Free Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

vision that makes her oblivious.
    Erin wants to know what Jason’s been saying about her. But Jason never really talks about Erin. Whenever I bring her up, he changes the subject three seconds later. Not that I bring her up as much as I should. Which is why I’m having trouble answering Erin’s questions.
    “But what did he say ?” she goes.
    “Nothing.”
    “You asked him if he liked my hair and he didn’t say anything?” Erin has curly blonde hair. She just started blowing it out straight. I was supposed to ask Jason if he likes Erin’s hair better straight or curly. I mean, I did ask him . . . I think. I’m sure I did. I just can’t remember what he said.
    “No, he said it looks nice,” I tell her.
    “He likes it better than curly?”
    “I think he likes both ways the same.”
    “Huh. That’s weird.”
    “Why?”
    “Guys have strong opinions about how they want girls to look. They usually either like curly hair or straight hair. Not both.”
    “I guess Jason’s more open-minded.”
    “I know, isn’t he awesome?”
    “Totally.”
    We go back to watching Thirteen . But I have this thing lately where I can’t concentrate on simple activities. Like, I’ll be reading a book and my mind will just drift off and twenty minutes later I’m still on the same page. Or I’ll be watching a movie and a whole scene will go by before I realize that I have no idea what anyone said.
    “What do you like best about him?” Erin asks.
    “Who?”
    “Jason!”
    “Oh.” I really don’t think I’m the best person to ask. Not because I don’t have an answer. More like because I have too many answers. “Um . . . he’s funny.”
    “ So funny.”
    “And smart.”
    “ So smart.”
    Gromit peers at me from around a bit of coral. I go over to the aquarium and press my finger against the glass. She looks at me curiously. Then, concluding that I am not food, she drifts away.
    Erin’s like, “Next year’s going to be the best.”
    “Totally.”
    “We should all do a road trip!”
    “Um—”
    “We can drive to Arizona and check out that world’s largest solar panel you’ve been dying to see.”
    “You mean the wind turbine farm at the Solar Center?”
    “Whatever. It’ll be wild! We’ll drive in shifts and stay in random motels. And all those rest stops—you love diners!”
    I have to laugh at Erin’s excitement. She’s all about the fun times. You have to admire her determination to get everyone else on board.
    “What else did he say about me?” Erin goes.
    “When?”
    “Whenever! What does he talk about?”
    “Just . . .” I don’t know what to say. It’s not like I can tell her about the time I showed Jason all those charts and graphs to convince him to recycle (which he said he would do from now on because he was totally convinced, by the way). Or how he showed me his note code. Because what if he never showed Erin? What if the code is this secret just between us? Erin might be jealous that he showed me something he didn’t show her first.
    She’s all, “Why won’t you tell me?”
    “There’s nothing—”
    “Oh my god—did he say something bad about me? Is that why you’re not telling?”
    “No! There’s nothing to tell.”
    “Swear?”
    “Yes. If he says something about you, I will definitely tell you.”
    “But shouldn’t he have said something by now? Don’t you guys talk about me?”
    “Sometimes. But there’s other stuff going on in the world, you know.”
    “Okay, I’m overreacting. I need to chill.”
    When you’re in the middle of a situation, sometimes it’s hard to see how things really are. Erin can’t see what I see. She thinks it’s her fate to be with Jason, that they’re building a strong relationship that will last for a long time, that he feels the same way about her. But I see something different. To me, it seems like Jason is having a good time with Erin without getting too heavy. I don’t doubt that he likes her. I just doubt that he likes her