Page 32 of The Love Simulation

I open my mouth to ask what he’s doing, when a rush of cool air hits my back as the door opens.

“Hey, guys,” Jordan says with a defeated sigh. “I could use some help with the rover out here.”

“Where’s Angie?” Roman asks. His tone is colored with impatience, while I, for one, am glad for Jordan’s interruption.

“I asked her, but she was in the middle of a nap,” Jordan says. “So you can guess how that went.”

Roman sighs. “I got you.” He’s back to his normal serious self. How does he do that so quickly?

Roman follows Jordan out of the greenhouse, and I’m left alone with my head spinning. I take in a deep breath, managing not to choke on the smell this time.

When I gather the nerve to come out of the greenhouse, Roman and Jordan have gotten the rover up and running. It’s a tiny thing. About a foot wide and as high as my knees. The next time we go outside, it will be released to fill tubes with dirt samples.

“Isn’t it cute?” Simone says to me, having gotten up from her nap and now watching the guys. “We should name it.”

“It’s not cute, and it’s not a pet,” Jordan says. “It’s a tool.” Apparently he’s decided to hold a grudge against the machine for not bending to his will.

Simone ignores Jordan and speaks to me. “What do you think? We could name it after your dog. How about Sheba Jr.?”

I shake my head. This thing was lost before. It feels like it could be a bad omen if I name it after Sheba, only for us to lose it again. “What about Miles? For the number of miles it will be traveling outside?”

“It’s not a pet,” Jordan insists again.

“Miles,” Roman says. “It’s a good, strong name.” He pats the top of the rover, and I know he’s got to be humoring Simone and me, but it’s sweet.

He straightens up and winks at me. I swear, I have no idea who this man is and what he did with the stoic science teacher who used to ration out smiles and soft glances, but I give up for the day. He’s too enticing, and the armor I’msupposed to have wrapped around my heart is more like foil than steel, bending easily under his attention.

I shake my head and collapse on the couch.

“Hey, I found the musicuploaded to the system!” Jordan announces a short time later. Since he couldn’t figure outMiles, he was adamant about learning all there is about our comms system.

“Oh, let’s listen to something,” Simone says. “We could make it like a ritual or something. Play music when we’re winding down.”

“Okay,” Jordan says. “What do y’all want to hear? There’s pop, R & B, jazz, country. It looks like there’s a good collection of everything.”

“Is there any Isley Brothers?” Simone asks.

“What are you, my grandma?” Angie asks. “I want something I can dance to.”

“You can dance to the Isley Brothers,” Simone counters.

I sit on the couch watching them. I don’t plan on dancing, so I’m staying out of it.

Jordan browses through the music for a minute then nods to himself. “I know the perfect song.”

When “Achy Breaky Heart” comes on, Simone, Angie, and I all shout out, “No!”

Jordan cackles, and a few seconds later, “Hey Mr. D.J.” by Zhané sounds through the speakers.

Angie stands up. “Nice!” she says, and starts dancing, not caring that she’s the only one. Stepping first left, then right, hips swaying in perfect time to the beat. Fluid and smooth. Her arms are raised, hands right in front of her face, as she snaps to the beat with her eyes closed.

Simone joins Angie, her dance moves consisting of smallersteps from side to side and exaggerated arm movements. They both move with no particular dance routine in mind, just vibes and a drive to combat cabin fever. I guess they’ve forgotten about their aches and pains from working out.

I look around the room, and my eyes snag on Roman, who’s just come from another round in the gym. He works out like he’s going to have to take on a horde of aliens by himself. He leans against the wall, looks from me to our dancing teammates, then back to me again. He cocks his head to the side as if to say,Go on out there with yo’ bad self.

I raise an eyebrow.Hello, did you forget I’m a vice principal? What would I look like dancing with them?

He twists his mouth to the side.You would look like you’re having fun. There’s no shame in that.

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