Chapter 4

POV: Jeanette

When we arrived at Simon's house, I was excited to be spending time with Simon, doing something fun, for a change. When we walked through the door,
we were greeted by Alvin.

"Oh, so you finally asked her out, did you?" he directed at Simon. I blushed slightly, and tried to hide it by looking away.

"Don't be stupid, Alvin." I was disappointed by Simon's immediate, and calm, reaction. He didn't seem to have any romantic feelings for me at all.

"If you say so." Alvin chuckled and walked back to the couch. I quickly regained composure, and walked with Simon to his room.

"OK, I'm ready to learn." I said, as enthusiastically as possible. I did want to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube, but the real reason for my visit was to spend time with Simon.

'It's like a date in disguise.' I thought, and blushed. Simon looked confused for a moment, but he kept his cool and continued.

"So the first step to solving the cube is to get the bottom edge pieces on top. I like to keep yellow on top, so I suggest you do the same, for simplicity's sake," he began.

"Um, you don't think it would be that stupid for someone to go on a date with me, do you Simon?" I asked, cautiously. I didn't want him to realise how I felt yet. He still wanted to go to MIT, and I didn't want him to lose his dream. My only problem was that I didn't get a scholarship, and I had dreams too. I couldn't afford to go to Massachusetts and go to MIT, and I still needed to get my priorities under control.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I was just shutting Alvin up, that's all. I'm sure there are lots of boys who want to date you." He was very nice. I wished he could stay with me, but I knew what that involved. Anyway, he didn't really feel anything for me, did he? There was probably no way he would stay, even if I told him how I felt.

"I don't think so, no-one's ever asked me out before." I was beginning to regret starting this conversation, it probably seemed like I was just trying to talk to him about love, not learn the Rubik's cube.

"That could change." I wondered if this was a subtle way of telling me something, but decided it was just my imagination and wishful thinking. "Anyway, as I said before, you need to get the white pieces on to the yellow face. Oh, and the color of a face is denoted by the color of the center piece." I followed along, and before long I had solved the first part of the cube.

"OK, now you have to fix the middle edge pieces. This is one of the more tricky parts to learn." He was incredibly smart, I sometimes wondered if there was something he didn't know.

"So, are you still going to MIT?" I asked, as casually as I could manage.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" his reply wasn't encouraging, he obviously felt no attachment to anything here.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something better came up, closer to home." I immediately regretted saying 'closer to home', but Simon didn't seem to notice.

"Nope, I don't think there's anything around here that could compare to MIT." He was smiling, but I couldn't help but take his words seriously. I really couldn't compare to MIT. I started to fiddle with my cube, hoping that Simon would just resume his lesson, and drop the subject.

"Now you have to memorize this algorithm." He gestured to his whiteboard, where he had written out the algorithms we would need. "It'll move an edge piece from the top layer to the middle." I followed his instructions, and I soon had two perfect layers.

"Do you ever think about dating a girl?" I asked, choosing my words carefully.

"Romance isn't really a high priority for me right now. Maybe after college, if I find the right girl." He was just being honest, but it hurt to know that I really had no chance with him.

"Anyway, I haven't seen any girls that I'd want to ask out yet." This was too much. I wished I'd never asked him that stupid question. I stood up, a little too quickly. Then I saw Simon's confused expression.

"Oh, I just remembered, I promised Brittany I'd help her with her homework. I've got to go now, sorry. Bye." I walked out of the room, disappointed beyond all comparisons, and walked back home. There was no way he would ever fall in love with me, with his priorities set out like that. I had no chance.

Simon is going to be really confused now. Will Jeanette find a way to make Simon fall for her? Is he already in love with her, without knowing it? Read on to find out.

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