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at it. Then she slammed the door just as hard as she had kicked it.
    She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, squeezed hard, as if she could squeeze out her unwanted thoughts.
    Even though Gaia knew zilch about love, knew less about relationships, and knew even less about psychology, she knew exactly what her girlfriends, if she had any, would tell her.
    Find a new guy. Someone to distract you. Someone who cares about you.
    Right. No problem.
    Unfortunately, it had only taken her seventeen years to find a guy who didn’t care about her.
The Attempt
    NAVIGATION OF HIGH SCHOOL HALL-
ways takes on a whole new
meaning when you’re three feet wide
and
mounted on wheels.
    Ed Fargo skidded around a corner, narrowly avoided a collision with a janitor, then spun right past a knot of students laughing at some private joke. He threw the chair into hard reverse and did a quick 180 to dodge a stream of band students lugging instruments out a doorway, then he powered through a gap, coasted down a ramp, and took the next corner so hard, he went around on one wheel.
    Fifty feet away, Gaia Moore was just shutting the door of her locker. Ed let the chair coast to a halt as he watched her. Gaia’s football shirt was wrinkled, and her socks didn’t match. Most of her yellow hair had slipped free of whatever she had been using to hold it in a ponytail. Loose strands hovered around the sculpted planes of her face, and the remaining hair gathered at the back of her head in a heavy, tumbled mass.
    She was the most beautiful thing that Ed had ever seen.
    He gave the wheels of his chair a sharp push and darted ahead of some slow walkers. Before Gaia could take two steps, Ed was at her side.
    â€œLooking for your next victim?” he asked.
    Gaia glanced down, and for a moment the characteristic frown on her insanely kissable lips was replaced by a smile. “Hey, Ed. What’s up?”
    Ed almost turned around and left. Why should he push it? He could live on that smile for at least a month.
    Fearless, he told himself. Be fearless.
    â€œI guess you don’t want us to win at basketball this year,” he started, trying to keep the tone light.
    Gaia looked puzzled. “What?”
    â€œThe guy you went after this morning, Brad Reston,” Ed continued. “He’s a starting forward.”
    â€œHow did you hear about it?” The frown was back full force.
    â€œFrom Darla Rigazzi,” Ed answered. “She’s talked you up in every class this morning.”
    â€œYeah, well, I wish she wouldn’t.” She looked away and started up the hallway again, the smooth muscles of her legs stretching under faded jeans.
    Ed kept pace for fifty feet Twice he opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it again before a word escaped. There was a distant, distracted look on Gaia’s face now. The moment had passed. He would have to wait.
    No, a voice said from the back of his mind. Don’t wait. Tell her now. Tell her everything.
    â€œGaia . . .,” he started.
    Something in his tone must have caught Gaia’s attention. She stopped in the middle of one long stride and turned to him. Her right eyebrow was raised, and her changing eyes were the blue-gray of the Atlantic fifty miles off the coast. “What’s wrong, Ed?”
    Ed swallowed. Suddenly he felt like he was back on his skateboard, ready to challenge the bumpy ride down another flight of steps—only the steps in front of him went down, and down, and down forever.
    He swallowed hard and shook his head. “It’s not important.”
    I love you.
    â€œNothing at all, really.”
    I
want to be with you.
    â€œJust . . . nothing in particular.”
    I want you to be with me.
    â€œI’ll talk to you after class.”
    Gaia stared at him for a moment longer, then nodded. “All right. I’ll see you later.” She turned around and walked off quickly, her long legs eating up the