Chapter 3

The first time Alex noticed her, he was an NYPD detective handling a street fight.

She, all by herself, had taken down three thugs.

She was covered in bruises, but her eyes were as cold as a wolf's.

He brought her back to the station to give a statement.

On the way home, Alex told me about it.

"She took down three guys by herself, like a little wolf," he said, driving, with a light in his eyes I'd never seen before. "But at the station, she was so timid, looking at me with total dependence. That feeling... it was different."

I was busy debugging my prototype at the time and just mumbled, "Just another troubled teen who needs help."

His hands paused on the steering wheel. "No, Claire, you don't get it." It was the first time he'd ever contradicted me so seriously. "With you, we're equals, partners. But with her, I can be her entire world. Her savior."

At the time, I didn't catch the hidden meaning in his words. I just thought his cop instincts were in overdrive.

In Alex's world, Lucy was just a damsel in distress to be saved.

Always wearing a faded t-shirt.

Biting her lip and tearing up the second she was questioned, putting on a stubborn act.

Just a completely unremarkable, ordinary girl.

But then, Alex started bringing her up more and more.

He'd talk about how she wasn't a bad person deep down, how he really wanted to give her a chance.

I'd always argue back, "But there are a hundred cases more important than hers!"

He would frown.

"She's had a rough life. And she needs me," he'd say, looking at me. "That feeling of being completely needed... you'd never give me that."

Sometimes I'd go to his office and hear laughter.

His colleagues would turn, and I'd see Alex, blushing, frantically wiping cream from the corner of Lucy's mouth.

She would blink innocently, her eyes meeting mine.

Alex started bringing her things when he brought me things.

She would call him in the middle of our dates, asking for help.

And he never once said no to her.

People said Lucy was tough as a weed, while I was a delicate flower that needed a greenhouse.

One was resilient and tenacious, the other proud and radiant.

"#TeamClaire vs #TeamLucy" was the talk of the campus for a whole year.

That label followed me everywhere, stuck to me.

Anywhere Alex and I were.

No matter what, we were always being compared.

"Claire has too much of a temper, Lucy is so much nicer."

"Guys all want to save the damsel in distress, you can't blame him. Lucy's situation is really pathetic."

"Claire's too competitive, but she's definitely prettier than Lucy."

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy...

My stomach churned, and I covered my mouth as a sour taste rose in my throat.

I started to get agitated, throwing things.

"Are you really falling for her?"

He would just tap my head, exasperated.

"Don't say that. It's not fair to her."

On my birthday, Alex promised he'd spend it with me.

But Lucy had an emotional breakdown.

That night, the two of them went to a bar in the East Village to celebrate her birthday.

Someone posted a picture of them on Instagram. It got tens of thousands of likes.

With tears in my eyes, I deleted all of his contact information.

We didn't speak for a long time after that.

Now, whenever I see those hardy little flowers growing on street corners, I think of the way she looked up at Alex―that look of total dependence that makes my stomach clench.

Music drifted from somewhere nearby.

I sat at my computer.

Left hand coding, right hand modeling.

The final test began. The review panel was full of experts from the DoD and DARPA.

The simulated environment I drew was high-altitude, strong winds.

Outside the simulation room, Alex quietly let out a breath.

We had run simulations in this environment together.

I knew the parameters by heart.

My lips were chapped. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and started inputting the commands.

The model lifted off, and that sickening image became clearer and clearer in my mind.

This very spot I was sitting in, they had once leaned close together watching the screen; this very procedure, he had patiently explained to her.

My computer, Lucy's fingers had touched it...