Noah's POV
"—Small."
I squint at K. "Watcha say?"
He points at the beetle in my hands, nose wrinkling like it stinks. "It's so small."
I frown and tilt my palms so he can see better. "It gets bigger if you look up close."
K makes a weird face and leans back. "It's small and gross. How can you like this stuff?"
I let the beetle crawl out of my hands and watch it scurry across the mossy root. I stand, brushing dirt on my shorts. Bugs are cool. K just doesn't get it. "You don't gotta come out here with me, ya know? You can stay home."
"Can't," K says quickly.
"Why not?"
His cheeks go pink beneath his dark skin and he turns away, toeing a rock. "I like… playin' out here with you."
I blink. I like playing out here with him too. Don't know why he gotta say it like that.
K looks back at me, then says too fast, "But you could stay home more too! I could come over and we could watch Fireman Fred. My mom says we can make popcorn now without burnin' it."
