Alberta stared at the twenty algebra problems that stood between her and her freedom from school for the day. She gazed at them hopelessly, trying to make sense of the meaningless scribbles and letters. I hate Algebra…

"Hey Ali," said Valberta, glancing over her shoulder. "How's the math coming?"

"Heh…well…it's still here, and it's winning," Alberta said flatly.

"Hmmm. Well maybe I could help."

"I doubt it, V. Too many problems…so little time. Besides, you hate math."

"Good point," she remarked. "I'd probably screw you up even worse. Well, I'm gone. Chris and I are hitting the simulator. Have fun."

"Yeah, thanks." Alberta's sarcasm was blatantly obvious. She sighed again and resumed her work. Within 30 minutes, she had figured them out at least enough that she had an answer for each question, then she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

Alberta was usually the smart one. Her sisters, Valberta and Dee, were both very talented as well, but Alberta seemed to excel in writing and book smarts. Valberta, the oldest, was a tall, slender blonde with bright blue eyes and a sunny, popular disposition. Delberta, or "Dee" as she preferred to be called, was the youngest of the kittens. She had scorching red hair identical to her mother's, and piercing green eyes that glinted when she was angry. Valberta was talented and popular, and she excelled in pretty much anything she set her mind to. Dee was athletic and tough, and enjoyed doing things that challenged her abilities.

But Alberta, the brunette, was the bookish one. She was highly skilled in the arts, and talented with just about anything she touched in that area. She was able to play many instruments, was involved in all sorts of theater productions, and was even something of an artist. She was very studious and intelligent, something that would have made her quite intimidating, except she worked hard to make sure that she didn't come off that way.

Alberta strolled the streets of Montressor's main town, trying to amuse herself with the different shops. She came across a bookstore and wandered inside. Ali could spend weeks in a bookstore and never grow tired of it. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, breathing in the distinct smell of books and parchment. That was one of the treasures of Montressor—paper books. Nowadays, if you wanted a book, you could just consult the internet and buy an electronic device to download it on. But Alberta preferred true paperbacked books. Those were her favorite, because they felt more personal and alive.

"Good afternoon, Miss Doppler," Alex, the shopkeeper, greeted her. "You're a little later than usual today."

"Afternoon, Alex," she said distractedly. "Got anything new today?"

"Not yet, but tomorrow will bring some new shipments," he said, watching her look around. "Feel free to browse, though. Maybe you'll find something new to amuse you."

"Don't mind if I do," she commented, more to herself than Alex. She wandered through the reference sections, looking for something new. She reached for an encyclopedia at last, when all of a sudden, another paw covered hers momentarily, reaching for the same book.

"Oh!" they both gasped.

"I'm sorry," said Alberta quickly. She looked up at the new person carefully, still trying to recover from the sudden disturbance.

"No, it was my fault," he said quickly, returning her gaze.

He was a canid, with dark brown hair pulled back, though slightly askew. He had dark blue eyes hidden by glasses that sat comfortably on his nose, and he was dressed neatly, though slightly unkempt. His eyes were full of wonder as he gazed at Alberta.

Alberta smiled. "Oh hey, Travis. Imagine meeting you here."

"Hi, Alberta," he said, returning her smile. "You like paperbacks?"

"Love them. I refuse to read anything else," she replied. "You too?"

"Oh yes, I find them quite fascinating," he said excitedly. "There are so many stories in here that I've never heard of! Classics and such from the Old World. They impress me with their crude ideas of the world. Very much in the past, though still quite interesting."

"Indeed, they are," Alberta replied. "And yet I love them. Strange stories about different kinds of people and such."

"So…how are you doing with that homework Giles gave us?"

"Oh, that stuff's easy. Literature homework doesn't take any time to do. Though the way he looks at me, with all those eyes…ugh, it's creepy. He makes me feel like he can see right thr—well, anyway, the literature part is quite simple. It's just writing out all that information and making it fit. I wish math were that simple."

"Well, I'm rather good at math," said Travis brightly. "Whose class are you in?"

"Geometry with Adams. I wish I could make more sense of it."

"Ah. What are you struggling with?"

"Proofing; it just doesn't make any sense…"

They talked for a long time, until suddenly Alberta remembered the time.

"Oh my gosh! It's past five! I'll be late for dinner if I don't book it. It was great to see you, Travis. Catch you in class tomorrow, m'kay?"

"Yeah…see you." He smiled as he watched her rush out of the store and grab her solar surfer. He could tell that they were going to be good friends…and hopefully even more.

Alberta flew into the Doppler mansion and ran up to her room quickly. She threw down her bag and quickly made an effort to make herself look more presentable, then rushed back downstairs just in time to make the dinner call. Her parents and younger brother were already present and waiting.

"You're late, Ali," D.J. muttered under his breath at her.

"Shut up, Deej," she muttered back. "We all know you were just as close to being late yourself."

They came in the dining room and took their seats.

BEN flew in the room, rattling dishes and causing other such mayhem.

"Dinner will be out shortly, everyone, so just hang on! I've ordered Parana to bring it out, so just hang in there! I'm headed to the Benbow!" He flew out as quickly as he'd come. Amelia shook her head, and muttered something under her breath about causing a spectacle and imbecilic robots.

As the Doppler family ate, Delbert rattled on about a particular experiment he was working on in the laboratory. Alberta let her mind wander back to her homework, and meeting up with Travis in the bookstore.

"…and you've got that Algebra down much better, haven't you, Alberta?"

Alberta snapped up to attention. "What?"

"Where is your mind, girl?" asked Dee, waving a paw in front of her face. "It's obviously not in the conversation, is it?"

"I'm sorry…I was thinking about all the things I still have to get done. You were saying?"

"We were commenting on your algebraic abilities," commented Val smoothly. "Get those problems done?"

"Yeah, I managed," Alberta replied dully. "Someday maybe I'll get it."

As Dee started to talk about an interstellar competition she had tomorrow, Alberta allowed herself once again to disengage from the conversation and begin to think about how she missed the days of adventure she used to have. She and her sisters used to go on grand escapades together, causing all kinds of mischief…but since they were all in high school now, no one even gave it a second thought. The girls were just too busy with school. Valberta was too busy planning prom and working with the yearbook committee, Dee always had some kind of a game going on. Alberta herself was even busy with theater productions and such…which reminded her of Josh.

Josh was the lead in the new production they were working on at school. He not only was talented on stage, but he was incredibly book smart. He could tell you just about anything you wanted to know in any subject. He was known for being quite vain and full of himself at times, but Alberta seemed to look past all of that when she talked to him. He was nice to her, and it was easy to have intellectual conversations while he was around. He was fun to be around, and most everyone liked him. Alberta was secretly crushing on him, wishing she could spend more time with him, but knowing that a relationship with him was highly unlikely, as she never appeared as anything more than a friend to him.

After dinner, she wandered upstairs and pulled out the new book that she'd snagged at her school library. She flipped through the pages dully, suddenly uninterested in the book. She flipped open her computer instead and began to surf the internet.

An IM popped up suddenly. It was from Josh, of all people. Alberta instantly was at his full attention.

"Hi, Ali. What are you up to this evening?"

Alberta quickly typed a response. "Eh, I picked up this new book at the bookstore today, and I was trying to delve into it a little bit. You?"

"Not much. Trying to get into these homework assignments I have due in a week. Molecular Biology is killer."

"I'm sure," she replied.

"Hey Ali, I was wondering…" he began.

Alberta stopped breathing for a few seconds. Oh gosh, he's finally going to ask me. No, that's silly. He doesn't even know I like him. Maybe he'll ask me as a friend…that's better than nothing. But should I settle for something like that? Oh gosh, what do I say?

"…Tara and I are going to Starbucks…"

And he wants me to go, too?? Oh my gosh!!!

"…and we were wondering what the pages we're supposed to have read for World History tomorrow?"

Alberta sighed. Yeah, that was definitely hoping for too much. "297-306."

"Thanks Al. You're the best."

Yeah. Sure I am. She watched as Josh signed off, and she returned back to surfing the internet.