I met Colleen at Dani’s house, when I showed up to find them drawing at Dani’s dining room table. Hunched and curled lefthandedly over a sketch pad, Colleen turned only her head to gaze straight at me for a moment, unsmiling, as I sat down.
Maintaining that I hated boys, at twelve, gave me the space to puzzle my feelings out in private. I wouldn’t be some stupid idiot, babbling all day long about some mean boy who would only make fun of me. Instead, I had a big crush (endorsed by my two best friends) on…