The Oracle Rebounds by Allison van Diepen Page A

see us get married one day.” She sounds less than enthused. “So you must be sad that Benoit’s gone, huh? I heard you made out with him at the bush party. Heard there was some real tongue action.”
    The thought of the kiss brings a smile to my lips. “We definitely kissed, but the tongue part isn’t true. Benoit would never French kiss in front of people. He’s far too refined.”
    “Refined?” Sharese laughs. “I like that.”
    I see Jared walking in our direction. I catch his eye and he gives a halfhearted smile, drops his head and keeps going.
    Sharese notices the exchange. “You guys don’t even talk?”
    “No. I’ve only heard from him once and that was by phone. I guess it doesn’t suit him to talk to me in public. That’s fine with me.” Of course, it isn’t fine with me, and Sharese knows that.
    “Maybe he just doesn’t know what to say.”
    “There’s nothing to say.”
    “I saw the way he looked at you, Kayla. I think he still has a thing for you.”
    “Why should I care if he does?”
    I don’t, I tell myself.
    I don’t.
     
    I check my email when I get home from school, even before I raid the fridge. I’m hoping to get a line from Benoit, but there’s nothing. Oh, well, he just got back and is probably jet-lagged. I write him a nice email saying that I hope he had a great trip back and that I miss him.
    After having a snack and watching Oprah, I go back to the computer, and find a new email.
    Dear Oracle,
    There’s this guy at work who asked me out today. I’m excited because I’ve had a crush on him for a while. He recently broke up with a girl who works on the eighth floor and I’ve heard she’s upset with him.
    I want to ask this girl for the lowdown. It might be awkward, but they were together for more than a year, so she must know him really well. If he’s a jerk, I’d like to find out so I don’t waste my time.
    Should I talk to this girl or not?
    Just Wondering

    Juicy question!
    Dear Just Wondering,
    The idea of a relationship reference is not a new one. It’s natural for us to want to minimize the emotional risk of a relationship by doing a little fact-finding beforehand.
    There are two things to keep in mind. (1) Is it fair to ask his ex about him? And (2) Will you be getting accurate information? Think about your own exes—what would you say about them? What would they say about you? Would you want the guy you like talking to them about you?
    If you’ve heard that he used to beat her, or that he slept with every girl on the block, then it might be wise to find out the truth. But if you haven’t heard that type of thing, then I don’t think going to his ex will give you the real lowdown. Either he broke up with her and she’s hurt and will say nasty things about him, or she broke up with him and will give you numerous reasons to justify her decision. Neither scenario is useful.
    My point? Don’t ask her. Go out with him. Trust your judgment. Proceed with caution as with any relationship. Have fun.
    Cheers,
    The Oracle of Dating

    After sending my reply, I wonder what kind of reference I’d give Jared. Great boyfriend until he dumps you without any warning!
    Damn, there’s still a lot of hurt, and I guess there will be for a while. I bet when I’m eighty I’ll still feel sore when I see his yearbook picture. The song had it right: “the first cut is the deepest.” And if it weren’t for Benoit, I might still be bleeding.
     
    I’m not obsessed, really. Just because I check my email twenty times a day to see if I’ve heard from Benoit doesn’t mean I’m obsessed. I can’t imagine why I haven’t heard from him. Is he sick? Has he been in an accident? Has his computer crashed? I’ve sent him two emails already—my limit until I hear back.
    And then, almost a week after he left, he replies.
     
    Chère Kayla,
    Let us not make it something different than it was: two wonderful joyous weeks. Two weeks I will always remember.
    If we try to stretch it, if