The Patch I Knew Didn't Run From

I Forced A Smile. It Was The One I'd Been Practicing All Morning. It Felt Tight At The Edges And Brittle Everywhere In Between.

The Problem With Human Attraction Is Not Knowing If It Will Be Returned.

Deep, Dark Unearthly Black. I Hadn't Told Anyone Yet, But The Color Kept Streaking Across My Mind At The Oddest Moments. When It Did, My Skin Shivered Pleasantly, And It Was As If I Could Feel The Color Tracing A Finger Tenderly Along My Jaw, Tipping My Chin Up To Face It Directly. I Knew It Was Absurd To Think A Color Would Come To Life, But Once Or Twice, I Was Sure I'd Caught A Flash Of Something More Substantial Behind The Color. A Pair Of Eyes. The Way They Studied Me Cut To The Heart.

I'll Be Firm," I Promised Patch, Adopting A No-nonsense Expression. "no Backing Down." By Now Patch Was Full-on Grinning. He Kissed Me Again, And I Felt My Mouth Soften Its Resolve. "you Look Cute When You're Trying To Be Tough," He Said.

Science Is An Investigation," Coach Said, Sanding His Hands Together. "science Requires Us To Transform Into Spies." Put That Way, Science Almost Sounded Fun. But I'd Been In Coach's Class Long Enough Not To Get My Hopes Up.