Free Virtually in Love by A. Destiny Page A

were outside, the door shut behind us, she turned to stare at me. “What was that?” she exclaimed.
    â€œI know, right?” I shook my head as we walked toward her mom’s car, which was idling at the curb. “What in the world is he thinking?”
    â€œThat he likes you as more than a friend?” Vanessa shrugged. “Maybe Maya was onto something after all.”
    â€œGet real.”
    â€œI am real,” she said. “If you think about it, it really does make sense. You and Kaz have a ton in common. You get along great. You spend all your time together. You make each other laugh until you snort soda out your noses.”
    â€œSo do you and Kaz,” I pointed out. “Not to mention you and me.” I spun around and dropped to my knee. “Vanessa, will you go to the dance with me? As, like, my date?”
    â€œGet up, you loon.” She kicked me lightly in the knee. “I’m serious about this.”
    I sighed as I climbed to my feet. She had that dreamy look in her eyes—the one she got when she watched those sappy romantic movies. “Stop,” I said.
    Too late. “I can see it now,” she singsonged, her blue eyes unfocused as if gazing into some rose-tinted future only she could see. “You and Kaz at the dance, slow dancing to the music, realizing this was what you both wanted all along . . .”
    â€œHold on. Stop right there.” I frowned at her. “Aren’t you forgetting something? Or rather some one ? What about Trevor?”
    Vanessa blinked, her eyes returning to the here and now. “Oh right,” she said. “I did forget about him for a sec.” She shrugged and hurried forward to open the car’s back door. “I mean, he’s superdreamy and all, but he doesn’t seem quite real, you know? Living so far away and everything . . .”
    â€œHave fun, girls?” Vanessa’s mom looked up from texting as we climbed into the backseat. “I hope Kazuo enjoyed his party.”
    â€œHe did.” Vanessa shot me a look. “He really, really did.”
    I scowled at her, miming a lip-zip. I so didn’t want to talk about this in front of her mom. Or anybody, really. Not until I figured out what was going on and how to deal with it.
    As Mrs. Bennett pulled away from the curb, I leaned back against the seat, staring at nothing. Vanessa might not think Trevor was real, but I knew better. I mean, I’d spent two whole weeks with him at music camp. Not to mention talking or texting with him pretty much every day for the past few months.
    Besides, who could argue with the way we’d reconnected? It was fate—meant to be. Just like the song said. That was the difference between Kaz and Trevor. Maybe Vanessa didn’t get it, but I did.
    Closing my eyes, I hummed “True Romance” the rest of the way home.
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    That night after dinner I went up to my room and changed into the shorts and T-shirt I usually slept in. I liked to be comfortable for my weekend phone sessions with Trevor, since they often lasted long into the night. I set my phone on my desk and then started my math homework while I waited for Trevor’s call. I’d be busy with that fund-raiser planning meeting the next day, and Ms. Feldman didn’t accept any excuses for unfinished problem sets. Besides, Trevor was a little late, and some geometry seemed as good a way as any to distract myself while I waited.
    Normally I was pretty good at math. But that night the numbers and symbols swam in front of my eyes, refusing to arrange themselves into any patterns that made sense.
    Something else that didn’t make sense? The recent weirdness between me and Kaz. We were so great as friends. I couldn’t even imagine trying to turn that into a romance. Or could I? Maya certainly didn’t seem to have any trouble picturing it, and even Vanessa hadn’t seemed to