Didn’t take long to reach the library’s coffee shop, and it took less time to notice the massive queue coiling in front of the counter. I had time to spare, but how much time did Katherine have to spare me?

The answer came in the form of a door jingling open. Kat walked in, her nose a little red from the cold, yellow sunlit afternoon an aura around her long blonde hair. How I wished there was some kind of supernatural element to what I felt for her.

“Hey, Yandel!” Her greeting was enthusiastic. That was a good sign. Right?

“I thought you were the unfortunate person behind the counter?” I said. “Looks like you got lucky.”

She watched the long line move up an inch. “I did, didn’t I? It’s because I’m not working here anymore.”

Record scratch.

My smile nearly dropped. “You’re leaving?”

“From the shop, yep. I was in a work-study program and I met my quota.”

If the fact that I didn’t Change wasn’t the cause of the aching in my chest, then maybe it was the look of utter obliviousness in Katherine’s gaze. I could have approached this with total grace and called our brief one-sided romance a loss, but as I previously mentioned, my desire to preserve my own self-esteem was all-consuming.

I said, “Hey, since you’re not working anymore, would you be interested in coming on a nationwide road trip with me and a couple of friends?”

Am I insane?

Yes.

Her eyes grew wide. I felt an instant churning in my gut that I wasn’t totally sure was due to the state of my unChanged body. For a while, she watched me, in the back of the coffee shop. Puking seemed a possible reaction at that point. And just when I thought the one who would do the puking would be me, her lips broke into a blazing smile.

“Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to go on a road trip?! I’ve been studying so much that my dreams of traveling and 'self-discover' have all but poofed in front of me.”

Could I keep my mouth shut at that? Of course, I couldn’t. I said, “That’s awesome! Marcel and I are finalizing the arrangements with my dad’s friend today. Meet us tomorrow by the main office, and finish assignments that you need to. We’ll set off together the next day. Can you manage that?”

“Of course!”

She raised her hands and put them on my shoulder. I thought if she didn’t, I’d float away.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“You just made my week, you know.”

I needed to stop talking, but I didn’t. “I’m glad. You made my week by accepting.”

Her dimples never left her prominent cheeks. “Could a friend of mine come along?”

“Sure!”

CRAP. What had I done?

Katherine clapped her hands and bounced on her feet. The next moments were a blur as her kiss landed on my cheek and my head exploded with about three hundred different scenarios and none of them involved her leaving my grasp.

We parted ways afterward. All I could think was that I was so one-hundred-and-ten-percent on death row, but at least Katherine was going to be there when I died.

In my pocket, my phone buzzed and buzzed and buzzed. I couldn’t bother myself by picking it up. For as reasonable as I had been raised to be, I couldn’t help but preserve and hold onto the things that helped me forget the eccentric life I lived.

Crap.Crap.Crap. 

I’m an actual dolt. I'm worse than your average Wettpett protagonist.