I pulled the shawl more tightly around my shoulders. It was never very warm in our apartment. She’d printed out some practice questions for the test that she’d found on the Internet. We’d just looked at the reading passage together. I couldn’t seem to stop drumming my fingers on the tabletop. Now I read the first question. “The narrator can best be described as (a) curious; (b) antagonistic; (c) ambivalent; (d) miserable.” Lisa said, “I think ‘(c) ambivalent.’ What do you think, Charlie?” I coughed. “Honestly, I don’t know.” I’d had trouble reading the passage carefully in the amount of time we had. “You don’t have to do this with me.” “I want to.” It was my duty. “I can tell this makes you so nervous, and I learn better on my own anyway. It sticks in my head that way.” “Those friends of yours, like Hannah, have parents who help them.
