“Ms. Parker?” He called on me.

Of course he did. Wasn’t that some natural law? Teacher always called on the person who was totally out of it and having the worst possible day. It wasn’t my fault that I had been up all night trying to decide my future.

“Ms. Parker?” He asked again.

“Uh, yes Mr. Bowerman?” I said, trying to get the sleepiness out of my voice.

“If you had been paying attention, you’d know what we were discussing. I’m going to ask once more. Could you please name 4 body parts in Spanish, then tell us what they mean in English?” His voice was sharp.

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. Liz Parker, honor student, not paying attention in class. That was a total shocker to everyone. I could feel Maria’s eyes on the back of my head.

“Tobillas means ankles, mano means hand, dedos means fingers, and lapiz means lips.” I said, surprising even myself because I knew what I was doing.

“Well, so you were paying attention. I apologize.” He gave me a tight smile, then went back to teaching.

I zoned out again. I couldn’t stop thinking about Aunt Sandra’s offer. Should I? Why was this such a hard decision? I could usually decide things quickly and efficiently, but not on this one. What I really wanted to do was talk with Maria about this. She could help me bring some clarity to the situation.

----------------------------- “Amazing.” Maria said to me as we walked to lunch after class.

“What is?” I asked.

“It was so obvious to me and everyone else in class that you totally weren’t paying attention to a word Mr. Bowerman was saying. Yet you answered the question right. How do you do it?” She laughed.

“I have some secret chip in my brain that gives me the answers to everything, even when I’m not paying attention.” I joked.

“So, you want to eat in the quad, or in the cafeteria?” She asked, as she popped open her locker.

“The quad. I’m not really in the mood to sit in a room that smells like a mix of smelly gym clothes and stale french fries.” I laughed.

“Good, because we would of had to throw down if you wanted to eat in the cafeteria.” She chuckled, her head somewhere inside her locker.

We walked in silence to the quad, and said down on the brick wall where we usually sat. I was bracing myself for another serious talk.

“Did you hear Alex’s joke? Oh man, it is so hilarious. It’s about a guy and....” Maria started.

“Actually, I have something important to talk with you about.” I said, digging into my lunch bag.

“What’s up? Just in case your forgot, we did discuss the Max situation.” Her voice held caution in it.

“No, this is something different. I need your advice on something major. When I say major, I mean big.” I gestured with my hands, trying to symbolize something big.

“Okay. Go ahead. I’m here and ready to listen to whatever you have to say.” She said, sincerely.

“Aunt Sandra called me yesterday. And she told me that she had found a steady job in Ohio. And that she wanted to know if I’d like to come and live with her.” I rushed it out.

Maria just sat there for a few seconds. I could hear her breathe quicken. I couldn’t begin to imagine what this was doing to her. Possibly having her best friend move to the other side of the country.

“Lizzie. I can’t imagine how hard these past few months have been for you. Having to walk away from Max back in May. Then coming home and having to go through the whole ordeal with the future version of him. I know how good a person you are, I think you should do what you feel is right. No matter what your decision is, I’m here for you. I love you, and that’ll never change.” Tears started forming in her eyes.

We hugged each other, and I started crying. We stayed like that for a few minutes. Maria reached in her purse for a tissue, and blew her nose. I took a few deep breathes, and lifted my head. The next few seconds were in slow motion. I looked straight ahead and saw Max. He was looking right at me. He was looking into my eyes, like he was searching for something. I held his gaze for a few more moments, but it was too intense for me. I looked away.