" How is she already asleep?” Sully whispers. “At home she stays up until like two a.m.”

“She probably was tired,” Church whispers back.

“What, from climbing a hill?”

Church doesn’t respond. They get into their sleeping bags and whisper for half an hour about the outdoor soccer season about to start. I hadn’t even realized the indoor season was over—Mom and Dad just told me when I needed to take them to practice or pick them up. I didn’t know how they’d done. Were there any tournaments? Trophies?

After a long stretch of silence, Sully says, “So did you really try out for the spring musical?”

Church doesn’t respond for a second. “Yes. Why?”

“Just wondering. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you would have made it about Macy Garrison.”

“It—it’s not?”

“No.”

“Oh. But you’re not going to try out forchoir?”

“Maybe.”

“Why?” Just the smallest bit of mocking enters Sully’s tone.

“Because I like it,” Church snaps back. “We don’t have to do all the same things. Try out for mathletes or something. You like math. You’d be good at it.”

“Mathletes is for nerds.”

“Sull, there’s something you should know.”

“Don’t say it.”

“You are a nerd.”

“I’m not a nerd. Eliza’s a nerd.”

“Actually, I think Eliza’s a geek. I’ve seen her grades. Compared to us, she’s horrible at school.”

“You’re a nerd for knowing the difference.”

“That’s fine.”

Sully makes no sound, but I can feel him fuming in the darkness. I didn’t know Church could get under Sully’s skin so easily. I didn’t know Sully liked math. I didn’t know either of them were that good at school. I didn’t know Church already knew he was good at singing . . . or that he was interested in musical theater.

I’ve been living with them their whole lives, but until right now, they’ve felt like strangers "

― Francesca Zappia , Eliza and Her Monsters