Gemma is the apple of Mathilda's eye. There are many aspects of the girl that run a continuous loop through Mattie's mind. Gemma's smell. Her breathy voice. Her stylishly mismatched outfits. Her British accent. How pretty she is. Yet, she is shocked when one of her buddies opines that Mattie has a crush on Gemma. What could this mean?!?! Is she gay or lesbian or something?

Mattie is over the moon when she acquires the coveted part of Paris in the Romeo and Juliet  school play. Mr. Torres delights in directing the "humans," and he gives Mattie the special role of tutoring one of the struggling actors as well as acting in the play. And, Gemma is there.  Mattie loves being around her. Sitting next to her. Talking to her. Every sight of Gemma causes Mattie's heart to flutter.

All of this began when Mattie swiped a Darth Vader costume from her younger brothers for a Halloween party. (As payment, they required her to play with them for an hour, but it was worth it.) There, Mathilda met Gemma, hiding out in the kitchen, where neither of them were supposed to be. 

Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee, 2017

It's awesome to have fun novels about gay kids interspersed with straight fiction.

Barbara Dee's web site

Books about girls in love