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off the ones we liked. Zac had a few silly ideas, but also a few good ones. Nothing really stuck out at me, but I was willing to compromise.
    “Okay,” Zac said a few minutes later. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
    We had nine ideas left from the lists.
    “Oh,” I said when I saw the list Zac had marked, “you can get rid of that one.” I pointed to the line where I had written, “Matchmaking business.”
    “It was a silly idea I had. I was jotting down anything that came into my mind, even the stupid ones. I don’t think it’s the best business idea.”
    “Why not?” Zac asked, looking genuinely confused. “I think it’s great, the best idea on the list. It’s something the other teams aren’t likely to think of, so we won’t run the risk of having the same business as someone else in class. And there are people who are willing to pay a lot of money to find their true love.”
    “I’m not sure Mr. Freeman will like it,” I said. “He’ll probably insist we choose a real business.”
    “Matchmaking is a real business,” Zac insisted. “Haven’t you seen those commercials on TV? There are thousands of websites that exist solely to match people up. Hmm...Our business could be two components, online and in person for local customers. So we’d need a web programmer to handle the website and a couple of employees to help out with interviewing clients face-to-face. They could also help with managing the internet applications to save us some staffing expenses.”
    And before I knew what was happening, Zac had flipped to a clean page in his notebook and started writing down all of the ideas pouring out of him. His hand flew across the page, but even at that speed, I doubted his pen could keep up with the flow of words coming out of his mouth.
    “We’ll have to think of a name,” Zac said. “Something catchy, but not too cutesy. No offense, but I don’t do cutesy.”
    “Zac,” I said, trying to break into his steady stream.
    “Maybe A to Z Love Matches? For Avery and Zac? Oh! We could offer deals to in-person customers who also list their applications online. A promotion to help draw in-person customers. And we’ll definitely need advertising.”
    I tried again. “Zac.”
    Still, he didn’t seem to hear me. “Do you think we should limit to a certain age group? Like, should we focus on matching up teens? Or should we focus on the adults? Underage customers could pose more problems with safety and internet predators—”
    “Zac!”
    A few people from tables nearby turned to look at us after my outburst. Zac blinked at me.
    “What?” he asked. “You don’t like it? It was your idea.”
    I twisted the paper from my straw between my fingers. “I’m aware of that. But it was a joke. We can’t do a matchmaking business for our class project.”
    “But it’s a good idea. It’ll be something different among all the clothing stores and restaurants the other teams are probably working on. And it’s a service that exists to make people happy. What could be wrong with it?”
    “How about everything?” I asked. “Matchmaking is nothing but a scam. Any idiot can pair two people together based on similar interests or goals. Why would anyone pay for that?”
    Zac shrugged. “People do pay for it, all the time. Not everyone has the alluring personality you do and can attract people from miles around to throw themselves at their feet.”
    I tossed my straw paper across the table at him. “I’m serious. The whole matchmaking industry is a scam preying on lonely fools who think they need someone else to make their lives meaningful.”
    “You can’t be that cynical about love already.” Zac tapped my knuckles with his pen. “You’re not even out of high school yet.”
    “Relationships are a waste of time and energy. I didn’t get to be number one in our class by chasing after every cute guy who looks my way.”
    “Are you calling me cute?” he asked with a wink.
    I hated the flush that