From the Desk of Zoe Washington(3)

Trevor usually celebrated my birthday with me. We were in the same grade and had been neighbors practically our whole lives. Our families shared a two-family home—a baby-blue house with two side-by-side white front doors, a wooden porch, a paved driveway, and a two-car garage.

During the summer, my friends Jasmine and Maya always left town. Maya would go to sleepaway camp in the Catskills, and then on vacation with her parents and younger sister. This year they were going to San Francisco. As for Jasmine, she normally spent the whole summer at her grandparents’ house in Maryland with her twin brother and cousins. But this summer, she was actually moving to Maryland. Her parents decided they wanted to live closer to her grandparents all year round. When I said goodbye to Jasmine at the end of my birthday party, I cried, having no idea when I’d get to see her next.

I’d stay home for the summer, as usual. Mom didn’t believe in spending thousands of dollars for summer activities when I could have fun at home for free. Like always, Grandma would watch me while my parents were at work.

I never really minded being home for the summer, because I’d always had Trevor. We’d come up with our own adventures, like riding our bikes around our neighborhood or making s’mores using the microwave. Last summer we watched all the Marvel movies on Trevor’s dad’s big-screen TV. Sometimes, Trevor would help me bake cookies or brownies. We never got bored when we were with each other.

But this was not going to be like all our other summers. A month earlier, Trevor betrayed me and I hadn’t talked to him since. I had no idea how I’d entertain myself without him, since bike riding and movie marathoning didn’t sound as fun alone. I couldn’t even complain to Mom because she’d tell me to use my imagination, or say that being bored was good for me.

When I walked into the living room, Trevor was standing next to the couch. I narrowed my eyes at his baggy Medford Middle School Basketball T-shirt. He probably wore it over here on purpose, to rub it in my face that he only cared about the team. He was playing that old-school Mario game on his phone again. I recognized the beeps and cheery music coming from the speaker. But then he lowered his phone and his eyes locked with mine. I looked away.

The thing was, I knew Trevor way too well. Even though I only saw his face for a second, I knew what that look meant: (a) he didn’t want to be there either, and (b) he was still confused about why I was mad at him. Well, I wasn’t about to tell him. He should be able to figure it out for himself.

“Happy birthday, Zoe!” Patricia came over and gave me a hug. “Your dad said you guys were at a bakery. Sounds like you had a good time.”

I thanked her while thinking, Why would he do that? I didn’t want to have to explain why Trevor wasn’t invited along. But lucky for me, Patricia didn’t say anything about that.

“Trish, do you want a cupcake?” Mom asked her. “We have a lot left over.”

What? Those were my cupcakes. I crossed my arms.

“It’s the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had,” Dad added. “And I’m not just saying that because Zoe made them.” He winked at me.

I glanced over at Trevor, who was standing up straight now, peering toward the kitchen. He couldn’t resist anything with chocolate.

Back when we still hung out together, Trevor and I spent a lot of time making and eating snacks, especially chocolate ones. One time he was so desperate, he sucked the coating off chocolate-covered raisins, even though he hated raisins.

“Just eat the whole thing,” I’d told him before popping a chocolate-covered raisin into my mouth. “They’re good.”

“They’re shriveled-up grapes. Like mini grape corpses. Disgusting.” He’d sucked the chocolate off another one and then reached the spit-covered raisin out to me. “Since you like raisins so much, you can have mine.”

“Eww!” I’d grimaced.

He’d pushed it closer to my face, so I’d stood up to get away from him. Then he’d chased me around my house with it. We made several laps around the kitchen island and ended up in the living room, where we collapsed on the couch, laughing so hard that tears streamed from my eyes.

My throat tightened. It was hard to imagine laughing like that with Trevor again.

“Girl, I can never say no to cake,” Patricia was saying with a laugh.

Mom laughed too. “I’ll get you a couple.”

Patricia followed my parents down the hall, leaving Trevor and me behind.

I wished I could leave Trevor alone and go back to Marcus’s letter, but I’d get in trouble if I did that. Instead, I leaned against the doorway between the living room and hallway, ready to make my escape as soon as I could.

Trevor and I were quiet for a few seconds, and then he said, “Happy birthday, by the way.”

It didn’t sound like he really meant it, which made me want to kick him in his shins. “Why are you even here?” I asked. To apologize for what he said about me? To make it up to me on my birthday?

“To give you your present,” he said.

“I thought you’d be hanging out with one of your teammates.” I said the word “teammates” as if it tasted like burnt cookies and sour milk.

Trevor shrugged.

I huffed and turned away. Fortunately, that’s when my parents and Patricia returned from the kitchen. Patricia held a Tupperware filled with two cupcakes.