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Peter may have called it— about the reassignment, and begged him to help me fix it.
    “I don’t know what I can do, Leigh, but I’ll look into it.”
    Well, that was way too easy. No jokes at my expense? No sarcastic comments? No ridiculous demands? Something was definitely up.
    “What’s wrong, Peter?”
    “Nothing. I just . . . My mate file came.”
    Oh . . . huh. Shouldn’t mine have come first? I’m older than him by a few weeks. Wait, when was my birthday? Had it really come and gon e without me noticing ? Every time I tried to think back, everything got all hazy. I blamed i t on the cleaning chemicals I’ d been inhaling all day.
    “So, who is she?”
    “Her name’s Ethel. Hold on, let me get the file.”
    He disappeared back inside, and I was left sitting on the steps alone. I really couldn’t blame him for not inviting me in . I wouldn’t have wanted me inside either. Ethel. T hat sounded like a really old-fashioned name. When Peter returned and handed me the file, I saw why. The woman was old-fashioned. Well maybe not old- fashioned , but definitely old. She was almost seventy.
    “That can’t be right. It must be some kind of mistake.” I was unable to control my jaw bone, which seemed to have come unhinged at the moment.
    “It’s not. We checked. She’s some kind of important official over in colony H . Her husband died and she requested to be repaired. Because of her position, she can’t leave, so I’m going to have to move ov er there . I don’t have much time left at the archives here, but I’ll see what I can do about your job before I go.”
    “Forget the work assignment, Peter, you can’t marry . . .” Oww , my proclamation of all things ludicrous was cut short by another stomach twisting round of cramps. Now what? “Peter, there’s no way you can . . .” Ugh, it felt like someone had taken all of my insides and tossed them in a blender.
    “Are you all right?” Peter looked legitimately concerned.
    I was a little concerned myself, but my friend needed me. He couldn’t marry that old bag. I couldn’t let him, but every time I tried to tell him , the words got choked off by a growing lump in my throat. What could I do? What could he do? How could this have happened to Peter, of all people. The lump in my throat was starting to cut off oxygen to my brain. It was the only explanation for the little voice inside my head telling me I had to let him go.
    “Leigh?” His worried face was blurred behind the tears gathering in my eyes.
    This was unacceptable. I was not going to have some kind of breakdown right there on Peter’s stoop.
    “You have to go. That’s just the way it is.” Yeah, sure, those words manage to escape my strangled vocal chords.
    I didn’t know where they came from, they were so far from what I was thinking. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there . . . now. The flash of hurt in Peter’s eyes almost made me stay, but I forced myself up and out of his yard before I could change my mind. I could clean up the mess I’d just made later , after I figured out exactly w hat was the matter with me .
    Not much later though because Pet er was leaving. The thought hit me like a truck and spurred my feet into a run. I hadn’t even asked him when he was leaving. What was wrong with me?
    I kept moving with no particular destination in mind, just putting more and more distance between myself and Peter, until I couldn’t take another single solitary step. I found myself in the business district, outside an electronics store, doubled over, hands on my knees, sucking in as much air as possible when a high pitched beeping demanded my attention. It was coming from the display of televisions just inside the shop window. They were all showing the same exact image; an angry looking girl around my age with long brown hair and dark eyes.  She was scowling, and her eyes flashed with the threat of violence. Definitely not someone I’d want to run into in a dark alley,