Chasing Jane

My mother named me Jane after Jane Austen--or maybe Jane Eyre. She said either one would do. With a name like Jane, I might not be a beauty queen or the most popular girl in the room, but I would be smart and strong and make good decisions.

I guess I've mostly lived up to my name.

My mother died before we could go on our trip to England to visit all of the best Jane-spots, so I'm going with my best friend instead. That's Nate. He's sweet and funny and adorable, and we've known each other since kindergarten. In fact, he was almost my stepbrother until my mom and his dad broke up. But don't get the wrong idea about him. It's never been romantic between us.

At the moment, I'm crazy about this mystery guy I've been talking to on a dating site, and he's nothing like Nate at all. I don't know why I'm suddenly finding Nate so attractive, and I don't know why he has started acting kind of strange.

Anyway, this is my Jane trip, and I've been waiting for it all my life.