Good with Boys
By Kristen Iskandrian, first published in ZYZZYVA
During an overnight field trip to a museum, an elementary-aged girl who claims to be good with boys despite her mediocre looks tries to spend some time alone with her crush, but her crush's helicopter mother keeps interfering.
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Plot Summary
Jill goes to a museum with her class on an overnight field trip. Jill has grand hopes to spend time alone with her crush Esau Abraham, whose mother is one of the parent chaperones on the trip. On the bus, the students eat Cheetos and cheer on the bus driver, who gives them a bumpy ride. Mrs. Abraham tells the bus driver to be more careful. Jill thinks about how she is not very pretty because she has frizzy hair and glasses, but she is good at getting boys because she agrees with what they say and blends in with them. When they arrive at the museum, Esau's mother sets up her sleeping bag right next to her son. Jill tries to put her sleeping bag as close as possible to Esau's, but because of Mrs. Abraham, she ends up placing hers about four feet away and on the other side of a bookcase. All the other girls put their sleeping bags together on the other side of the room, and when Mrs. Abraham asks Jill why she put her bag on the boys' side, Jill pretends she did not notice there were separate sides. Jill knows that she needs to get Esau away from his mom and that she will have to be patient. While Jill is looking at the Mineralogy wing, she thinks about how she has other interests besides boys. She really likes rocks and pretty objects. At the same time, she is happy because the Mineralogy wing is right across from the Ornithology wing where Esau is. Eventually, Esau and a boy named Adam enter the room and tell Jill they are looking for the dinosaurs. Jill says they are not allowed upstairs where the dinosaurs are, but she agrees to go to be with Esau. Jill tries to get Esau to look at a dinosaur related to the T-Rex with her, but Esau wants to look at the biggest dinosaur with Adam. Adam tries to touch the dinosaur's tail and loses his balance, falling onto Esau. The two laugh together on the floor. Afterwards, Jill notices Esau looking at Adam, and she feels a pang of jealousy. All of the kids are called back to the main room. Mrs. Abraham asks where the children were, and Jill takes credit for the idea to run off, hoping it will make Esau like her. Later that night, Jill moves her sleeping bag to the other side of the room with the girls. When she thinks everyone is asleep, she sneaks over to Esau's side, but Mrs. Abraham sees her and tells her to go back to her side. Jill falls asleep humiliated. The next morning, the teachers and chaperones have trouble waking her up. She finally gets up late and has to rush to join the line with all the other kids, where Esau stands next to Adam. Jill continues to feel jealous and hurt, but when they get to their morning activity— a butterfly garden— Jill becomes entranced with the butterflies and forgets to feel hurt.
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