Girl Z: My Life As A Teenage Zombie by CA Verstraete Page A

I’m sicker than I think when I get a taste for a bunch of broccoli.”
    She laughed and crunched on a green stalk. “Yeah, I know you hate the stuff. But it’s pretty good.”
    â€œEnjoy. You know, I’m tired of talking about me. Let’s talk about something else for a while. Hear from Jesse yet?”
    Her face got all serious while she tried to act like the dreamy guy she’d been crushing on all summer didn’t matter. “No, well, kind of. He texted and said he’d see me in school. He was still at his grandma’s.”
    â€œThat’s good. I’m glad you’re still talking. I thought he’d never ask you out.”
    She shrugged again. “Well, he didn’t.” “Not yet? I thought he would for sure. He likes you.”
    â€œI know. I like him, too. We were going to go see a movie, but he’s kind of distracted. I don’t know if we’ll have much time to see each other anyway. I heard his family’s really upset. His brother, Gabe…” She stopped.
    We locked eyes. “I know. He’s like me, you mean.”
    â€œYeah. His parents went crazy over it. They kicked him out. Jesse’s grandmother told him to come stay with her.” Her voice quieted. “Jesse might move there, too. You know, for a while, to help him out.”
    My eyebrow raised a notch at the news. “Hey, you holding out on me? Thought you didn’t talk to him?”
    â€œHe told me before he left, before you got sick. We haven’t talked much since, only a couple texts here and there.”
    Wow, I realized my friend had been dealing with a lot while all the attention was on me.
    â€œCuz, I feel awful. I haven’t been there for you. You doing okay with it?”
    â€œI’m all right, Bec. It’s not your fault. Maybe me and Jesse aren’t meant to be. We’ll see. I’m just glad you’re here now, you know?”
    â€œYeah, I know. Me, too.”
    Our bonding moment ended when my aunt called us downstairs so we could leave for Carm’s house. My hoodie shading my face, I rushed after my cousin and jumped in the car’s back seat with her. After being cooped up inside for what felt like forever, I was excited about our little trip. How pathetic was I?
    I watched the houses go by.
Tia’s
friend Amelia Miller, who lived in the house at the corner, looked up from watering her flowerpots and waved. She’d already called and welcomed me home, the only person who had.
    â€œI see Mrs. Miller planted some new stuff in her garden. Those pink flowers are nice.”
    â€œShe’s trying out a new variety of Zinnias,” Tia shared, a happy lilt in her voice. “She said she’ll bring some over for us later, unless…”
    I raised my head at the hesitation I heard. The little I saw of my aunt’s reflection in the rearview mirror showed worry lines across her forehead. “
Tia,
don’t worry, I’m fine. Mrs. Miller is a nice lady. I just don’t want to scare her.”
    My aunt’s eyes crinkled as she chuckled. “Honey, you won’t scare anyone, and certainly not Amelia. She’s known you since you were a baby and as a nurse, she understands. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s a tough old bird.”
    We coasted to a stop for the red light, my signal to pull my hoodie out further. I hid my hands in my lap when a car stopped next to us. The urge to peek too strong to resist, I peered out the window and watched the little boy in the other car’s backseat lean closer to his car window. He stuck out his tongue and began pointing at me. Carm’s quick grasp of my wrist stopped me from doing the same.
    â€œSpoilsport,” I muttered, and glanced away when the driver stared at us in alarm.
    â€œNever mind him,” she whispered. “No one else has paid much attention.”
    Yet,
I thought
.
The not-knowing-what-to-expect was making