Over the months Teresa lived with Stephanie, weaving around the clutter in the living room became second nature. Not having to watch her step and even twisting her waist to get through the more narrow portions to get to the desk, she sat in front of Stephanie's primary monitor and watched the latest videos of Connor's dark matter trips.

Damn it, Teresa thought.

Only one had her in it, the night of the dance. For the others, she had to stop watching when Stephanie appeared. The woman she looked up to, her primary competitor, was also Connor's fantasy, which irked her to no end. At one point, she saw Connor think about her in her anti-grav suit, which gave her hope. But the Aeon Switch, which she still doesn't understand, and Stephanie's easy win over Connor were both painful. But his Lucid Passage became more tame and enjoyable over time; in one, he went surfing, and in another, he went hiking with some friends and Joules. That became the most common, hiking with other people, specifically his deceased father.

She's so far ahead of me at everything. Teresa leaned back and stared at the ceiling, tapping her head. Joules came over and put her head on Teresa's leg, and Teresa lightly petted her.

Recalling the night after the fireworks ended, they didn't say much, just flew home and went to bed. But what he said, friends, sparked an idea in her. I'll just have to make sure Connor goes to lunch with me.

She spun around the chair and thought about why she was there. The Aeon Switch, or however it worked. Perhaps she's going about it all wrong.

Formula first, device later?

Maybe if she can figure that out, the rest will come later.

"You're closer than you think you are."

Teresa removed her fingers from her head and straightened up to spot Stephanie with a cup of coffee in the kitchen corridor. "What do you mean?" Teresa said.

"You were thinking about dark matter," Stephanie said. "I've seen your work. Keep at it."

"Whatever," Teresa got close to Joules, "I don't need your encouragement, and I haven't tried to figure it out."

"Is that so?" Stephanie said.

"It is so."

"Then I'll be worried when you decide to put in the effort. Perhaps you can be in charge of getting us out of the solar system with your anti-gravity tech. It would make waves far beyond my plan with Mars."

Teresa caught emphasis on her wording. "You could just tell me," Teresa said.

"There's no greater feeling in the world than an epiphany," Stephanie took a sip. "I'll never take that away from anyone."

The two got silent as Connor made his way down. He was in his pajama pants and a shirt, and his hair was all over the place.

"Mornin'," he said.

"Happy New Year," Stephanie said.

"Happy New Year." he nodded and yawned. "Hey, Teresa."

"Yo."

"Want to go snowshoeing? There's a path by the reservoir, and Joules can go."

"Yeah," Teresa perked up. "Awesome, and can we get lunch after?"

"If it's outside."

"Sure."

Stephanie got an idea. "I can send you two via dark matter if you tell me the trail name."

Teresa looked terrified. "Whoa."

"Maybe, let's... Let's enjoy a good drive instead. It's not far," Connor panicked, wanting to avoid a Lucid Passage trip with Teresa.

Stephanie chuckled. "That's fine. You can take my car."

"Thank God," they both said.

***

"My ass is going to be sore for a week," Teresa said as she rubbed her hands on Joules for warmth. A waiter came by and gave them some water, and took their drink orders. The waitress wore an ‘I was in the shadow' shirt beneath her unzipped jacket with a picture of the neutrino meteor.

"A three-hour hike isn't too bad," Connor said.

"I wasn't used to lifting snowshoes. Next time I'm going zero-g," she chuckled. She watched the sidewalk next to the outdoor—with heat lamps—seating area they sat in.

"Maybe one day we'll be flying in your saucer thing," Connor said, "in public, that is."

"Thinking about calling it the Estelar. Stellar in Spanish."

"Oh, good name!"

"Awesome, Estelar, it is." She sat straight to see who was turning the corner on the sidewalk.

Her eyes looked off into the distance at a potential problem she hoped to solve. "Connor."

He gave her a confused look and put the menu down, "Yes?"

"I may have invited someone."

"What?"

"Literally, I wasn't expecting Connor to be here." Neville stood on the other side of the railing.

"Same." He turned to Teresa, "What's going on?"

"I invited Neville, though I didn't tell him you were here too."

"Here I was thinking it was a date," Neville said.

"It is... with Connor and me," she said.

Neville turned around. "Whatever."

"Wait!" she said. "I'm paying, and I did this for a reason. Please."

Connor looked peeved but was surprised when Neville said, "Sure." He went through the gate and sat next to Teresa, unzipping his coat and placing his beanie in a pocket.

"So Connor simped you hard enough to get you to go to lunch?"

Connor remained quiet, not looking at or acknowledging him.

"It was my idea," she said. "And before you say anything, can I show you a video?"

He sighed, perturbed that his afternoon was different than he had imagined. "Sure. Better be good."

Teresa pulled out her phone and swiped it a few times. Once she found what she was looking for, she held it up to Neville, and he began watching. He nodded and even flinched. The audio was low, but other tables could hear the screaming.

Pondering for a moment on what he watched, he finally said, "So Joules here is a real hero."

Not wanting to respond verbally, Connor just rolled his eyes a little. The two avoided eye contact. Despite what Neville said, Connor didn't care and wanted him to leave.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"So," Teresa broke the tension, "even after watching Connor get sucker-punched, you decided to acknowledge what happened by addressing Joules, not Connor. Is acknowledging that Axel was in the wrong and not Connor that hard? And that it was a misunderstanding?"

"Well," Neville leaned back, "I don't get why he didn't just send us the video himself."

"I did, but everyone had blocked me."

"Ugh," Neville pulled out his phone and swiped a few times, "fine."

Connor pulled his phone out and sent him a text message. "Get it?" Connor said.

"Poop emoji, real cute."

"And—" Teresa then got interrupted by the waiter. They took their orders, and she continued. "And Connor, maybe chill on the sarcasm. Read the room a little before doing that."

"I'll send the eggplant next time."

"Hey!" Teresa said.

"No, no, that was, like, actually kind of funny," Neville said.

"Awesome. So, may I ask, what is it about Connor that everyone dislikes?"

"What are you talking about?" Neville said. "Even you said you don't like him."

Connor nearly choked on his drink.

"Okay, I may have said that. I was just trying to fit in, and it's why I didn't show the video earlier. But now we're buds."

Neville looked at Connor. "Friend-zoned, nice job, simp."

"He friend-zoned me," Teresa said.

Neville looked at Teresa, then at Connor, then at Teresa, and finally at Connor. "You friend-zoned her?"

"Yeah."

"Nice!" Neville nearly shouted.

Are these two bonding over my rejection? Seriously? It irked her, but still, it was a start. "So, is there any way you two can start talking again?"

"We're talking right now," Neville said.

"No, I mean—"

"I had no idea Teresa set this thing up," Connor said.

"It is like, cringey," Neville said. "You could have just texted saying you wanted to hang out with Connor."

"Don't you two hate each other?"

"Yeah," they both said.

Frustration built in Teresa, and she decided to get to the core. "It's unfounded. You ignored Connor because he liked him. Connor hates you because you started rumors and ghosted him."

"That was a few years ago," Neville said.

"Yeah, but it's still lingering."

The waiter came out with their food, and they started eating. It was a good excuse not to say anything to one another.

Neville swallowed, "You're right. Connor, that was low of me. I'll try and straighten things out."

"Cool." As surprised as he was, he could tell Neville was being sincere in his apology. It'd be nice if it never happened in the first place, but he'll take it.

"Is your handle still Commander Pizza Pants?"

"Nah," Connor said. "It's Hell Wolf Sixty-Nine."

"Nice. Alright, I'll see you online tonight then."

"Sure."

He stood up and pulled out his phone. "‘Kay, see you tonight." Neville transferred some money to Teresa to pay for lunch. He waved as he stepped out, and he was on his way.

Connor chuckled, "It's a lonely world."

"Hmm?"

"Without forgiveness, that is."

***

The chair spun around as she watched her whiteboards and bookshelves whirl by in circles. She tapped her marker against the side of her head as she concentrated. You're closer than you think you are. What did she mean by that?

It didn't help that close is a relative term and refers to the most intense discovery in history. But Teresa kept thinking and spinning in the chair. Changing matter to dark matter, pushing it, and changing it back. Three steps. The state of gravity did change with Teresa's tech. Maybe it worked similarly?

Irked at not knowing how close she may be, she stopped spinning and stared. Her hand popped the dry-erase marker cap and snapped it back on, over and over.

Bzzz...

Without hesitating, she picked up her phone to check the notification. Having friends was great. It gave her work purpose, and hopefully, they'll learn of her accomplishments. The cliché saying popped into her head, work hard, play hard. As corny as it was, it was what she wanted.

Impressing older men in lab coats was easy, but impressing fellow teenagers was much harder. Gaining trust with Optimal and feeling safe sharing her work kept her up at night. She'd call Mr. Furyk weekly to inform him that she had found nothing. He never seemed peeved or impatient. Just single-minded.

Twelve-thirty a.m. The message was from Olivya, asking if she wanted to stop by.

"On my way."

***

"Did you ever have a hard problem that kept you up at night?" Teresa asked Olivya. Her legs swung back and forth on the stool by the kitchen island. It was different. This was the first time she was alone with Olivya.

"Yeah, like when I was in cheerleading," Olivya said.

"You were a cheerleader?"

"Yeah, I had to quit to focus on studying because I sprained an ankle my freshman year. It was painful, and I feared I wouldn't get scholarships. Not that I need them, my parents would prefer I got some."

Teresa opted for water. "I feel the same but slightly different."

"And I couldn't dance at homecoming that year or at Sadie Hawkins. God, it was so annoying."

"I can imagine, not quite the same as what I'm—"

"I had to watch my friends have all the fun from the stands and the dances. I sat in the bleachers and watched everyone have fun from that."

"Ah," Teresa nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds tough."

"It's why I started throwing more parties to make up for it all. Those three months were Hell."

"I didn't go to any school dances until this year. It's been a while since I've had any real friends—"

"And you went with Connor? I was so surprised at that. I had an eye on him, along with a few guys, actually. I'd text them all to see who I'd like the most. He seemed so cool, all quiet yet kind of manly, not caring what others think. Then there was the whole incident with Axel getting attacked by his dog. And now Axel is not allowed in my home anymore because he ran into my parents car in the school parking lot. If Connor had just given him what he needed."

"What did Axel need exactly?"

"He never said what it was."

"Must've been important," Teresa said and left it there before mentioning Connor. She didn't want to stir the pot and disagree with her about him. She still needs to show Olivya the video she shared with Neville in the afternoon during lunch. "I have a video to show—"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Olivya turned her phone around and began playing a video. "Last night after you left." The footage displayed someone falling over and knocking someone's glass out of their hand before crashing to the ground, and everyone cheered.

"He's okay, right?" Teresa asked.

"I'm sure. You sure you don't want a drink?"

Teresa finished her water and hopped off the stool. She wanted to show the video of Axel sucker-punching Connor in person to ensure she watched it. But it felt like the conversation was going nowhere. "I think I'm going to get going. I'm still tired from last night."

"Already?"

"Yeah, sorry. I thought I could handle staying up late tonight."

"Was hoping we could chat all night," Olivya said. She walked around the island and walked Teresa through the house and to the front door. As she opened the door, Teresa noticed that she looked perturbed and not too happy that her night was cut short. "Later," Olivya waved bye.

"Yeah, later," Teresa said as Olivya closed the door. She got back in Stephanie's car and drove home.

She parked the car outside in the driveway and noticed that Connor's window was dark. Quietly, she went inside, up the stairs, and stopped next to his door. She mustered up the resolve, placed her hand on the handle, took a deep breath, and peered inside. Joules lifted her head from the window sill and gave a quiet growl. It was the first time she heard Joule's growl. Even with how soft it was, there was no mistake, as the deep vibrations nearly rattled her spine, that Joules was a predator. As soon as Joules knew it was Teresa, she allowed her in.

Sauntering in, she moved to his bed, removed her sweater, socks, and pants, and cautiously got under the covers beside him. She curled up, hands lightly balled up by her face and closed her eyes. Connor must have been facing the other direction, as she could feel him roll over to his other side.

"Teresa," he whispered.

She didn't respond at first. "You're awake?"

"I don't sleep much."

"Did you play games with Neville and Christian?"

"Yeah."

She felt his comforting breath with his response. He's warm, and she can tell he's taking care that nothing of his touches anything of hers.

"How was it?" Teresa said.

"A little awkward but fun," he said, keeping his cool. Her bare shoulders, collarbone, and bra were visible in the dark room. A kiss, he could start with a kiss. He told her to be friends. Yet here she was, exhaling the warmth of her soul over his body. No. Not again. Running off the dance floor, freezing at the party, unable to trust her beyond friends. He felt that feeling begin to brew. His history of rejection defeated her new level of intimacy.

He closed his eyes, and sighed, "Please leave."

She flinched and leaned up, almost enraged by what he said. The bedsheet came off both of them, and it wasn't like they didn't like what the other was seeing. She pretended not to notice Connor's arousal, and he tried his best to keep his eyes on her face.

"Do you prefer Stephanie?" She stood straight to make sure Connor got a good look at her nearly naked figure.

"I.. I—" It was too much with her brown skin and curves. It was the second time he'd seen so much skin so close, like seeing the Earth from the Moon. It was a lot to process. But he held his ground.

"Wait, I don't want to know."

She grabbed her clothes off the floor and held them to her core. It took a moment, she was hoping he'd speak, and after she had waited long enough, she stepped out of his room. Dejected.

She quietly walked to her room and tossed her clothes to the floor. Not bothering to get under her bed sheets as she lay down, she stared at her whiteboards. It was too dark to see her work on figuring out Stephanie's Aeon Switch. Even so, she felt surrounded by failure and cried herself to sleep.