Quarantine was uncomfortable, but Mia was grateful for each morning left on earth and a chance to get to know everyone better before the trip. How long until their identities had nothing to do with which high school they attended? What did it matter if they were Spartans or Grizzly Bears? In less than a week, they'd all be Martians.

  Milani had resigned her spot on the mission, leaving Kai partnerless, it seemed, until he unofficially picked Trevor to replace her. Mia spent the first few days of quarantine essentially alone, displaced and angered by the amount of time the boys spent together, until one night, Sloan asked her to hang out after dinner.

  Mary Jane, Sloan's roommate, had turned out to be somewhat quiet but funny, sarcastic. She, too, disliked Lilly, who'd taken Presley on like a minion. No one could get a read on Presley, except that she seemed nice, but looked like she might be a follower. How had Milani just quit, Mia wondered? On some level, she admired her decision, which made no sense because Mia was equally proud of her choice to stay. The average person was aware of the risks involved in traveling to Mars. The others must have thought about quitting. She had a million times. But it took guts, actually, to do it.

  "Have you noticed they're feeding us less?" Sloan asked, slumped across her twin mattress.

  Mia looked at Mary Jane and raised an eyebrow. She thought about the food they served them three times a day, a mixture of fresh and freeze-dried, none of which was particularly delicious. She could barely stomach the disgusting peach-colored breakfast smoothies with chia seeds they served each day.

  "Why would they do that?" Mary Jane replied, flipping around to sit cross-legged.

  "Rations," Sloan said with complete confidence.

  "If we run into trouble, we'll have to survive on what they've sent with us. Better to start starving us now. Didn't you guys see how skinny Matt Damon got in The Martian? I'm prepared to eat one of you if I have to."

  Mia laughed and placed a pillow over Sloan's face, pretending to suffocate her. Sloan writhed and seized, making even reserved Mary Jane laugh and then fart.

  "Did you just fart?" Sloan screamed, ripping off the pillow and standing on her knees.

  Mary Jane's face went pink, but she nodded and continued to laugh, silently now, holding on to her stomach.

  "Holy shit, what happens if we fart in space?" Sloan roared. "That gift will just continue to float until we land."

  "Camden let out a juicy one yesterday. I bet it left a mark," Mary Jane said.

  Mia thought about yesterday. They'd run a four-mile time trial, and Lilly hadn't finished first, not even for the girls. Alex had fallen to the ground, laughing, when she came in after Presley, who seemed to have forgotten her submission to the queen. Sloan had fallen in with Mia after seeing she wouldn't need to be the one to put Lilly in her place. The boys ran in one big clump except for Edward, who appeared to struggle. His ragged breathing had alarmed Mia, who'd touched Sloan on the arm and nodded in Edward's direction.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Jesus, has he ever run before?" Sloan said, rolling her eyes. "We may need a stretcher to get him inside."

  "I'm going to check on him," Mia had said.

  "You can't have all the boys, Mia Roberts. Besides, that one belongs to Mary Jane."

  Mia shook her head, jogging backward to meet Edward, whose face was as red as his hair. She ran beside him, not saying anything for a good two minutes.

  "I'm not out of shape if that's what you think," Edward had said defensively, picking up his pace, then slowing down again. "I think they're trying to poison us."

  Mia looked at Edward's determined profile. The whole encounter reminded her of the first time-trial with Trevor. He'd been so kind to her, and she'd done nothing that day but push him away. If he could forgive her for that, she could share him with Kai, who was currently laughing and talking easily in the third mile of his run.

  "What's wrong, then?"

  "Those damn chia seeds. I guess I'm allergic to them. Maybe I'll just quit like Milani."

  "Or stop drinking the smoothies?" Mia suggested, arching both eyebrows and tilting her head dramatically. Edward laughed nervously as if conceding that might be an alternative.

  "I'm just so tense since we got here. I want to do everything right, you know? I'm not weak. I promise you that."

  Mia understood where Edward was coming from. She wouldn't have mentioned a possible allergic reaction to chia seeds, either. There was an unspoken, constant pressure on them, as if they were all on a two-week job interview. I felt like everyone was waiting for flaws to surface. The stress was relentless.

  "Sloan thinks you're the smartest person here. I don't think anyone thinks you're weak. Camden, maybe, but not you."

  "Camden will be the one who farts onboard and kills us," Edward said, his breathing falling into a rhythmic pattern. "Thanks, Mia, that helps."

  "No problem. What do you think of the guys?"

  "Your boyfriend, Trevor, and Kai are easy to be around. They get silly, but I can deal with silly. Alex and Max are in competition for top male, and Camden is annoying. I can only do Camden for about twenty minutes."

  "Trevor's not my boyfriend. He's a good friend, that's all."

  "Oh, I thought you were dating. Sorry. He's always talking about you. I just assumed."

  Mia was taken aback and cleared her throat, feeling instantly overheated and not from running. She pulled her ponytail down and used the rubber band to put her hair back up in a messy bun, needing something to distract her from the deeply personal moment they were sharing.

  "What does he say about me?" she asked.

  Edward glanced over at Mia, who refused to look at him now.

  "I can't think of anything specific. Your name comes up. That's what guys do when they like a girl. They bring her up a lot."

  "Oh," Mia said. "I didn't know that." Although she did know that and had to bite her cheek to keep from smiling.

  "Will farts in space hurt us?" she asked. I mean, I googled it and got different answers. I don't think we'll go six months without someone farting."

  "It could go either way," Edward replied.

  Not knowing whether he was kidding, Mia felt alarmed, but then she saw that Edward was teasing her, and she began to relax, noting that his smile was quite attractive.

  "Are you dating Mary Jane?" she asked.

  If Edward reacted badly to chia seeds, Mia's question had almost killed him. Not only did Edward slow down, but he seemed to forget how to breathe altogether. Mia, not sure what to do, stepped behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist like she intended to perform the hymlec maneuver.

  "What are you doing?" Edward choked out.

  "I dunno," Mia bellowed. "Can you breathe?"

  "Of course I can breathe. I'm talking to you."

  Flustered, Mia let go of Edward and stood facing him. "I'm sorry. I freaked out. I don't even know why I did that."

  Edward didn't answer her and began to run again. Mia caught up with him quickly. Trying to think of something to say.

  "So you're allergic to chia seeds and not dating Mary Jane?"

  "Correct," Edward said. But the pink on his cheeks told Mia he'd thought a lot about dating Mary Jane. Thank God for birth control bots.