Collision

My VR body paces Tori’s room while she and Adrien share a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. They’re splayed out on her bed in a display of relaxation that I can’t help but envy, their feet bumping against each other now and again.

“We should double date,” Tori says while chewing.

“Babe, don’t talk with your mouth open,” Adrien says, putting his hand over her mouth while she laughs. “It’s too cute.” Tori beams at him.

Ew. They’re so cheesy. “This is only my second date with Sol,” I sigh. “I don’t think I’m ready to double date yet.”

“Well,” Tori says, her voice still muffled by a mix of chewing and Adrien’s hand, “if you change your mind, we’re around. The Solar Festival is coming up soon…”

I know what she means. Sol will be going back to Earth, so I shouldn’t waste time on the real life stuff. Sure, we could keep chatting in VR, but… that would be different. And though she doesn’t say it, I have a feeling she’s thinking, You better kiss that boy before he’s gone!

I know Tori well. And she knows that I know what she’s thinking. Adrien makes a kissy face at me, which earns him a light smack on the shoulder from Tori. Guess he knows what she’s thinking too.

“Argh,” I groan. “You guys are embarrassing. I’m leaving.”

“Noooo—”

I log off. My room appears around me, and I sigh again. But I have to get ready. After agonizing over what to wear for way too long—my red recital dress? No, that’s way too much—I end up picking out a boring outfit I’m comfortable in. I pull on a white school blouse, black skirt, and sneakers, then head out into the hall.

Mom’s at work already, so I go straight to the fridge and grab a Colony breakfast, then toss it in the Instameal. I watch as it goes from basically a flat sheet to a fully blown pairing of fried eggs, sausage, and rice, then I grab it and eat quietly.

I can’t believe I’m dating. Me.

I also can’t believe Nico had me poring over an old original song again—and actually working on it. It felt surprisingly good. Like exercising an old muscle that had been forgotten for far too long.

My Linx pings with a notification from Sol.

You’re still down to hang out today, right? Where should we meet up? And when is good for you? Can you do right now?

His eagerness has me smiling.

Why don’t we meet up at the Curiosity statue since we both know where it is? It’ll take me fifteen to walk there.

Sounds perfect. Can’t wait!

My heart flutters. I don’t want to question why he likes me today—I want to just enjoy spending time with him. So I steel myself, glance at my reflection in the mirror, and point at it seriously. “You will have fun today.”

Then I hurry out the door, slinging my purse over my arm as I rush along. I speed walk the whole way there because it actually takes me twenty minutes to get to the park, but he doesn’t need to know that. I want to see him sooner.

He’s already there, hovering by the statue as his eyes flick back and forth, likely reading something on his Linx while he waits. He’s in a white T-shirt and jeans, which feels very Earthling, and I finally slow down to catch my breath as I walk up so I’m not panting stupidly in front of him.

His hazel eyes refocus from his Linx to my face as I sidle up next him. He gives me a huge grin. “Petra,” he says formally, reaching out to take my hand.

I put my hand in his, smiling. “Solomon.”

He laughs and, to my surprise, spins me around with his hand. “You look lovely as always.”

“You’re a real charmer, aren’t you, Sol?” I tease.

He scratches the back of his neck. “Eh, I don’t know… I think in high school most people would’ve described me as quiet.”

“Really?”

He gives me a shy smile. “Is it that surprising?”

“I’m sure girls were always falling over you though.”

At that he laughs loudly. “Oh, no. Definitely not. All I did was study. No one seemed to notice I was there until I got into Nova. And then there was a small explosion of attention… mostly negative though.” His smile shrinks a bit. “Though I did understand. It’s hard not to be bitter when the guy who gets it isn’t much to look at.”

I don’t think I understand it. Sol is kind, handsome, smart. I’d like to think I wouldn’t be bitter if someone like him took Nova away from me, but deep down I wonder if I would be. Luckily, I’m not in competition with him, so I’ll never have to worry about that. “I’m sorry,” I say. “Sounds like it was tough. But here you are now, on the other side.”

“Yeah, on a whole other planet,” he adds brightly. “With a pretty Martian girl.”

I flush and fight against my urge to deny the compliment. “Thanks,” I squeak. “I-I was thinking we could go to the museum today.” Why am I stuttering?! I clear my throat. “Or…” I realize I don’t have any other ideas and trail off. I feel totally flustered by my lack of preparedness, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all.

“The museum sounds great.”

The museum is okay. It’s styled like the Greek Pantheon on the outside, complete with white marble pillars carved with vines around the top and a painted ceiling. Right inside there is a huge hologram of the planet, spinning slowly to show off every crater and dusty plain of Mars, as well as the speck of green that is the colony now. Then it shimmers and turns vibrant, covered in flourishing plantlife, homes, businesses, animals—the future we dream of.

A future I won’t live to see, likely centuries down the line.

The Mars Colony is still young, but the aspirations for it are ancient, and the patience to build it neverending. To balance the human population, to maintain and improve ecosystems, to heal the pain of the past with positive future progress, we push on. Or something like that.

Sol takes my hand and pulls me over to the display with an excited grin. “That’s amazing,” he murmurs, his eyes raking over the hologram eagerly. I look past it, trying to hide my disinterest as best I can. I have been to this museum every year for the annual school field trip.

And that’s when I see him across the room. Nico.

He’s in his usual all-black uniform, hunched over beside two adults—his foster parents, I realize—who are chatting without a care in the world.

And that’s when he sees me. The grumpy scowl on his face transforms at the sight of me. His eyes widen, then brighten, and when he notices Sol, a huge grin crosses his face. I duck down behind the hologram way too late.

“What are you doing?” Sol laughs as I inadvertently yank him along with me.

“Nothing,” I gasp. We’re both crouched behind the hologram now, clearly hiding.

“We’re hiding from nothing?” Sol asks wryly.

Then I hear the purposefully loud footsteps of combat boots on marble come to a stop right beside me, and I look up to see Nico peering down at the both of us, one eyebrow raised. “Hey, Petra,” he says.

Sol looks from Nico to me, then back to Nico again, his eyebrows knitted in confusion as he takes in the goth kid before us.

“Hi, Nico,” I grumble.

“You going on a date without me?” Nico says, and I stiffen.

Sol's mouth falls open. Then he drops my hand and straightens up. “W-what is that supposed to mean?”

I jump up as well, my face burning red. “Nico, you are so—”

Nico bursts out laughing, shutting us both up. He lays his hand on Sol’s shoulder, which makes him bristle for a moment. “I’m just kidding, man. Petra’s my tutor. And she hates me. So you have nothing to worry about. Right, Petra?” He turns to me, grinning.

After an awkward beat of silence, I say, “Your parents are looking for you,” as firmly as I can. And it’s not a lie. They’re both looking around, confused.

A brief flash of surprise crosses his face at my coldness, or maybe my words, and I wonder if he’s going to say, They’re not my parents, or some other cliche thing. But he doesn’t. He just glances over at them, then turns back to us with a look of resignation on his face. He lets go of Sol’s shoulder and shrugs at me. “Yeah. Guess I’ll see you for tutoring later.”

Then he walks off.

That was easy. I wonder if he’ll tease me about it later though.

As he returns to his foster parents, his shoulders all slumped, I can’t help but remember what Adrien said about him. That he killed his parents. And I feel more certain than ever that Nico is a lot of things, but he’s not a murderer. He misses them. I’m sure of it.

“So… that guy sucks,” Sol says roughly, brushing off his shoulder as if Nico’s hand had gotten it dirty or something. Sol is scowling, a look I haven’t seen on his face before. He watches Nico rejoin his family, then turns back to me. “You really have to tutor that guy?”

I nod. “Yeah,” I say in a small voice. “Fifty volunteer hours.”

Sol lets out a low whistle. “You’re a nicer person than me, Petra,” he mutters.

“He’s not that bad.”

At that, Sol looks at me with wide eyes. Even I’m surprised by what I just said, but I find myself standing my ground, not backtracking, just looking up at Sol with an expression I hope reads, Let’s just let it go.

Thankfully, he does. He sighs and takes my hand, squeezing it lightly. “You’re a nicer person than me,” he says again.

I wonder if maybe I am.