Weird people

Chapter one

Spring 2019 – 
Adrian heads downstairs to the kitchen in sweatpants and a T‑shirt, wanting some water. He sees June in her school uniform, grinning as she sits on the kitchen stool holding out a jar of chocolate spread.
"Do you want some?" June asks. 
"No, thanks," he says.
His mom walks into the kitchen, tossing spinach and apples into a blender. 
"My mom can do that, Ms. Reyes," June offers. 
"No need. What did you get on your biology quiz, Adrian?" 
"An A," he says. 
"And you got your Spanish results today. What'd you get?" 
"An A." 
"Of course you got a 4.0," says June. "You're bragging." 
He shrugs.
While Mom starts running the blender, Adrian thinks about how June seems to act weird around him. He wouldn't say this aloud to anyone. The roaring of the blender makes him think about how badly they treat her at school—how she doesn't have friends and sits alone at lunch reading novels. They call her a witch. He doesn't care that she's a witch.
The blender fades to a stop, and June is grinning even wider. 
"You're so smart, and you read more than anyone I know," she says.
His mom pours the green smoothie into a glass and takes a sip. 
"Alright, finish up, you two," she says, setting the glass down with a soft clink. "I'm driving you both to school today. June's mom is staying here with Ginny so I can shop for the spring equinox."
It's their first time celebrating the Wheel of the Year. His mom had hired a nice pagan family as housekeepers.
"Did you take a look at the Martha Stewart Spring Eating magazine I got at the library?" June asks, rocking her legs. 
"Yeah, very spring," Mom says, rinsing the blender pitcher in the sink.
The kitchen fills with the faint smell of spinach and soap. 
"Go get ready, honey," Mom says, grabbing her keys from the counter.
A gentle breeze drifts through the open window as Adrian finishes his water. 
June slides off the stool, straightening her uniform. She doesn't wear makeup, really, and she smells faintly of rose and lavender.
Once Adrian is done getting ready—which consists of washing his face with black African soap, roll‑on deodorant, brushing his teeth with coconut oil and baking soda, and curling his lashes because he likes the way it looks (yes, he's straight; he may have intimacy issues, but that's a different ladder to climb)—he slings his backpack over one shoulder and follows June outside to the car.
Meanwhile, June's mom is in the back house, gearing up to chase around an almost four‑year‑old for a few hours while Adrian's mom runs her errands.
Funny thing was, at school, he and June hardly talked. It was like they agreed to pretend they didn't know each other.