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accident.”
    My mouth went dry, and I had a feeling in my stomach like I get before a test.
    â€œI don’t think anyone in the world would confuse me for you,” I said.
    â€œIt won’t make any difference. He’s a nice guy, and he’ll like you. I promise. I wouldn’t set you up with a jerk.”
    A million objections ran through my head. The last real date I had been on was more than a year ago, with a boy from the swim team, and Mom drove us to the movie and home again. There was no way she was going to let me go out with atotal stranger who was out of high school. It was a completely insane idea. But what came out of my mouth was, “I don’t have anything to wear.”
    Ada smiled. “I’ll take care of that.”

Fri, Nov 14, later
    Writing this while I wait. What am I even waiting for? I don’t know exactly, but Ada says not to worry. I don’t know why I trust her, but I do.
    I am sitting in a hotel bar at the convention center downtown, with a Coke in front of me. They put a lemon in it, but I fished it out. Sorry. That was a stupid detail. I’m just nervous, I guess. But writing calms me down.
    I told Mom I was going to sleep over at Jenny’s so we could work on our Science Olympiad project, and I went home with Ada after school. She found an outfit for me—a minidress with a fun geometric print—then fixed my hair and did my makeup. Not much, though. Too much would make me look older, she said.
    â€œIsn’t that good?”
    â€œDon’t be in such a rush,” she said.
    She took me to the convention center and went in with me. She ordered this Coke for me, in fact, and said something to the bartender before she brought it over to the table. This is all so mysterious.
    Then she said she had to go.
    â€œYou’re not going to stay and introduce me?”
    â€œI told you, I double-booked. I really have to run.”
    â€œHow will he know who I am?”
    She smiled. “He’ll know.”
    Then she gave me her cell number and told me to call her if I needed anything, or if I wanted to get out of the date, and she’d take care of it. “We have to look out for each other,” she said, just like the other day. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”
    Oh, someone just walked in! Is it him?

Sat, Nov 15
    Wow. I kinda can’t believe where I am right now. Or what I’ve done. Or how much I can’t wait to do it again.
    Last night . . . I’m not sure I even have the words. It was the most incredible night I’ve ever had. I’ve never been on a date like that with a boy . . . with a man before. I didn’t even know dates like that were real. It was like something out of a movie.
    I was so nervous in the beginning, looking around at every person who walked in, trying to figure out if they were looking for me, because I totally didn’t believe Ada that the guy would just know. I mean, how could he know? But then, just as I wascraning over my shoulder to look at a dude in a baseball cap leaning against the bar, a man slid into the seat across from me. I jumped a little when I realized what had happened.
    â€œUm,” was my opening conversational gambit.
    â€œHi,” he said. He put out his hand to shake mine and he introduced himself as Damon. By that time, I had caught my breath enough to take in what he looked like. And he looked good. Really good. He was older, definitely not in high school, or probably college even. Maybe twenty-five? And he had dark curly hair and friendly brown eyes, and his smile . . . When he smiled it made me feel like I was the most important thing in the whole world.
    He asked if I wanted to get out of there and suggested we go for a walk in Myrtle Edwards Park. We walked and looked at the ocean. I told him about how I’ve lived in Seattle my whole life but I’ve hardly ever seen the