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business,” Adrian said. “At the end of the day, my dad goes home like anyone else. No need to get emotionally involved.”
    Wow, he was cold.
    He shot a sharp look at me, as if he knew what I was thinking, then turned his attention to his lunch. He’d bought two grilled chicken sandwiches. He removed the chicken from the rolls and set the rolls aside. He scraped the mayonnaise off the chicken, and cut it up into bite-sized pieces. He piled it on top of his salad, then ate precisely, chewing slowly and washing down each bite with part-skim milk.
    â€œFry?” Joanne offered him. A faint look of disgust crossed his face as he looked at her poutine, but he quickly hid it.
    â€œNo, thanks.”
    Joanne stuffed in another mouthful, then mumbled around her food. “So, you like it here?”
    Adrian held up a finger, indicating he was still chewing. Then he leaned forward. I knew his next words would be something slimy like, “I like you very much, Jo.”
    Maybe he caught my expression. He stopped, pulled his hand back. “It’s cold,” he said. “My car wouldn’t start at first.”
    â€œDidja plug ’er in?” Joanne said, chewing.
    â€œSorry?”
    Joanne swallowed. “Did you plug in your block heater?”
    â€œUh, no,” he admitted.
    Ha! He had no idea what a block heater was. Even Joanne caught it. “You don’t know what that is, do you?” she asked.
    â€œSure, I do,” he said, not very convincingly.
    â€œIt’s a heater that warms your engine block,” said Joanne. “You plug your car in overnight. You’ll need it if the temperature goes down to thirty.”
    â€œThirty? That’s barely freezing,” he said.
    â€œThirty below, Centigrade,” Joanne said. “In Fahrenheit, that’s like, uh, what is it, Gwen?”
    â€œTwenty or twenty-five below, Fahrenheit,” I estimated. “Forty below is the same on both scales.”
    Adrian deigned to look at me. He raised one eyebrow and tilted his head.
    â€œTrust her,” Joanne said. “Gwen’s a genius.”
    Thanks, Joanne. Fat and a genius. I wonder why the guys don’t flock to me.
    Adrian turned his attention back to Joanne. “So, where can I get a block heater, Jo?”
    â€œCanadian Tire,” she said. “Hey, how’s about I meet you after school. If your car doesn’t start, I can give you a lift.”
    â€œOkay.” He was all smiles now.
    â€œNo,” I said.
    â€œWhy not?” said Joanne.
    â€œWe have that thing after school.”
    â€œWhat thing?”
    I kicked her. “ That thing.”
    â€œOh. That thing.” She gave me a look that said we’d have to talk about this later. “Uh, sorry, Adrian. Another time?”
    â€œSure.” Big smile, showing perfect white teeth. I bet he bleached them.
    Joanne checked her watch. “Oops. Forgot. I have a meeting before the next class.”
    â€œLet me guess,” Adrian said, still smiling. “Cheerleader?”
    â€œDebate Team,” Joanne said, with a perceptible edge to her voice.
    Adrian’s head jerked back, a bare millimeter, but enough for a Watcher to notice. “See you later, Jo,” he said, recovering.
    No way. Not while I was around. What a predator. He was not getting my cousin.
    Once Joanne was gone, I said, “Her name’s Joanne, by the way. Not Jo.”
    â€œI’ll try to remember that,” he replied, eyes narrowed. Then he turned his attention to his food. I had been dismissed.
    Jerk, I thought, getting up to leave.
    I looked back to see a half-puzzled, half-angry expression in his big baby blues. It was almost as if I’d spoken out loud. But I hadn’t. Had I?
    Adrian
    What’s with her, anyway? Telling me in that stuck-up voice, “Her name is Joanne, not Jo.” Then she calls me a jerk. If this is Canadian hospitality, I can do without it.
    I