Message From Viola Mari by Sabrina Devonshire Page B

I’ve recently determined this is some kind of head-over-heels phenomena.”
    “Yeah, you were a rage case for a while there. So what should I do?”
    “I think when you get back to class, you should tell him you’d like to go out for that cup of coffee after all.”
    Her usually smooth brow remained creased. She pulled a small mirror and tube of lipstick from her purse, flipped open the mirror and applied a fresh layer of lipstick. After admiring her reflection, she closed the mirror, dropped the items back in her purse and gazed at me. “But what if he says I had my chance and embarrasses me in front of everyone?”
    “Trust me, he won’t.” I smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear.
    “How do you know?” She placed her perfectly manicured hands on her hips.
    “Let me put it to you bluntly—it’s in their genes. If he says yes , the possibility of getting laid still exists, if he says no , it doesn’t. Come on, you know how men operate.”
    “I do?”
    After the millions of how-to-land-a-man lectures I’d endured during jogs around every street in La Jolla, I was giving her advice. “I hope so. You’re supposed to be the matchmaking expert.”
    “Oh, I know. It’s so much easier on paper.”
    “So are you going to follow my advice?”
    “I guess so,” she said. Her hunched shoulders and slow saunter back toward the room didn’t fool me in the least. That sparkly come-and-get-me look in her dark eyes said she couldn’t wait to talk to him.
    Jennifer’s hand trembled as she dropped a folded piece of paper onto Steve’s desk. A note? I wondered how that would go over.
    He picked up the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he looked at Jennifer, his face expressionless. I glanced over at my friend. I felt so sorry for her. Her lips trembled in that Jennifer-like way, which meant she was about to melt into a teary mush. By now, this dramatic scene had attracted everyone’s attention. Even Justin peered anxiously over the rims of his reading glasses.
    Then a miracle happened. Steve reached in his pocket and pulled out the note. He unfolded it and read it before looking back at Jennifer and offering her a nod and a subtle smile. She blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor as a smile broke over her face.
    A round of clapping ensued.
    “Okay, well now that you two have decided where to meet after class, can we get back to Marissa’s manuscript?” asked Justin.
    “I personally like the idea of the impact sites being some kind of passageway,” said Amanda. “The body eating concept is just so gross.”
    “But it might look kind of cool on screen,” said Mark. “You know, the rocks eating away the flesh on someone’s body.”
    “Oh, please,” said Jennifer. “And you probably liked Alien vs. Predator too, I bet.”
    Steve laughed and cast her an affectionate glance. She blushed and batted her eyelashes at him.
    “Why can’t you decide which way to write the story, Marissa?” asked Justin.
    “Well, it’s kind of complicated.” I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. I wasn’t sure how to answer him without giving myself away.
    “If the meteorite impacts consume people, then it’s a horror story. If it’s a passageway leading somewhere else, your story is different altogether. It’s a kind of fantasy, an escape from reality. Which do you want to create?”
    “I want the escape,” I answered. I wanted the boy to still be alive and for a day to come when his mother would cry happy tears as she enfolded him in her arms.
    A week later, Jennifer and I went out to lunch after class and then spent the afternoon shopping. “I’m so excited. Tonight we’re going on a real date,” said Jennifer. Warm red spots sprouted on her cheeks and her bare arms as if she had just spent an hour running on the treadmill.
    “You’re a surprise,” I said. “The dating expert turned blushing teenager.”
    “I can’t help it. For some reason, Steve makes me completely insane,” Jennifer