writes a note to Brett and folds it up till it’s the size of a wad of chewing gum. She gives it to Caitlin to deliver.
2:10 p.m.
Angela and Jing and Clementine have a good time in gym
getting teased by David and DeShay and Reese.
3:00–3:30 p.m.
Caitlin gives Lindsey’s note to Brett. She thinks
he looks cute when he’s embarrassed. On the
bus, Caitlin makes a list of all the boys she’s
gone with this year. It looks like this:
1. Brett (2 weeks)
2. Khalid (1 week)
3. Joaquin (2 days)
4. David (3½ hours)
5. Maggie’s older brother, Jonathan
(in her dreams)
There were others first semester, but she
lost count. She thinks maybe she’d like to
go with Brett again after he and Lindsey
break up. She figures her friend and her
new crush will last about 2 weeks.
Maybe 1.
hormones
What’s caused all this drama? For one thing: hormones.
Hormones are chemicals in the body. During puberty, a girl’s hormones help
her body develop into a woman’s body, and a boy’s hormones help his body
develop into a man’s body. Hormones cause lots of emotional changes. They
also change the way girls and boys look at one another.
In general, hormones start working in girls a little sooner than they do in boys.
This means that many girls may be taller and more physically mature than
most boys their age up until high school. For the same reason, girls are often
ready to be interested in boys earlier than boys are ready to be interested in
them. That difference can lead to confusion and disappointment for girls.
Before hormones
After hormones
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staying normal
I don’t have any problem being myself around girls, but
sometimes when boys are around, I can’t seem to be me.
I just act weird.
Breena
A lot of girls find it hard to act normal. The simplest thing—like passing
an assignment to the boy in the next desk—may send clouds of questions
rolling through your mind.
What if he starts to like me?
What if he starts to think
I like him?
What if my friends think he
and I like each other and
embarrass me about it?
What if I start to like him and
he doesn’t like me back?
What if he and I start liking
each other at the same time?
WHAT THEN????
You start acting, well, WEIRD.
So what’s weird? For instance:
You talk too much
Ahmad is standing next to you in line. Suddenly you hear yourself
jabbering away as if your mouth weren’t connected to your brain.
Weird-O-Meter Rating:
Slow down. It will give you time to think before you speak. Don’t run
your words together. Take a breath between sentences. Ask questions.
Conversations involve both people talking, after all. And while he’s
looking for words, you’ll have more time to get a grip on your own.
You pretend you’re invisible
C.J. and Matt are so cute! They’re talking to your best friend during a break
in gym. You’d like to join them, but what if you say the wrong thing? You
stay where you are and count bricks in the wall.
Weird-O-Meter Rating:
Try not to avoid boys. It will only make your nerves worse. Remind yourself
that it’s natural for girls and boys to be fluttery around one another at this
age. The way to learn to talk to boys is to talk to boys. Practice makes perfect.
Or, at least, with a little practice, talking to boys won’t be such a big deal.
You act too cool
Louis is cute, Zach is awesome, and Ian is cool. You have to walk past
them all on the way to your locker. You put a big smile on your face,
pretend you’re a movie star, and hope they buy the act.
Weird-O-Meter Rating:
Most of us put up a front when we’re nervous. Acting relaxed is the next
best thing to feeling that way. It helps a person stay in
