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While the rest of us were entering adolescence with all the aard grace ofpuppy feet, crooked teeth, and certain features that grew faster than others, only Macon and Sam remained immune

What a pair they were, piainst the normal tarnish of puberty It wasn’t any surprise that they becahout h school The beautiful ones

The ones destined to make my life hell

Cold and often silent, Macon would usually stare atthe sa like snow and salt

The first tireat expanse of lawn that stretched toward the enerations Clutching a baseball, he watched me as I rode my bike up and down the road He was skinny as a rail and two inches shorter thanthe look in his eyes was one of vulnerability I found out quickly horong I was

“Hey,” I said to hi in front of his house on my bike “I moved into the house down the way Maybe you’d like a friend?”

He turned his eyes on me then Those dark, dark eyes, so brown they were alirls would call pretty and sigh over throughout all our days of school Cold and calculating eyes, if you asked ?”

His words hit me like a slap “What?”

He shrugged “Guess so”

I didn’t understand this boy I’d been polite, just as ht me “Why would you call me stupid?”

“I’ve lived here my whole life You think I wouldn’t notice if someone new moved in on my street? You think I need more friends?”

“I was just being sociable My mistake”

“Sociable? You talk like an old lady”

Politeness was clearly for chumps “You’re a jerk”

He lifted his chin then, revealing a bruising scratch along the edge of his jaw “And you’re annoying”

Whatever I ht have said was lost to tier than me by a mere ten months, Sam and I hat people sometimes snidely referred to as Irish twins That had a darker co to us, since it was clear to anyone with eyes that I bore little resemblance to the rest of my family

Blonde hair french braided and glea front teeth made her look like an irandma Belle calls her ornery”

Which is why I liked Grandma Maeve better

Sarumpy”

The nasty boy looked at s when he answered her “It does”