| R I G H T N E X T T O Y O U |

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0 . 7

Lark and the strange girl—whose name he still hadn't been given, sat across from one another in the cafeteria, both sipping on small boxes of apple juice.

"So," Lark began, smirking slightly. "Are you gonna tell me your name, or what?" The girl blushed at the fact that she hadn't told him yet, tucking a piece of brunette hair behind her ear.

"Patty," She stuck a hand out, "Patty Meyers."

"Lark—"

"Lark Reyes," she blushed again. "I know." Lark wondered how a girl who seemed to be as pretty as her knew his name. But even while a girl could be as beautiful as her—he couldn't find it in himself to like her. And the mere fact had his heart slowing it's previously steady beats.

"So," Lark began, leaning on both elbows as he casually analyzed Patty Meyers with a frown of some sort. "What'd you wanna talk about?"

"Oh!" She piped up, as though she had forgotten. "I heard about you."

"What do you mean you 'heard about me'?"

She let out a sigh of frustration, leaning in a bit closer to Lark. "I heard about your—what people call—disease." Lark tensed, crossing both arms across his chest. While turning to his left, he saw Joseph speaking to someone—Betty Lee, to be exact, just outside of the third building.

"About what about my disease?" He questioned, choosing to ignore the burning feeling deep down that screamed; "defend yourself!"

"It's just . . ." Patty paused, looking down as she spoke, "I think I may suffer from the same disease." She whispered the last bit of her sentence, not daring to steal a look up at Lark, who furrowed his brows.

He'd never met anyone who thought just as he did—who was attracted to the same sex. It was mind-boggling.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, peering in closer.

She paused before finally looking him in the eye. "Betty Lee."