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scared me, but not in a bad way.
    “He’s a private investigator. He handles high-profile cases, so he’s out of town a lot. You remember the kidnapping last year? The Smithson’s? They had a six year old daughter who was taken. He found her after the feds gave up.”
    “Wow—that must be a cool and bad job, all in one. I think I remember that story on the news.” I kept making small talk. I found out his mother died of cancer when he was a baby. His dad never remarried and the two of them were close. He had lived in Oklahoma, California, Texas, New York, Chicago… and that was the short list. So far, he said, Boise was the nicest town he had ever lived in. 
    “The streets are so clean and the buildings are all new. When we were in Oklahoma City, it was like a dump. Dirty rivers and everyone honks their horn when they drive. Chicago’s all right, but it’s dirty too, and then there’s all the gangs and crime. You can’t drive down some of those streets—it’s just not safe. Everything here in the west is much different, much better.” His eyes lit up as he talked, looking at me. I thought that he might be good at making friends just because he always had to make them every time they moved. Different schools, towns, and cities, and having to adapt to it, probably made it easy for him to make friends.
    We walked around the mall and I went into American Eagle to look for a new top. I didn’t notice that Kim had dragged James into Vanity. I did, however, notice every time Michael said my name. He would hold up a t-shirt and say, “Airel, this would look great with your eyes...  Airel, this is way cool...  Airel...  Airel .”
    My head was swimming. Every time he said my name, a small shiver ran its way up my spine. Before I knew it, I was smiling, laughing, and for some reason, completely comfortable around him. He had a way of making me feel like I was the only person in the world. We ditched Kim and James. I sent her a text to let her know we were hungry. After an hour and no reply, Michael and I went up to the food court. I had a craving for Panda Express and their orange chicken… yum.
    Michael didn’t care for it, but went to the Great Steak and Potato Company and got a prime rib sandwich. I liked that he didn’t just get what I got to be polite or act like we had so much in common. I liked Dr. Pepper and he liked orange soda. I know, orange? What was he—a kid?
    He looked intently at me, very seriously, and said, “Airel, you are the strangest girl I’ve ever met.” I stopped chewing and looked up at him. I hated, seriously hated the idea of some boy just staring at me. That kind of thing just creeped me out. But this was not just any boy or any guy. This was Michael Alexander. For some reason, he was looking at me, almost worshipfully—except, since it was him, I didn’t mind so much. 
    Was I about to let him off the hook? Not a chance. “What, did I take too big a bite or something?” He was laughing, which didn’t exactly put my wandering mind at ease. “You never saw a girl eat before?” He just sat and laughed, which settled down comfortably into a smile that was just like my favorite book. He’s totally flirting with me. And I liked it. He was funny and could hold a conversation. Most boys my age were boring and couldn’t hold a conversation beyond sports or cars. 
    When Michael laughed, it was wonderful. It rang out across the food court, striking the heart of every woman and girl within earshot. His strong jaw made him seem so much older, yet still so young. It was an interesting combination. I could feel myself start to giggle, then he looked at me again and I had a revelation. That was it! It was his eyes! In them was his open soul. He did not waver, didn’t blink. He just held my gaze and locked me in. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. His eyes, blue and calm, like a morning after a terrible storm.
    “No, you’re not like other girls I’ve known. I mean, you’re