Spain or Shine by Michelle Jellen Page B

Caleb is practicing with his little garage band and playing football, and Jeremy leaves for UCLA in a few weeks. I can tell he’s antsy to get back to school. UCLA starts so late and most of his friends from home have already left.
    I miss you so much already. We all do. Our bedroom feels so empty. It makes me sad for the time when I go away to college. But that’s still a year away. Write soon... I’m bored here in boringville.
    Love,
    Gwennie
    Â 
    p.s. Mom says remember to call Great-Aunt Elena to set a date to visit her and the cousins.
    p.p.s. She just came in the room and made me write that.
    Â 
    Â 
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Subject: Re: Miss you!!!
    San Sebastián is gorgeous. I’m so happy to be here. I have to say I don’t feel any more Spanish yet, but hopefully that will change by the time I leave here tanned and fluent.
    I have met some cool people though. One of my new friends, Jenna, is rooming with me and my host family for a while because of some problems with her dorm room. She’s funny and outgoing and the total opposite of me.
    No, I haven’t met any cute Spanish boys yet. I have met one guy so far—Alex. He is cute but he’s not Spanish and he’s definitely not my type. He reminds me a little of Caleb actually, a mix of adventure and laid-back attitude, which is a great thing to find in a friend or a brother, don’t you think? Miss you tons.
    Love,
    Elena
    Elena logged off and made her way to the quad to see if she might catch Alex on his way to class and walk with him. She spotted him near the fountain talking to Jenna.
    â€œHi, you guys,” she called as she ambled over to her friends. “What’s going on?”
    â€œElena, we were just talking about you.” Alex tipped his head back in order to peer out from beneath the bill of his hat. “Are you still up for going to the tapas bars tomorrow night?”
    â€œSure. I’m in if you guys are.”
    Alex nodded enthusiastically. “Totally.”
    â€œI’ll talk to Marci and Caitlin about it in Basque culture next period and make sure they’re still planning on meeting up, too,” Jenna said.
    â€œCool. Let’s meet at nine at the Plaza de la Constitución,” Alex suggested. “It’s in the middle of the old part of town.”
    Jenna agreed to tell Marci and Caitlin about their arrangements and then sprinted to her Basque culture class. Elena hustled toward Ms. B’s class, prodding Alex to hurry up.
    â€œAlex, I know you can walk faster than that. We’re going to be late again.” After only a few days of walking to class with Alex, Elena had already noticed that both of them had a tendency to regard time as a relative thing. Elena didn’t even own a watch, but she had resolved not to be as flaky here as she had been at home. Last year she was late so often to algebra that her teacher had threatened to take points off her final if she wasn’t sitting in her seat before the bell rang.
    Elena and Alex slid into class just as the bell marking the beginning of the period rang. Ms. B began chirping about the role of conflict in a play. Alex scratched a note at the bottom of his notebook, tapped Elena’s shoe with the toe of his own, and shoved the notebook out to the edge of his desk so she could steal a glimpse.
    What’s Jenna’s situation? Does she have a guy back home?
    She was surprised Alex was taking any initiative. For the past few days he seemed to be just having a little fun flirting, like Jenna. Elena slid a sheet of paper out of her own notebook and responded
    I think she’s available. Are you going to make a move?
    Alex wrote:
    Not sure... maybe.
    â€œOkay, does anyone have questions about conflict?” Ms. B asked, panning the room. Elena liked that Ms. B always allowed the shy students, like herself, enough time to work up the courage to raise their hands. “Good. Now