Pink & Green is the New Black by Lisa Greenwald Page A

makeup will calm me down.”
    Sunny rolls her eyes. “Fine. Anything for you. But not too much.”
    She sits in the swivel chair at her white vanity table and faces me. It only takes a few brushes of blush, and I’m calmer.
    Things may be weird with Yamir, but at least I have Sunny. After all we’ve been through, Sunny is still by my side. Best friends are more important than boyfriends, anyway. Everyone needs a best friend, and I’m so glad she’s mine.

Lucy’s tip for surviving eighth grade:
    Do your homework, but make time for fun too.
    When we get to the mall , Evan and the twins are already there.
    â€œHello, ladies,” Evan says, like he’s a fifty-year-old man. He’s like a miniature dad, but I guess that’s what Sunny likes about him. Even his long-sleeved polo looks like something my dad would wear.
    We say hi, and Sunny and Evan do this shoulder-nudge thing they always do. It’s kind of cute and less awkward than a kiss when others are around.
    â€œLucy, you know Travis and Gavin, right?”
    I nod. “Do you guys ever go by Trav and Gav?”
    They look at me a little oddly at first, but then they laugh.
    â€œYou guys are in band, right?” I ask them.
    â€œYup. He plays sax and I play clarinet,” one of them says,pointing to the other. They’re identical, and I don’t think I should even try to tell them apart. I’ll never succeed.
    â€œCool. I play the flute.”
    â€œI’ve seen you around,” one of them says, and I’m not sure what to make of that. I guess it’s nice to be noticed even by someone you’ve never spoken to.
    We wander around, and then the boys decide to go to the arcade.
    â€œWe’ll wait for you out here,” Sunny tells them. “We’re not really into video games.”
    As soon as they’re far enough away, Sunny turns to me. “Travis likes you,” she says. “Evan just whispered that to me.”
    â€œIs he the one who plays the sax or the clarinet?”
    Sunny bursts out laughing and I do too. I’m not sure why that was funny, but it was.
    â€œYou can’t tell them apart?” Sunny asks.
    â€œNope. Can you?”
    â€œUm, kind of, but only because Travis always wears plainer T-shirts and Gavin always wears something with a sports team on it.”
    â€œOkay. I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Soon we’re both out of control cracking up, unable to stop. That always happens with Sunny and me. It starts with something just a little bitfunny and then it turns into something completely hilarious.
    The boys come out of the arcade because they ran out of money and find us sitting on the bench, laughing.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?” Gavin asks. I know it’s him because he’s the one wearing a Knicks T-shirt.
    â€œThey’re always laughing,” Evan explains. “Girls. You know how it is.”
    I look more closely at Travis as we walk. He’s wearing a red hoodie. His hair is long in the front, and it’s a mixture of red and brown. Could he be cute? I’m not sure. But it’s funny how once you hear that someone likes you, they immediately seem cuter.
    â€œSo, where’d you guys move from?” I ask Travis when we’re on our way to the food court. Gavin seems to only be interested in talking to Evan about sports, and I can tell that it’s annoying Sunny. He just keeps going on and on about some game that happened in 1994. We weren’t even born yet!
    â€œChicago,” he says. “My dad got a new job.”
    â€œOh, my sister goes to Northwestern,” I tell him. “Do you miss it?”
    He shrugs. “Kinda. I miss my friends.”
    â€œYou’ll make friends here,” I tell him. “Just give it a little while.”
    â€œI know. I just need time to adjust, I think.”
    Wow. I never knew boys thought about this kind of stuff. Travis seems unusually