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love Sync like a sister, but let’s face
it—she’s just a robot.
    I take a shaky breath, coming back to the
present just in time to hear Caddie say, “—if you don’t want to.
It’s okay, really, I just figured—”
    “I’d like to. Hang out. If the offer’s still
open.”
    She beams, her entire face lighting up.
“Awesome! Um, where at? What time?”
    “Well I have plans after school to go to
Cosmo, but I’m open tomorrow? For lunch?” I felt a pang of
something, like I should be inviting her to Cosmo along with me,
but if the hottie was there…well maybe I didn’t want to have to
compete with her.
    “You like Cosmo?”
    I blink at her. “Why?”
    “You just don’t seem like a very social
person. What, with your rep and all.” I frown and she shakes her
head, looking apologetic. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, Lucy.
Really!”
    “I like the music,” I mumble. “The beat
just…I don’t know. I like music.”
    “Oh my God, have you seen Elysium play? When
MaXXX sings ‘Life and Love’ I just melt a little inside.” She lets
out a giggle.
    We head down the hall. I leave her at her
first period class. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then? Matchlight
Diner, noonish?”
    “It’s a date!” she agrees, then pauses. “But
not like, a lesbian thing, right? I mean, it’s totally okay if you
like girls, I just don’t swing that way and I don’t want to give
you the wrong idea about tonight and—”
    “Caddie. Breathe.” I can’t help but catch her
grin. It’s contagious. She beams again. “Just friends. I like
boys.”
    “Oh good. Okay. See ya.” She ducks into the
classroom and I watch the door swing shut, my heart feeling
surprisingly light. I can do this. I’ll just have to be
careful.
    I wonder if Jale’ll be sleeping through
English again…

Chapter 5:
    Iofiel

     
    These past few days have been both Heaven and
Hell. To accompany Lucy home on the days I have no duty, it’s like
a gift from God, if such a being exists. But it’s also torture,
knowing she’s right there, and I can touch her, but not with my
fingers. I can’t cup her face in my hands, look deep into those
sapphire blue eyes, and kiss her tenderly on the lips. I want to. I
just can’t.
    She’s been at Cosmo every night since that
night. Maybe I’m just a coward, afraid Lylan is going to catch me
with my hand in the cookie jar. But if we die tomorrow, I’ll die
never having talked to her.
    Not anymore.
    Tonight, I’m going to Cosmo. If she’s there,
and I hope she is, I’m going to say something. My heart is
thundering in my chest like a summer storm, zipping along like
lightning through the clouds. What if she turns me down? What if
she’s not interested?
    I take a deep breath in through my nose,
letting it out through my mouth. It will be fine. Back at Cosmo,
when I gave her that latte, she definitely blushed whenever I’d
meet her gaze. She’s into me, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.
The problem with a girl like her is that she’s shy. Just with a
tough outer shell. If anything else, it makes her even sexier.
    I wait at the edge of the alley for Lucy and
sure enough, four o’clock on the dot, her boots are scuffling down
the sidewalk. Feeling my heart swell, I bound from the alley and
her face lights up, her smile lifting up one corner of her
lips.
    I wag my tail and she pats her leg, urging me
to follow. I trot along beside her, head held high, my internal
scanner keeping track of where my Packmates are. Nowhere close,
thankfully. Her hand falls down to fondle my ear and her fingers
send prickles of pleasure through me. I pick up speed as we head
down the familiar path to Harvar Street, to the original Cosmo.
    Just like always, I hesitate at the corner.
She turns to look at me, tucking a curl behind her ear. “See ya,
Freak,” she says in that husky voice of hers, hitching her bag up
on her shoulder and stepping to the back of the line. I wait until
she’s long gone, the flash of the