“You’re amazing, Jenny,” I said.
“It was nothing.” Jenny was actually blushing. I couldn’t remember ever seeing her embarrassed before. But I’d been serious in my praise. She had saved her life and ours.
DJ motioned at Jenny’s clothes. “What is that all over you?”
Jenny’s smile vanished. “The less said about it, the better. But the picture book was right. Everyone poops. Aliens too.”
THE SCHOOL AT THE EDGE OF FOREVER
NOW
DJ LOOKED LIKE A FAIRY-TALE prince. His black tux was tailored perfectly, hugging his shoulders and his hips; his blond hair was brushed up and back into a stylish wave; his dimples were on display and causing trouble; and his blue eyes shone like binary stars, so bright they were visible from the other side of the galaxy. He stood outside the Beta Cephei High School gymnasium waiting for me. My prince. Which, I suppose, made me a princess.
“What?” DJ asked. “Do I have something on me?” He checked his pristine white shirt for stains. “I haven’t been eating anything, and—”
“You are so handsome.”
DJ lowered his eyes and blushed a deep scarlet. “No… I mean, I guess I am. But not like you. You’re… look at you,” DJ stammered as he tried to string words together. It was adorable.
I spun a graceful pirouette to give DJ the opportunity to absorb every exquisite detail of my blue suit. The jacket was cut higher than a regular tux, and the slacks were so tight that I could barely breathe, but I was definitely feeling cute.
DJ caught my hand and pulled me to him. Wrapped his arms around me and kissed me like tomorrow was a dream and we were its dreamers.
A cold metal appendage, belonging to a Teacher, wedged itself between our chests and forced us apart. In an effete mechanical voice, it said, “Please keep your genitals in your trousers,” before moving away to ruin the fun of other students who were trying to share a moment.
When Teacher was far enough away that it probably couldn’t hear me, I collapsed against DJ’s chest, laughing. “Is this really happening?”
“I think so?” DJ squeezed my hand. “Come on. Let’s go in. Jenny and Ty are waiting.” He led me to the gymnasium’s entrance and handed the Teacher guarding the doors our tickets.
Teacher scanned the barcodes printed on the passes with its single, bulbous red eye. “Noa North?”
“That’s me.” I clung to DJ’s arm, hardly able to believe that this was real.
Teacher turned its cyclopean gaze to DJ. “Then you must be DJ Storm.”
“I am.”
Teacher stood aside and motioned for us to enter. As DJ pulled me into the gym, I said, “Wait. So we’re seriously not going to talk about the fact that your full name is DJ Storm?”
THIRTEEN HOURS EARLIER
JENNY’S MOUTH HUNG OPEN SO wide I could have counted her fillings, and her eyes bulged like a tree frog’s. Behind her, stars filled the viewport, same as always. The universe was beautiful and deadly and dreadfully empty. I didn’t know how many times the fold drive had engaged since our misadventure had begun—I was sure DJ could have told me if I’d cared enough to ask—but the view never changed.
“Well?” Jenny said. “Are you going to tell me how it went or am I going to have to yank out your fingernails?” She dug a Nutreesh bar from her pocket to snack on, spilling more crumbs on her station.
“It was nice.”
“Nice?”
“Do you want the play-by-play or something?”
Jenny threw up her hands. “Yes! Why else would I be talking to you?”
I leaned back and propped my feet on my console. DJ hated when I did that, but he was asleep and would never know. Jenny and I had stayed awake to talk. Also, the fold drive was scheduled to engage soon, and we figured we might as well stick around to monitor it. Not that it was necessary.
It had been a few weeks since our alien invasion adventure, and life aboard Qriosity had returned to some semblance of normality. Jenny was still following clues, DJ had thrown himself into repairing the damage to the shuttle caused either by the alien trying to get inside or Jenny’s attempt to fly it, and I was baking my way through Mokatines and Murder: Eighty-Three Recipes Inspired by Murder Your Darlings. DJ and I had spent as much time together as we could while also doing our best not to desert Jenny. We’d tried to keep our dates a secret, but she somehow always knew and hounded me for details.
“It was good,” I said. “Really good. Dinner was fancy. I had the best lobster bisque I’ve ever tasted in my life, DJ ordered an appetizer without knowing what it was and ended up eating fish eyeballs, the primo uomo two tables over was murdered during the entrée, and DJ and I shared tiramisu for dessert.”
Watching Jenny clench her jaw so hard that she looked like she might crack her teeth was quite possibly as delicious as the tiramisu had been.
“I don’t care about any of that,” she said. “Get to the good stuff.”
I furrowed my brow in confusion. “I told you about dessert.”
“The other good stuff.”
“You don’t really expect me to kiss and tell, do you?”
Jenny snorted. “I absolutely do.”
“We walked around Bell’s Cove,” I said. “We sat on the pier and talked until the sun came up. I got cold and DJ gave me his jacket.” I painted the date in broad strokes for Jenny because the particulars belonged to me and DJ alone. The feel of his cheek under my thumb; the way he smiled after every bite like each forkful was a special gift just for him; the unholy screeching sound he called singing; and the way he refused to believe he couldn’t carry a tune. Every second I spent with DJ, my appreciation of him deepened. He was exactly who he appeared to be—courageous and thoughtful and kind—but he was also more. There were depths I would need a lifetime to explore.
“How am I supposed to live vicariously through you when you’re courting like a couple of Puritans?” Jenny took out her anger on the last of her Nutreesh, chomping forcefully.
“We’re taking things slowly—”
“Glacially.”
I was trying to keep in mind that DJ and I were lucky to have each other, but my patience with Jenny was wearing thin. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m not jumping into bed with DJ to keep you entertained. Our relationship isn’t for you.”
Jenny hung her head, looking dejected. “I need something, Noa.”
“What about Bell’s Cove? I’m sure you can steal Marco away from Anastasia for a little fun. I know it’s not real, but…” I let Jenny’s imagination fill in the blanks.
“Been there, tried to do that,” she said.
“Marco’s choosy. You might have to—”
Jenny cut me off. “Not what I mean. Snatching Anastasia’s boy from her was cake. He was making out with me thirty seconds after breaking up with her.”
I had never seen this side of Jenny, and I was intrigued. “Then what’s the problem?”
“Kissing is as far as it went,” she said. “That’s as far as it can ever go.” I must have looked confused, which I was, because she added, “Have you ever tried to get anyone from Bell’s Cove naked?”