“I prefer spending time with adults, actually,” said Martha. “Conversation with adults is easy. I know the rules. Shake hands with a firm, confident grip. Introduce yourself. Maintain eye contact. Avoid controversial topics and don’t swear. Simple. And they tend to really like me. Talking to other teenagers is way more complicated. For a start, you can’t just go up and talk to anyone. You have to know where they sit in the pecking order compared to you—and I’m almost always near the bottom. Then, even if you can speak to them, you have to sort of sidle into a conversation without looking too
...more
