Sacha poked me in the side. "Stay awake."

It had only taken me a few weeks to learn that these guys were worse at gossiping than teenage girls.

"I’ve liked you from the moment I met you.” He blinked, his eyebrows knitting together in surprise. “Damn, Gaby. I’m fucking crazy about you.”

"Gaby, remember when you swore you were in love with Reiner Kulti? But you'd never met him? If he would've shown up at our door, you would've sold your soul to the devil to be with him."

Was he seriously calling me a hooker on our first expedition out? By the smile on his face, I would say yes. Yes, he was. I think I’d found a friend.

"I don't care," I piped up in a sing-song voice. "Get off the bus and talk to me. You owe me." I wanted to add a “motherfucker” at the end but I kept it to myself.

As soon as Eli spotted us in line, he threw his arms out to the sides and asked in a voice that was way too loud, "I thought you needed to take a shit?"

This—him—was easy. Effortless. It just felt right.

Sacha didn't even hesitate, unzipping his hoodie, dropping his backpack to the floor and pulling free from the sleeves. "Here," he said, holding it out in my direction. "I don't want you getting sick."