Ever since, I started to do my dumb Sara thing, picturing cute dates we could go on to get frozen yogurt, or see an old movie. How maybe we could take the train to visit his dad sometime, and I could see where he grew up, maybe his elementary school, or the park where he played soccer. I jumped one hundred steps ahead, like I do with every guy I like.

Which was especially dumb, because just as soon as the moment seemed to happen, it disappeared, like a soap bubble popping in the air. One second, I thought we were about to kiss, and the next he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. Proving that, like always, this relationship existed solely in my mind.

“Uh...no.” I answer.

She shakes her head. “Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

She doesn’t answer at first, instead getting up and walking to the kitchen. She digs through the junk food cabinet. “It’s just like, you run the most popular dating app on campus. I can’t go anywhere without seeing someone on that damn thing. I’ve had teachers start class by telling everyone if they are caught on it during lecture, they’ll automatically lose points. And—oh!” She pulls a package of Red Vines from the back of the stash. “Sorry,” she looks over her shoulder, smiling sheepishly. “Can I have some?”

I nod.

“Did you see the Daily story?” She takes the top off the container and pulls out a rope. “That a TA used the app to chat with one of his students, and like, got fired.” She bites down on the red candy rope, twisting the end in her hand so it makes a snapping sound.

I sigh. “I did see that.” It wasn’t my favorite news to come out of something I’d help build, but the way her eyes light up, I can tell she thinks this is a really fun real-life soap opera.

“You should get a profile!” She plops back onto the couch. “It really is fun.”

“Well that hardly seems appropriate.” I adjust my sweater.

“Why not?” She looks down and inspects the identical red candies, as if weighing which she will eat next.

“Because...that would be weird.”

“Mark Zuckerberg has Facebook.” She raises her eyebrows and turns her head to the side.

“Yeah, but that’s different.” I lean back on the couch, moving away from her, but really just trying to get more comfortable.

“Why?”

“Because he’s using it to promote his website, not to date people.”

“Why can’t you do both? Then it’s like, download Perfect10, you may get to go out with Sara Jones.”

“That sounds an awful lot like prostitution.”

She considers this, pausing as she bites into another Red Vine. I click play on the show; I’d much rather focus on these strangers’ dysfunctional love lives than my own.