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dad said that evening at dinner.“Any boys at school catch your eye? How about Tom Newt? He seems nice.”
    “Yeah, I guess,” I said, imagining what Tom would look like as Edwart. He would look hot. “Are you going to eat your spinach?”
    “Do you want it, honey?”
    “No, you should eat it,” I said. “And mine, too. It’s good for your health. C’mon, dad. Open up!”
    I put as much spinach as I could on my fork and moved it towards his mouth. Some spinach fell onto his placemat. Some onto his lap.
    “The train’s coming! Cug-a-cug-a-cug-a-coo! coo!” I chanted.
    “Belle, that’s not the noise a train makes,” he said. “They go
chug-a-chug-a
—with a ‘ch.’”
    “Maybe in Switchblade,” I said skeptically. This place certainly was backwards.
    I wanted to look especially good in Bio the next day, because I was sure that it was the day Edwart would ask if he could be my third date to prom. That night I wrapped my hair in springs from the armchair in our living room to make it curly. I even put in false teeth. On my way to school the next morning, I felt light and bouncy, but that could be because I’d left in some springs.
    I went to the Bio classroom fourth period to be sure I was on time for sixth. It was dark and Mr. Franklin was sortingbeakers in the closet. He let me eat my lunch there as long as I covered my desk in aluminum foil for cleanliness.
    The bell rang. I sat up super straight in my chair and smiled with my big, straight teeth. Students began to come through the door. Tom, Adam, Lucy, followed by more students. No Edwart. I stopped smiling and removed the teeth. Just when I thought Edwart was a normal, jealous boy, he does something unpredictable, like not show up to class with roses.
    “Okay, guys,” Mr. Lookner began. “My nephew needs a blood transfusion, so I want to know all of your blood types.”
    He sounded proud of this idea. He put on a pair of rubber gloves, which made an ominous slap as they hit his skin. I cringed.
Slap. Slap. Slap
.
    “Okay, I’ll stop,” he said. “That’s just such a cool sound!”
    Still no Edwart. Why
this
day to be absent from Bio? He had been in English. I knew this because I delivered a note to him from the “principal’s office” when he was in class. It said “Hey QT.” I really wished I were principal of this school. I’d give him so much detention. He deserves it, for cutting class instead of asking me out.
    Mr. Franklin was detailing the procedure. “I’ll be coming around with a medical consent form, so don’t start until I get to you. Those of you who aren’t AB can sit in the back and chat.” A few kids cheered. “But!” he continued. “Not until I know everyone’s blood type. Now, I want you to carefully prick your finger with one of these knives from my kitchen…”
    He grabbed Adam’s hand and cut off a bit of hispointer finger. Blood spurted out and landed on Mr. Franklin’s lab coat and the back of a nearby girl’s blouse.
    As I watched the dripping arc of crimson, I suddenly felt nauseous. Where
was
he? Why wouldn’t he come to class on a day when we were doing such a fun lab?
    Suddenly, there he was. Edwart. Edwart, standing there with his short buzz cut and masculine jaw, rough with light hair. There was something red stuck in his teeth. With a rush of nausea, I suddenly understood what he was.
Dentist Patient!
    I realized the whole class was silent, staring at me. I guess I must have said that out loud. Oops. Then I thought, no, that can’t be right. Edwart has naturally perfect teeth.
    I got out of my seat quickly so I might lightly slap Edwart in the face with my hair. I approached the materials table, where he was standing, shoving a pack of Twizzlers into his backpack. I swung my head…
    … And then the next thing I knew I was looking up at Mr. Franklin and Lucy’s faces.
    “Hey guys,” I said.
    “Belle, you fell!” Lucy exclaimed jealously.
    “No I didn’t.”
    “Yes, Belle, you tripped