By the time lunch rolled around, my hands cramped up like claws from writing, and my back ached from walking around with my heavy book bag.

Keenan and I found a table near the windows overlooking this grassy area with outside tables between the cafeteria and another part of the school building. It reminds me of the book I got from the library called Middle School: Big Fat Liar.

I look at our beige trays as Keenan eats diced peaches in a cup. We chose rectangle pepperoni pizza, mozzarella sticks, and fruit cups, but the stress from today makes the food look gross.

"Keenan?" He looks at me. I could go my whole life without talking to him, but I would be alone in an unfamiliar place far from home. "Regina knows about the cow." He doesn't say anything. He just stares at me with this look, like he's waiting for me to laugh so he'll know it's an unfunny joke.

I watch his Adam's Apple bob as he swallows the fruit, and his eyes travel around the room, watching each kid laugh, eat, talk, and just enjoy the little time they're given. He licks his lips while shaking his head, then looks at me.

"I really liked being here," he says with a solemn tone, and I bring my brows together. He's talking like this is the end of the world or that we'll die. "The Leonid shower starts on Saturday night, so that gives us about five days to detach from everyone and keep our mouths shut."

"What're you talking about?" He sets the plastic cup and spork on his tray. "We don't have to leave just for that. I mean, she just thinks we killed it. She doesn't know what really happened, and we don't have to tell her."

"What'd she say to you?" I gulp. I know if I tell him the truth, it'll only prove to him that I can't be trusted to not talk about us time-traveling.

And even though we didn't mention how we killed the cow, when Regina figures out there's a crater in that couple's yard, obviously, she'll have more questions.

My eyes flick from one of his to the other, unable to settle as I think of the right lie.

"She—just," I stammer, and he tilts his head forward while raising an eyebrow, rushing me. "She said she thinks it was us because we weren't home that afternoon."

He stares back at me, narrowing his eyes as if he knows that I'm lying or that it doesn't make sense. When he sighs and shakes his head at his tray, my fingers curl around my shirt's hem, and my chest tightens along with my stomach.

"Okay, well, we still have to go. I've been down this road before," he mutters, and my shoulders deflate when I see that he believes me. My chest and stomach are still tight, but my fingers relax at my sides. He continues with the same monotonous voice, "And if we don't leave soon, eventually, she'll figure it out, and that'll ruin everything. I told you, once we're found out, outside of it being a domino effect of, like, changing historic events and stuff, who knows? Maybe some guys in suits will take us away and experiment on us."

"This isn't Stranger Things," I say, and his eyes widen. He looks around and sees the girl from gym class walking toward our round table with her tray.

He flashes her a smile and turns his pearly whites to me, saying through clenched teeth, "We'll talk about this later."

"Hi, Keenan," she greets him, and I fold my arms, staring her up and down. I'm not remotely jealous of her; I just find it hilarious that he's making new friends but doesn't think I should do the same. "Hi, Leila."

She gives me a genuine grin, but I can't be bothered to do anything but glare at her.

"Leila, this is Toni." He introduces her to me with a questioning tone, probably wondering what's wrong with me, and she side-eyes me as her smile starts to disappear.

"Tony, like a boy's name," I ask, and Keenan's eyes flare. I know I'm being mean, but if I can't have friends, then neither can he.

"No," she says, dragging her answer into the form of a question. "It's Toni with an I."

"Well, that's stupid." Keenan shuts his eyes, and she blinks back in surprise. "Either way you spell it, you're named after a boy."

"At least I don't smell like a boy," she says loud enough for everyone around us to hear, and I know she did it on purpose. I feel my face heat up and my stomach knot. When I look around, I see a few other students staring at us. "I was trying to be nice to you since Melissa and her friends said you stink, but you know what? They're right!"

I cut my eyes at Keenan, and I see that his face is buried in his hands and his elbows are resting on the table. I don't know what to say, but as my cousin, I expect him to shut her up or something.

"I'm sure if you participated when we all had to run laps, then you'd stink too." She chuckles at my comment, and it makes my stomach knot tighter.

"I did participate, but unlike you, I wore deodorant." I quickly open my mouth, ready to say anything, even if it's not funny or if it doesn't make sense, but she interrupts me. "Look, I'm not here to go back and forth with you." She turns to Keenan and forces a smile. "I'll see you before I get on my bus." When he nods, she turns to me with a grimace and says, "Bye, Skunk."

***

I hadn't spoken since Toni walked away because I was afraid that at any moment I'd burst into tears. Even when Keenan said I told you so, I just balled my fists up, ready to ram them through the side of his face, and when Troy tried to talk to me on the bus, I just ignored him and stared out of the window.

Since my first official day at that school, Melissa Hayworth's been nothing but a bully. I ignore her and her group of followers, and I try to not bother anyone, but she's hated me since Troy caught the ball.

I walk through the front door, shutting it behind me, before passing the living room and kitchen. I notice Regina reading by the fireplace, sitting in Dad's recliner, and when she hears the front door close, she turns at the hips to watch me over the chair.

"How was school, Leila," she asks in a singsong way, and when she sees that I didn't stop walking or answer her, she sets the book on the coffee table and then trails behind me. "Leila?"

She sticks out her sneaker as I start to shut the door between us, and we stare at each other. Her winged eyeliner makes her look like a literal fox, and other than brown lipstick, it's the only bit of makeup she's gotten to look somewhat decent.

"Leave me alone." I force myself to rush out the words. What I'm doing is like in the cartoons, where the character presses against their closet door to keep their stuff from flying out. I haven't cried in front of these people yet, and today won't be the day.

She lifts one of her overplucked eyebrows but doesn't remove her foot from the space between the door and the frame. She sits her hands on her jorts' hips and narrows her eyes at me.

"Did something happen today?" I stare back at her, and when I notice that she's genuinely asking and seems genuinely concerned, I lower my gaze to her grey sneakers.

I shake my head and sigh. "It's nothing serious, just some stupid kids at school with no friends and nothing better to do."

"Then why're you upset?" I shrug, averting my gaze to my long dresser beside us, when I feel my eyes burning. "Uhn-uhn, use your words. Why're you upset? Who's bothering you?"

"It's not a big deal, okay?" Tears stream down my face without warning, and it leaves me sounding like a blubbering baby. "Some girl was picking on me for no reason in the cafeteria, and Keenan didn't even say anything or do anything! He just sat there like everyone else and laughed at me!" She looks mortified. I know technically it's not true that he laughed, but he didn't help me, so I don't care. I watch her walk down the hall, and while wiping my eyes and sniffling, I ask, "Where're you going?"

"To talk to your cousin." My eyes widen. I didn't expect her to want to help me considering how she's acted toward me these past few days, and after our talk earlier, I honestly don't think I was expecting her to not take it so seriously.

Maybe she doesn't really believe I killed a cow. I mean, me getting upset over some stupid girl should prove that I'm not emotionally strong enough to do something like that.

I run behind her, my bookbag slamming against my tailbone with heavy textbooks, binders, and a day planner.

I want to stop her, but a part of me wants to see him get embarrassed the way he let me get embarrassed.

As we walk off our lawn and stroll down the sidewalk to get around the fence separating us, I anticipate her cursing at him or beating him up since she's only fifteen. I notice how wide her shoulders are and how toned her legs and arms are from playing JV volleyball at George Michael's High School.

Her neon purple V-neck is layered over a black tank top, and it sits on her upper body with one shoulder exposed.

We pass gnomes and yard lights until we reach the wide porch, and I stand behind her while she slams the outer part of her right fist against the door three times.

We stand there with only birds chirping to mask the deafening silence. The door flies open when she knocks against it some more, but to our surprise, we see Aunt LaToya in a black unitard and leg warmers. We look her up and down, not used to her wearing something she'd quickly call provocative on someone else.

"Girls, what do y'all want, banging on my door like the police?" We look at each other. I have to look up at her, and she has to glance over her exposed shoulder at me.

"Um, we wanted to speak to Keenan," Regina meekly says, and his mom raises an eyebrow.

"'Gina, he just got off the bus, and he has homework to do." Regina folds her hands behind her back. "What do y'all want him for?"

"He was picking on me at school, and she wants to make him apologize." My sister cuts her slanted eyes at me menacingly slowly. Without a word else, she steps aside to invite us in, and we step in with me in the front.

"Keenan, your cousins are here to speak to you," she yells from behind us, and we both flinch. We watch her walk past us to get to the kitchen, only to stop under the arch, turn at the hip, and look at Regina. "You want a drink, baby?"

"I'll take a beer," she jokingly says with a smile, but her grin drops when her aunt turns around and walks to the fridge. We catch eyes; her brows crease, and my lips part. Keenan sprints through the hall in socks and pajamas, his feet dragging against the carpet.

He stops in front of us and sticks out a finger, zapping me on the arm. "Stop," I yell at him. The sensation was quick, but it sent goosebumps flying up my arms, and of course, it stung like I got pinched or shocked.

"Keenan, what's this they're saying about you pickin' on Leila at school?" She's holding a Capri Sun in one hand and a Heineken in the other. Confusion fills his face as he stares at LaToya.

"I wasn't picking on nobody," he defends himself, but his voice is high-pitched, which makes his mom lower her eyes at him. "Seriously, I didn't do anything."

He's telling the truth, obviously, but I'm too far gone to defend him. For once, I have someone on my side and someone willing to defend me no matter what, so I refuse to make them and myself look like idiots by saying I stretched the truth.

"Leila said you laughed when someone was bullying her," Regina tells him, and I cringe on the inside when he slowly turns his attention to me. He looks betrayed and fed up with me, but I lift my chin to show that I'm not sorry.

"I—didn't laugh." He doesn't sound sure, which they pick up on, but I know he's really speaking to me and is confused about why I said he did.

"Yes, you did! That girl called me a skunk, and you thought it was funny." He scoffs in disbelief and takes a step back.

"No, I didn't," he says, raising his voice too. "I actually was annoyed at you both. You for saying she has a boy's name, and her for saying you smell like a boy." I look down and gulp when I feel Regina's eyes burning a hole through my head. "And what was up with that? Why do you dog her every time she comes around?"

My breathing picks up, and I blurt out, "Maybe because I don't think it's fair that you can be friends with her, but you don't like me being friends with Troy."

Regina and LaToya share a glance, both unaware of why there's tension between us. "Well, if y'all were just friends, then I wouldn't care, but you and I know you like him."

"You don't know anything!" I turn away from him and start toward the door, but I stop when I notice a family picture sitting on a table under the coat hooks. It's behind a translucent bowl of keys, and just like at my house, the picture has his blurred face.