Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon

days when things change are the hardest. I want to disappear through the scrub brush and melt into the desert. My skin
is
like camouflage, swirls the color of sand and the color of bark, and I know how to crawl on my belly like a marine and how to make myself blur like a shadow. Z taught me that. Once upon a time, before everything got messed up.
    I get home, and Bailey’s sitting on my front porch. I blink to be sure. Scrub my hands over my cheeks. I can rub away the tears, and I’ll have to settle for that because what I’m really hoping for is so out of the question.
    â€œHey, girl.”
    â€œWhat are you doing here?”
    â€œWow. Don’t sound so happy to see me.” His smile is a million degrees hot.
    â€œI—You surprised me, is all. Where’s the basketball?”
    â€œLeft it at home. Want to hang out?” he says. I stand in the driveway staring at him. I don’t know what to do with a boy who isn’t Z.
    â€œYou and me?”
    He grins. “Turns out we live near each other.”
    This day has been so much heaven and hell colliding. I cross my arms, desperate to hold it all in. “Yeah, I guess we do.”
    Bailey studies my face. Can he tell that I’ve been upset, confused, crying? I hope not. We don’t really know each other well enough to notice things like that. At this rate we never will. He can’t keep showing up after school like this. He must have better things to do.
    â€œI hope you’re not letting those jerks get to you,” he says, leaning against my top step.
    â€œWho
are
you?” I blurt. Because he’s not like any boy I’ve ever known or heard of.
    â€œBailey James,” he says with a matter-of-fact smile. He is very boy and very cute. My heart actually starts going a little faster. Weird.
    â€œBailey James,” I repeat. I don’t want to have to surviveanother day like today. The uncertainty. I don’t want to have to wonder. But he came here, after all, knowing this time that he’d find me here. And there’s something about his smile. “Okay, Bailey James. Let’s hang out.”

CHAPTER 20
    I ’ve never ridden anyone’s handlebars before. I have a bike of my own, right there in the garage, but when Bailey says, “Let’s go for a ride. Hop on,” how am I supposed to counter that?
    It’s not so easy to balance, but Bailey says we don’t have far to go. My toes are planted on the little nuts that hold the front wheel spokes in place. I grip the bars hard beneath my behind. The bike wobbles every so often, and I have to stifle my every yelp and scream.
    When Bailey says, “You okay?” I chirp, “I’m great!” After all, I’m the bold lady Eleanor. If only Z could see me now.
    â€œWe’re here,” Bailey says. His knuckles graze my hips as he lifts his hands away. I jump off, flexing my fingers.
    Bailey chains up his bike beside the local park. Some otherkids from school are hanging out on the swings. They wave when they see Bailey. The boys don’t seem to notice me, but the girls whisper furiously.
    There’s this awkward moment when we get to where they are and no one says anything. Bailey turns like he’s going to introduce me, which if he does, I’ll just die because I’ve known everyone here since before kindergarten.
    â€œHi,” I say, before he can say anything.
    â€œHi, Ella.” Cass is the first girl to speak. “How are you?”
    The ice, the thin, thin ice I’m standing on, has broken and, surprise, surprise, I’m not even wet.
    â€œI’m fine,” I say. “Hi, Kelly. Hi, Liza.” The two other girls smile at me. We’re all uncertain, we are all on tiptoes, or maybe it’s just me. Gearing up, I turn to the last girl. “Hi, Millie.”
    â€œHi, Ella.”
    â€œUm,” Max says. “We were about to go get some shakes at Willy’s. You want