Love from a to Z

Stop projecting more meaning into her than she deserves.
“Sure. Your friends are down there, right?” She stood up, screwing the
bubble cap back on. “I’m pretty sure on the way home Auntie Nandy’s
going to ask who I met here. I can’t tell her that I met a ten-year-old girl
named Hanna. So I better meet some other people.”
I nodded and let her go ahead of me on the steps.
“Adam.” As soon as we stepped off, Emma—Emma Domingo, as there
were three Emmas in our class—waved me over. “Come see yourself
pretending to be Lupin.”
Zayneb hung back to let me go ahead. I hesitated, not sure if I should
lead her to everyone periodically breaking into howls of laughter in unison,
clustered around Madison’s phone.
Or if I should lead her to the best place to see the moon above the water.
Then I remembered she wanted to meet people, so I led her to them.
I was pretty certain they’d love her.

---

ODDITY:
HOGWARTS HOUSES OR HOW EVERYONE SEEMS TO WANT TO BE
GRYFFINDOR
They did love Zayneb, enough to give her their social media stuff. And tell
her their Hogwarts houses.
She said she was mostly Gryffindor but also a bit Slytherin.
“You’re Harry Potter!” Emma—Emma Zhang—said. “He was part
Gryffindor and part Slytherin.”
And that just made everyone talk about who among us was really
Gryffindor. Brave. Inspiring. Remarkable.
That got me quiet.
I may be the most un-Gryffindor person there is in existence.
Like, I’m lying here in bed after the party, proud that I passed a full day
at home without once thinking about how I have to tell my father about my
multiple sclerosis.
There should be an un-Hogwarts Hogwarts house, one that doesn’t have
any traits attached. Like bravery or wit or loyalty or cunning.
A house for people who just want to appreciate the good things in life—
the marvels, simple and extraordinary.
Which reminds me: I didn’t tell Zayneb that we have the same journals. I
never got the chance to.
Maybe I’ll wait for her to bring it up somehow. When we next meet.
I’m going to see her again. Zayneb.
Tomorrow.
I made sure of it.
Because, yeah, I’m counting, and today was impression number two.
I have to get to a fourth.

---