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their cars.  The end of the month couldn’t come soon enough—when I would finally have my license and could drive myself to and from school.  Cricket already had her license, but her parents refused to let her take the car.  I hoped I could convince my parents to let me—after all, they were anxious for me to feel normal again, too.
    Cricket tossed a piece of gum in her mouth, offered me some.  She chewed loudly, shrugging.  “Well that was ultra-boring,” she said, popping her gum.  “I can’ believe we have to go through that scanner thing every day.  How lame is that?  It’s like we’re criminals or something.”
    The sun felt really hot after being in a cool, dim building all day, and it was so bright it made my eyes ache.  I put on my sunglasses and nodded in agreement.  “Maybe it won’t be so bad once we get used to it.  And the homework download thing was cool,” I said.
    Cricket rolled her eyes.  “They’ll probably just use it as an excuse to give us more.  I mean, technology, by definition, means increased productivity, right?  And that’s pretty much what we’re here for.”
    I couldn’t argue with her logic, but I laughed.  “No, we’re here to become educated, well-rounded citizens, right?” 
    “Don’t you mean robots?”  Cricket said with a sardonic smile.
    It was official.  I decided then and there that I was going to like Cricket.  She was smart, but a little on the quirky side.  “Hey, robots are cool,” I said. 
    Cricket snickered.  “They are cool.”
    “Way,” I said.
    Just then, Tall Guy bounded out of the building with Strappy Tank Girl.  At the sidewalk, they separated.  He went to the bicycle rack, started fiddling with the lock.  She joined a circle of girls.  I could have sworn he glanced in our direction once, but it was probably just my mind playing tricks again.  Still, I watched him intently from behind my sunglasses, making sure to keep my head turned toward Cricket.  But Cricket was watching him, too.
    “Such a shame,” Cricket said “All that hotness wasted.”
    “What do you mean?”  Hot is an understatement.
    “That’s Zach Webb.  He’s a senior.  Totally cute but uber weird.”  She said, shaking her head.  “I mean, he doesn’t speak. ”
    “So maybe he’s shy,” I said with a shrug. 
    “Or maybe he’s a vampire,” Cricket said, grabbing my arm with an evil grin, bearing her teeth.
    “Yeah, right.  He’s probably just not used to it here yet.”
    “Ooh, that’s it!”  Cricket said, snapping her gum.  “He’s an alien.  A non-adapted alien.  You’ve solved the mystery.”
    “Oh stop.  He looks normal to me,” I said, watching as Zach got on his bike, glancing in our direction briefly.  “And he is sort of cute.”
    Nearby, three girls were standing in a tight circle laughing, twirling their hair.  Strappy Tank Girl glanced over her shoulder toward Zach and rolled her eyes.  The Beautiful People.  Zach didn’t seem to care; in fact, he actually looked bored.  I couldn’t figure out why Strappy Tank was practically in his lap inside the classroom, and now it was like she didn’t even know who he was.  I felt sort of sorry for him, except he looked so apathetic and relaxed; I decided not to waste my time.  He stood there for minute, hands on the grips of his bike.  Then he looked at us—a definite glance. 
    “He doesn’t look that interested anyway.  If you ask me.”
    “Well, he’s like uber smart and she’s the biggest flake in school.  Not exactly a match made in heaven.”
    “He’s smart?”  I asked. 
    Cricket turned dramatically and nudged me with an elbow.  “ You like him .  Aw.  Zach and Tess… has a nice ring to it.”
    My cheeks burned.  “I just asked if he was smart, that’s all.”
    “He’s way smart.  A virtual twelve on the Weird O’ Meter,” Cricket said.  “But I gotta admit he’s cute,” she added, with a sigh. 
    “Way cute,” I blurted