Wink

Ross doesn’t have a packed lunch one day, so he gets food from the cafeteria. There, he spots a flyer on a bulletin board: Sarah Kennedy needs people to join her planning committee for the talent show. Ross sees an opportunity to spend time with Sarah.

However, when Ross gathers courage to approach Sarah, he scratches his head and a clump of his hair, as well as some eye ointment, falls onto Sarah’s pizza. Ross thinks it looks “[l]ike a little hamster perched on her slice” (168), which he draws. Sarah tries to hide her disgust, but one of her friends, the unpleasant Denise, makes a loud sound of revulsion. All of the kids in the cafeteria look in his direction. Ross quickly grabs the clump, puts it in his pocket, and apologizes. He begins to explain, but he stops himself because he doesn’t want to mention anything to do with cancer.

As everyone continues to stare at him, Ross exchanges Sarah’s lunch tray for a fresh one. Unable to speak, he smiles at her, gives her two thumbs up, takes a bow, and goes back to his seat. Abby tries to break the tension with some sarcastic humor, but he’s not in the