I glanced at my cell, reading Lil’s message, and quickly texted her back.

Y.10?TTYL

“Your boyfriend?” TJ teased, sitting down next to me at the Met cafeteria table with his tray of food.

“Just Lily.” I rolled my eyes. He teased me all the time about not dating, and it was true, I didn’t-at least, I never brought anyone home. “Beth, sweetie, all those vegetables you’re pulling off your sandwich are the best part.”

“Nuh-uh.” She stuck out her overly-red tongue-she’d been drinking a cherry Icee-and opened her sandwich again to show me the myriad of lunchmeat on it. “The cow is the best part!”

“And the pig,” I reminded her, eating another baby carrot. “There’s pig in there.”

“Yum!” She took a big bite, her grin doughy and huge, and I could see her lunch through one missing front tooth.

“Just hurry up and eat it.” Ronnie snapped the brochure she was holding closed.

“The crowds are crazy today and the Picasso exhibit is going to be mobbed.”

“Good salads,” TJ remarked, shoveling in another huge bite of his Cobb salad.

“They should be, for the price.” Ronnie took a much more delicate bite of her Chinese chicken salad. “We should have eaten before we left.” I swallowed a sigh and looked between the two of them, sitting across the table from one another, silently chewing lettuce. I knew it was going to be like this. I’d tried to talk to Ronnie before we left, but she kept changing the subject, and she brought her Kindle and read on the subway while Beth and I played I-Spy, so there was no opportunity there, either. I felt totally shut out. This wasn’t like her at all, and I hated to admit, even to myself, how much it hurt my feelings.

“Daddy, Janie said there are cow pictures.” Beth sucked hard at her straw to get the last of her Icee, making loud slurping sounds.

“You like cows?” TJ asked, looking amused.

“Knock-knock!” Beth grinned. Even her teeth were red!