Seattle, 1982

"Are you not going to tell me who those tiny hearts on your notebook are for?"

The voice of my friend Giada startles me as I walk home from school, a walk I thought, would be spent alone with my thoughts and the crisp wind caressing my face.

"...what hearts?" I stutter and smile timidly, looking at my shoes. Apparently, she was peeking on my notebook in class earlier today.

Giada and I became friends almost by default, being the only two exchange students in this school. We'll be living in Seattle for a year. Plus, our host families live next door to each other so we have been spending a lot of time together and bracing the jungle that is that is high school in America ever since our arrival in the country.

"Come on, Adriana. I saw you doodling in class. And frankly you seem to have your head in the clouds lately."

Giada's big, wavy hair with blonde highlights dances in the wind. It's a grey day – as most days in Seattle, yet her skin hasn't lost her beautiful tan. Maybe it's just her natural shade. I know other girls envy it, and I always marvel at her choice of outfits. Today she chose a David Bowie t-shirt, a black jacket, tight jeans and boots... While I seem to be stuck in the past decade. My long, dark blonde hair falls straight down my back, and I pin it back with a hairband tied in a ribbon because I really don't know what else to do with it. My wardrobe comprises long-sleeved blouses, high-waisted trousers, and as usual, my big glasses, because I'm blind as a bat. I don't think I look bad, I do make an effort about how I look and what I wear but what I care about the most is looking put-together and blending in, which I've managed to do.

But back to Giada's inquiry. Yes, I have been distracted lately. It's not completely unexpected, back home I attend an all-girls school so this is a bit of uncharted territory for me. Boys. Going to school with boys. Boys from a different culture, with different looks and points of view. Can't say I don't feel intrigued everyday... but finally, one managed to catch my attention.

And now I'm drawing hearts in my notebooks and daydreaming all day long.

"You promise not to tell anyone?" I utter almost inaudibly.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Giada replies, in her usual chipper style.

I take a deep breath and try my best to contain my smile, although I am sure I look bright red by now.

"There's this guy in my science class." I tell her.

"Ooohhhhh..."

"He's in my French class too." I clutch my books against my chest.

"Oh la la."

"He's really good at French." I chuckle. He is... so am I. A little bit.

"But what is he like? When's the wedding? Can I be bridesmaid?" Giada asked question after question. It should be clear by now who's the bubbly one and who's the quiet one between us.

"Geez, okay, this is so embarrassing." I stop walking and cover my face with my hands.

"Why? It's fun!" Giada laughs.

Again, as interested as I am in finally meeting boys, I still don't know how to react at the prospect of actually doing it, and I just can't envision someone liking me back.

"He's way out of my league." I lament, in an effort to console myself and perhaps stop Giada from asking further. "I've seen the girls around him, and then I see myself. I'm almost invisible. I'm sure he doesn't even know I exist."

"I wouldn't say that just now if you haven't even introduced yourself to him!" Giada smiled wide, trying to sound optimistic. "But tell me more! What's he like? What's his name?"

"Um..." I giggle nervously. "I mean, you probably won't think he's... your usual cute type of guy," he isn't, "but um..." as I think back about this boy my heart beats faster and my smile is impossible to contain. "He's got big, hazel green eyes and big hair, it suits him."

"Uh huh," Giada listens attentively.

"And he's got a really sweet smile. I sometimes see him laughing with his buddies in class..."

"Aw, adorable!"

Giada's remarks just make me blush more.

"He laughs loud and beautiful!" I chortle, "And makes bad jokes, I've overheard him... and sometimes he teases the French teacher. He probably thinks he's an intellectual or something." I snort. "I don't care, honestly..."

"Oh my God!" Giada shakes me gently, "You're so hung up on him!"

"And..."I carry on, "he's tall and kinda skinny, I think, I mean he's always wearing oversized coats. And fingerless gloves. And I think he's a musician!" I say excitedly, "Or plays something... I've seen him with a guitar case and hanging out with like the punk kids?"

Suddenly, Giada's smile fades and the color drains from her face. She seems pensive.

"What's wrong?" I frown.

"What's his name?" Giada asks sharply.

"Oh, that's actually one of my favorite things about him." I grin. "He has quite an uncommon name, St—"

"Stoney? Stoney Gossard?" Giada goes ahead and finishes my sentence.

I'm shook.

"You know him?" I crack up.

"Uh, sure..." Giada is still serious, "he's in a couple of classes with me too."

"Right! I should've known!" I exclaim, "You hang with those kids who like music too and he's probably there as well and—"

"I like him too."

I stare back at Giada, my expression blank.

"What?" Now the color escapes my face, making me look even paler, and my stomach drops.

"Uh... I mean, I— It's kinda the same thing you feel." Giada speaks fast, in her beautiful melodic accent. "I've seen him in class, he doesn't know who I am and I'm too shy to go talk to him."

I'm out of breath for a second, until I come back. "You? Shy? I've seen you talk to other boys and you seem super confident."

"Yeah... but I don't like those boys that way!" Giada's smile returns. "It's fun to talk to them but, this one... I don't know what it is about him, Adriana!"

As much as I'm hating this, I couldn't agree more.

"Right? RIGHT?" I whine. "He's..."

"Fascinating." Giada whispers.

"Kinda mysterious." I look down smiling softly.

"And a musician," Giada bites her lip, "he's learning to play guitar."

"I wonder what he plays?" I gasp. "Is he in a group?"

"He looks like Bono from that new Irish band U2," Giada observes, "you know them?"

"Yes, obviously!" I agree, there's a certain kind of look, but I'm sure Stoney is taller than Bono. "But his eyes, his big hazel green eyes!" I sigh. His eyes are definitely my favorite feature about him. "One time he looked at me and—"

"Oh my God." Giada stops me. "Okay, this is funny."

We carry on walking quietly for about a minute, the only sound that of our shoes on the sidewalk. I'm sure Giada's mind is running a hundred miles per hour, as is mine.

"Well, obviously," I break the silence, "if we decide to talk to him, he's going to pay attention to you..."

Giada's shoulders drop.

"...and I wouldn't mind." I murmur.

No, actually, I would mind. I would mind. Something tells me deep inside that although Giada is my friend (my only friend here) and I care about her, I don't actually want to let her get away with murder.

All things considered... if I ever talk to him and if he ever acknowledges I breathe the same air as him, and that has a one in a billionth chance of happening, I want this boy for myself.

Unless someone can come up with a better solution.

"What if..." Giada presses her lips together, "what if we share? As equals?"

"Share what?"

"Him."

What?

"What?"

"We both talk to him... make him like us, both of us," Giada explains this completely crazy idea, "and well, we go out with him at different times. I mean that would be fine by me."

"Giada, you're insane." She has to be joking.

"Adriana, think about it!" She's excited. I can almost see the light bulb shining bright over her head. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled. Two girls, one in each arm. Both friends, and not jealous of each other. Well, at least I wouldn't be!"

What if she has a point? I mean, it's not like this is going to be serious or anything. Maybe this is my chance to finally get over those romantic preconceptions of magically falling in love and making it prevail in spite of distance or differences. Maybe I should have a little fun and not fall head first (over heels) for this boy.

As much as I'm dying to.

"Adriana, we will only be living here for a year." Giada gestures with her hands. "Why not make the most of it? I truly, honestly wouldn't mind sharing him with you. We just need to set some rules and that is it! And something tells me he'd be up for it."

I cross my arms and look everywhere, as if something or someone would give me an answer to this. She has a point and my conscience has a point too. This could either go really good, or really, really bad.

"What if he falls for one of us?" I spit. "Or what if we both fall for him?"

Okay, maybe those romantic preconceptions I just mentioned are not ready to leave me just yet.

"Nah, nah, nah." Giada shakes her head, convincingly. "That's rule number one. Neither of us will fall."

I am still not sure about this, but maybe with Giada's help I'd finally be able to talk to him... and finally have a taste of this 'dating boys' thing.

We keep walking home, giggling and writing a mind draft of our plan. We decide to call it: 'The Stoney Plan.'