"It's not about being perfect, it's about being everything. Soulmates don't exist, personalities develop in completely arbitrary ways, it is a statistical impossibility that every need of his will be met by you and vice-versa—relationships always involve compromises, he'll always have, say, Stiles, or bowling night, or lacrosse, or whatever else that are things you won't be able—or willing—to give. And that's normal and healthy and exactly how relationships are supposed to work."

"That makes sense, but isn't it a question of priorities? He has Stiles, and Stiles has been his friend for a while, but aren't romantic relationships supposed to be special?"

She shrugs. "I don't think so? And I mean, he has been Stiles' friend for a good, long while, if any relationship is the more special one it'd be that one, no offense meant. I guess that might sum it up—I don't really see romantic relationships as being more special, by default. Just—different, fulfilling other needs, fueled by other emotions."

"I've never really thought about it like that."

"Hello, ladies. Are we walking together?"

"Apparently," she grins. And back to Allison: "So, thing the first, what we just discussed. Thing the second, I probably just can't feel jealousy, because... Way I see it, the person who's with me is with me because they want to be with me, specifically, not because everyone else is worse in some way. So just because they're with someone else doesn't mean I'm worth less or they want me less."

"If everyone was dating lots of people, I wouldn't get jealous, but most people aren't. I wouldn't be as jealous if I was dating you, because you seeing other people isn't my fault for being a bad girlfriend."

"In the hypothetical dating game, which of us would you prefer?"

"In this hypothetical dating game I'm pretty sure I'd go with both, I am here espousing the virtues of polyamory."

"Of course. Then, hypothetically-"

"Lydia, unless you're going to make this less hypothetical, we should all get to our classes."

"—well are you making this less hypothetical?"

"I do want to graduate high school," she muses. 

"I'm sure you can talk about it later. Nice seeing you again, Ade."

"See you," she says, smirking, and then has econ.

"Congratulations on making the team," her teacher says by way of greeting, approaching her before class starts.

"Danny says you might be playing or coming to practice like this?" 

"Probably," she agrees.

"Fascinating lifestyle choice. Do you play as well both ways?"

"Not quite a choice, I'm like that since I was like two years old I think, but yeah, I think so."

"Good for you! I don't care if you're a boy or a girl during practice, but you'll have to be a guy for games, no way can I slide that past."

"Hmm. Do you know in advance when the games will be? I can more or less want to be one or the other if I have enough advance notice."

"That a neat trick."

He rattles off the schedule as the other students sit down.

"I'll write that down for you, too."

"Thank you! That's very nice of you."

"So, now that we know how opportunity cost works, we still don't have a full explanation for why I work here. It's not becasuse you're all wonderful bundles of joy and gratitude, you're high schoolers. So why would someone work somewhere they don't want to?"

"The expected utility of working here is higher than that of finding another job?"