know where they’ll be, but we don’t talk about that either. For a second, I think that my dad is going to ask me to reschedule and have my friends over on a day when there will be some adult supervision. But he surprises me when he continues, “So we trust you to behave sensibly.”

I nod. “Yes, sure.”

My dad smiles. It’s a bit rigid and not very wide, but it’s there. He seems on the verge of saying something, but then he stops. My mom just smiles absently, somewhere deep in her thoughts. I’m not sure she’s truly with us right now. When did we end up like this? When did my family forget how to communicate and interact with each other? Is it just because of Peter?

The rest of the week goes smoothly. I am still meeting new teachers, and the list of stuff I have to catch up on gets longer. However, I feel more comfortable with the friends I’ve made. I can’t believe how lucky I got to have met them straight away. It makes everything easier. This place is not home, but I can envision a future where it would be.

On Thursday, Austin asks me about extracurriculars. When I explain that I wasn’t big on them in my old school, he replies that I need to think about college applications. Apparently, if I find something I’m genuinely interested in, it’s the easiest way to enhance my resumé with minimum effort.

If any adult had told me that, I would have internally rolled my eyes at them. From Austin, however, it sounds like a decent piece of advice.

“How about baseball?” he asks. “Tryouts will start soon.”

“Nope. No sports. The only time I consider physical activity is in my bed.” Okay. That is NOT what I meant, but Austin and Noah look at me with cheeky smiles. I can feel my cheeks burning. I bite my tongue to avoid trying to justify what I just said. It would just be pathetic.

“They don’t offer that in this school,” Noah comments, softly. I don’t even acknowledge that he spoke.

“Fine, no exercise.” Austin grants me. “What then? Not art, you’re already doing it as a subject so it would be redundant. I mean, sure, do it if you want, but you need something else, too. Something brainy? How good are you at math?”

“Not good enough to be a mathlete if that’s your question.”

“Alright, then. Chess?”

“I can play checkers.”

“Good luck impressing colleges with that. Spelling bee?”

“We don’t have a spelling bee club, because we’re not 12 years old anymore.” Lena stops him. “Just leave him alone. He’ll find something if he feels like it.”

“Don’t worry,” Austin tells me with a wink. “I’ll keep thinking.”

There is something amazing about Austin that I can’t quite put my finger on. Nothing he does irritates me. Not even a little bit. Instead, I find him energizing and charming. Plus, he has cheeks that easily flushes pink, and I find that adorable.

Friday arrives soon enough. For a second, as we leave the school, I think about canceling. I obviously had friends over before, but it was close friends, in a house I loved, with my then great family. It wasn’t inviting people I met a week ago to go through my belongings in a house where I don’t know where all the switches are yet, where they might meet my now weird, dysfunctional family.

But then I see Lena and her bright purple hair walking toward me, her usual happy smile lighting up her face. I realize that I do want to spend more time with her. I would rather have her make me laugh than stare at my ceiling and have to deal with my thoughts. I would rather have Noah make fun of the things that I packed than unpack them myself and have to face the memories.

“Hey you,” she greets as she reaches me. “Do you know what happens now?”

“We go to my house?”

“No, I mean, right now.”

“Hm… I’m not sure.”

“I am officially no longer on babysitting duty.”

“Oh. Lucky you!”

“I know. Which means that any hanging out happening from now on is based on friendship. Sorry, Will, you’re one of the cool kids now.”

“I thought the cool kids were the ones who sit on the lunch table by the big window?”

She glares at me. Unable to keep a straight face, she ends up laughing anyway. “You might have a point. But we like you best.”

“We?”

“Yes ‘we.’ All of us. Right, Noah?”

Then I notice that Noah standing right behind me. With his attention on his phone, he pays us no mind.

“Sure,” he replies with an indifferent tone. “Whatever you say, Purple.” Then he seems to realize that he was supposed to answer that. “What are we talking about?”

Lena and I exchange a look and laugh.

“Never mind, Mr. Popular,” she answers. “Should we go?”

“Sure. Will, do you want to put your bike in my car?”

“No, I’ll just cycle home. Trust me, I’ll be there before you.”

“Alright, Eddy Merckx. Just give me your address.” I have no idea who Eddy Merckx is, so I decide to ignore it and just give him my address. “Cool. See you there in 10.”

I make it home before them. Not that I am particularly fast, but I can cut through the park. It’s a shortcut, and I avoid traffic.