Once we're off campus and back on the deserted street Zach's house is on, I stop and turn to him.

"I know I've fudged up pretty much everything to this point, but I want to fix it. I can still make the deadline to apply for the cc, right?"

He nods.

"And you've done it before, so you could help me, right?"

He nods again.

"So that's the plan. I'll go there, find a part-time job, and see if your mom will put up with me until then. Is that okay?"

"It's better than nothing that's for sure, and don't worry, my mom isn't going to kick you out. She likes company. I know you said you were applying as undeclared, but do you have any idea of what you might want to be?"

I shake my head no and begin walking towards his home again. "Not really. What were you studying?"

"Well, I was planning on going into computer software engineering. Something that would get me a job for one of those big tech companies in Silicon Valley at a place they call a 'campus' instead of a regular office building."

"You'd move that far?"

"If I got a job like that it might've been enough to convince my mom to come with me, but it's not like that's an issue anymore."

Maybe it never was. He decided to go to the community college here in town instead of one of the other top-tier schools he no doubt got accepted to.

"I guess since I don't really have a clue as to what to do, maybe I could try a few computer classes. Who knows, it might fit, and I'm decent enough with math."

"If that's what you want. I have a few recommendations on professors you may want to take."

He makes more recommendations as we come to the front door. The screen is closed, but the main door is open, letting the scent of something fried and spicy come out to the porch.

I open the door and close it behind me.

"That you, Alora?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I take off my shoes and set them next to hers next to the door. I go to the kitchen where she's preparing dinner. "Anything I can help with?"

She smiles. "Mind getting a cutting board and chopping some onions?"

I hurry to do what she's asked.

"How was school?"

"Tell her it was uneventful, mind-numbing, and devoid of anything enlightening," Zach says beside me.

I repeat his words.

She smiles. "Don't let Zach here tell you what to feel. You can't live a day on the Earth not learning anything."

He shrugs and heads to the living room.

"Need me to put your show on for you?" I ask him.

"Nah, I'm good."

As we work to finish dinner, I tell Elisa of my plans, and ask if she would mind if I stay while I attend college.

"I'll get a job so I can pay you rent, and I promise to pull my weight around here."

She shakes her head as she sets the table.

"No, no, if you have to work, try and get a job on campus so you don't get pulled from your studies. But don't worry about the bills here, I manage just fine."

"Don't push it, you'll just get a lecture," Zach says from the couch. I look over to him and sigh. Sounds like it's an argument he's lost before.

"Thank you, please let me know if I can do anything else."

She nods and heads back into the kitchen for more dishes. We eat and chat about stories from when Zach was a child. I nearly choke on my food when Elisa describes the one physical fight that Zach ever got into.

"All over a card game?" I ask.

"That jerk stole my first edition Charizard. He had it coming."

Elisa tops off my glass of lemonade.

"Doesn't seem like Zach's over it," I say.

Elisa freezes for a moment. "Oh, don't tell me that's what's keeping you, Zach. It was just a card."

I finish my tacos and wipe my hands.

"So, anything planned this weekend?" Elisa asks me.

"Zach was going to show me some of his anime movies and I'll probably go buy a dress for prom tomorrow."

She looks surprised.

"I didn't know you were going. Cutting it a little close, aren't you?"

"Well I didn't plan to go originally, but Zach convinced me to change my mind."

She looks to the empty chair at the table.

"Oh, I see. I have the morning off, mind if I join you?"

I guess since Zach was her only child and he didn't go to prom, this would be her only chance to experience this.

"Sure, I don't mind."

The next day we eat a breakfast of something called arroz con leche, which is sweet enough to be dessert. We're heading to the mall, somewhere I haven't been in ages.

Elisa pulls into a parking spot and puts the car in park, meaning I am officially doing this. I take a deep breath. I'm not a fan of clothes shopping, but I can't go to prom in a hoodie or one of Zach's graphic tees so this is necessary.

"Do you have any idea of where to go first?" Elisa asks.

"Not a clue," I say.

"Well, let's just try to have fun with it, alright?"

Instead of fun, I just get sweaty. I come out of a dressing room in my regular clothes.

"Nothing work?"

I shake my head and look over at Zach.

"You could go to Gamestop or the movie theater instead of hanging around, you know," I say to him.

He shrugs his shoulders.

I take the dud dresses and place them on the return rack. This is the third department store we've been in, there's only one left, and of course, it's the one with the heftiest price tags.

"Well there's still one more place, and they have to have more options than this."

She says that, but getting a dress on short notice has proven impossible. If the deadline wasn't bad enough, my awkwardly shaped body isn't helping any. The three of us walk towards the other side of the mall, passing vendors with toys and perfume samples, and crowds of people that Zach struggles to avoid.

Inside the store, a low pop song is playing on the speakers. The employees are all dressed in black, making me feel like I belong here less and less. There are some makeup demonstrations happening today, so the store is crowded.

"I'll meet you at the dresses. I'm going to the bathroom."

I nod. Zach zigzags to avoid the women passing us. I try to move us towards the wall where there's less traffic.

"I mean it, you should go to the theater where you won't have to keep dodging everyone," I whisper.

"I'm fine," he says.

I frown. He's so stubborn, even when he's uncomfortable.

"Hold my hand and stay close then." I hold my hand up for him to take it. I probably look crazy right now, but I'd rather him not suffer on my account. His icy fingers wrap around mine and I pull him towards the escalator. His hand feels strangely good today, but it's probably because I'm overheated from trying on so many dresses.

The special occasion dresses are behind the intimates, and I notice Zach's hue go pink as we weave past the racks. I stifle a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asks.

"Just you being shy around underwear," I say behind my hand.

He doesn't say anything, but his hue gets even more pink.

"I know you've seen mine, it's not a big deal."

He's red now.

"No...no I haven't." I lift an eyebrow at him. "Okay well, yours aren't all lace like these."

I hold back another laugh as we get to the dress section. Much of it is picked over. Great. Looks like this will be a lost cause too. I walk around the racks to see if anything catches my eye, but nothing does.

"This one is nice," Zach says and points to one in the middle of the rack. It's bright red with gold detailing that starts at the neckline and extends to the sleeves. It's more extravagant than I'd like it to be. Too much of a statement.

Still, he gives me those puppy dog eyes that I can't say no to, so I take it off the rack.

"It won't work, but I'll try it for you," I say.

He nods simply. I pick around some more, finding an understated navy dress more my style as well as a purple ombre one.

"Where's your mom at? I might as well try these on."

"Mom gets distracted pretty easily. Just try the dresses, she'll catch up eventually."

I shrug my shoulders and head towards the dressing room. Most likely none of these will work anyway. The stalls in the dressing room are bigger than walk-in closets, with three mirrors and a small dais in the center of them. I guess when your spending hundreds of dollars for one day, every angle has to be perfect.

Ugh.

I try on the dress I picked out first. It looked much better on the hanger. The fabric hanging off my body makes me look twenty pounds heavier and five inches shorter, and the dark color makes it look like I'm being sucked into a void.

"Are you going to show me what they look like?" Zach asks from the other side of the door.

I crack the door to my dressing room open.

"Just get in here," I say and pull him inside.

He snickers. "That looks awful."

"Yeah, I'm aware." I reach for the zipper and start to lower it. Zach turns around.

I hang the navy dress back on its hanger and shrug on the ombre one. It clings everywhere it's not supposed to and is three inches too long.

"This really sucks," I say into the mirror.

Zach turns around. "It's like a sausage casing."

"Thanks a lot, Zach."

"It's not your fault, it's the dress. All of these are working overtime to make you look bad."

Weird way to compliment me, but I'll take it. I reach for the zipper as my phone begins to ring in my purse. I grab it. Elisa.

"Hey, I'm in the dressing room."

"Okay, I'll be right over."

We hang up.

"I really hate troubling her like this, Zach."

"She doesn't mind. If she did, she'd let you know. Mom isn't the type to hide her feelings."

"Alora?" I hear from outside.

I open my dressing room door.

"In here, I only have one dress after this," I say.

She looks me up and down.

"Hopefully much better than that one," she says with a strained smile. She sits on one of the couches next to the room and I shut the door behind me.

I'm standing in my underwear when I realize that I've been changing with Zach in the same room as me while having his mother wait outside. I look over at him. His back is turned and his hue is a soft pink.

"Zach, I didn't mean to force you in here if you didn't want to be here."

He looks back, sees me, and turns away quickly.

"Sorry! I uh...I'm not sure what to say to that so I'm not going to say anything."

His hue is the same shade of pink as a summer peach. I smile and turn away. Zach might be dead, and he's far from a pervert, but he's still a guy.

I step into the dress he picked out and slip on the sleeves. Even before pulling up the zipper, I know this is it.

"Elisa, can you help me with this?"

Zach's mom steps in and gasps.

"It's gorgeous," she says and hurries to zip me up.

I turn around. "What do you think, Zach?"

"Dios mio," he says quietly.

"Dios mio? What does that mean?"

Elisa laughs.

"It means he really likes it," she says.

"Well, that settles that then."

Two hundred dollars poorer, I walk out with the dress in a garment bag behind me. Elisa pops the trunk so I can lay it down and then we go and grab burgers for lunch. I had never been there before, so I got some secret menu item Zach recommended. It was actually really good, or at least what I could taste of it.

I'm hanging the dress up in the closet when there's a knock at the door.

"Come in," I say, then cough.

Elisa steps into the room and sets a basket on the floor.

"Got some fresh laundry for you."

"Thanks, you didn't have to," I say, trying to hold back another cough.

She looks at me sideways and then steps up to me. She taps a hand on my forehead and sighs.

"I thought it was just the long day, but you definitely have a fever. Lay down and get some rest. I'll get some medicine."

"I thought you felt warmer than usual," Zach says.

I didn't realize that was something he could tell. Elisa hands me a couple of pills and a glass of water as I get into bed.

"Don't use all the blankets, you'll just make the fever worse. Need me to stay tonight? I can call off."

I shake my head. "I'll be fine. You shouldn't miss work because of me."

"Alright. Feel better and call if it gets worse."

I nod and she leaves.

"We can skip the movie tonight," Zach says.

"No, we can still watch one."

He shakes his head. "You should rest."

"It's not like watching a movie is a strenuous activity, Zach." I grab the controller and turn on the TV and console. "What are you in the mood to watch tonight?"

"You're so stubborn."

"That's not exactly front-page news," I say as I type in his pin number. "Now tell me what you want to watch or I'll chose something at random."

"I really don't recommend that."

"Then tell me what to play."

He sighs and points to something on the screen. It's a movie, a romance from the look of the opening sequence. I snuggle under the blankets.

By the time the movie is over, I'm pissed.

"Why did they have to end it there?"

"That was all it was about, wasn't it? Finding each other and learning the name of the person they loved."

I cross my arms. "What kind of romance doesn't have a kiss in it?"

"The last movie we watched didn't have a kiss."

"Yeah, but those were kids. When teenagers and adults confess their love, they kiss. Anything else is unrealistic."

"And you know this from experience?"

A well-timed coughing fit prevents me from answering. Zach brings his hand to my forehead.

"You're even hotter now. That's why my mom said no blankets, you're making it worse."

"I can't help it. I'm cold."

"No, you're not, blankets, off."

I smirk at him and wrap the blankets around me tighter. Fever withstanding, I am very comfortable, and the blankets keep the chills away.

"Alora, I mean it. You need to take care of yourself. If something happens I won't be able to call for help."

"You're such a worrier."

"And you don't worry enough." He sighs heavily. "Fine, have it your way." He crawls on top of the bed and lays next to me. Even in my blanket burrito, I can feel his coldness.

"Zach, you're freezing."

"At least it'll keep you from burning up."

My chills come back full force when he wraps his arm around me.

"You don't even want to do this, you're pinker than ever."

"Go to sleep."

"You're embarrassed, I can tell."

"If I tell you a story, will you let this go?"

"Maybe," I say through chattering teeth.

"Okay then. Where were we in the story...Oh, I remember. So the princess, who so stubbornly ignored everyone's advice, went back to her room sicker than she ever had been. The king, after giving her a scolding, sent one of the servant boys to give her medicine and club soda. The princess, in all her stubbornness, tossed the medicine back at him and in exchange, he wet her with the soda. As you can imagine, she had never been treated like that before."

"I bet," I say quietly.

"Go to sleep."

"Yes, sir." I close my eyes, fully intending not to sleep.

"Even though she was angry with him, she wanted to know more about the servant who didn't fear her or her attitude. So she donned a disguise the next day and snuck into the lower chambers of the castle."

Maybe it was the illness, or his body against mine, whatever it was, I couldn't fight sleep for long and succumbed to it with him still in the bed.