“That’s a beautiful name.”
I stopped and lifted my head again.
She was still smiling at me. This time she looked at Mr. Nathan, straightening back up. “You don’t play fair, Nathan.”
“I know, but . . .”
She waved her hand at him. “You hush.” She moved farther away from the door, an arm sweeping inside. “Come on in. You got her bag in the car?”
“I do. I didn’t know—”
She laughed. “As if there’d be any question with this one.”
“You have room? I know you’re stretched as is—”
She made another of those hushing movements with her arm. “We’ll make room. We got one that barely spends his time here as is.”
They did the adult thing. Talking. Laughing. Then talking in hushed tones. That’s when I knew they were talking about me or talking about something they didn’t want me to hear. Mr. Nathan had me go to the car to grab my bag, and when I was coming back, a boy was sitting on the back doorsteps, staring at me.
He was different from the ones inside.
Bigger. Taller. Older.
He was pretty.
I’d never seen a boy as pretty as him, but he was hard. Tan skin. Blank eyes. Black hair. He had a bruise on his face too. Just like me. But he was hard on the inside. He might’ve looked like another boy, though he was so much prettier, but I knew he wasn’t like other boys. His eyes gave that away, that he was different. If Mr. Nathan asked me what I meant, I couldn’t explain. It was only something Iknew.
“You’re living here now?”
I got shy again, the nervous flutters in my tummy again, but this time those flutters were moving all over me on the inside. I couldn’t talk again. Most times when I got like this, I looked away. I could pretend I was alone, and the flutters would go away.
I couldn’t do that this time. I couldn’t look away from this boy.
I didn’t know why. I just couldn’t.
“What’s your name?”
“Blake,” I whispered.
“What’s your last name?”
I couldn’t answer, but I looked at the green door behind him.
He shifted, looking where I did.
He rotated back. “Door?”
A giggle slipped out, and aghast, I clamped a hand over my mouth. That was embarrassing too.
His face didn’t change, but I thought maybe he softened.
I shook my head.
“Green?” He grinned.
I bobbed my head up and down.
“How old are you?”
