The Soulmate Equation

On the way to school one morning, Juno asks Jess if River is her boyfriend, as she noticed a pair of his shorts at home. Jess stops Juno before she leaves, asking how she would feel if River was her boyfriend. Juno expresses her approval. Later, Jess tells River about the conversation and asks if she can say they are dating—to which he agrees. He then lets her know that People magazine will interview them on Monday. After Jess and River walk Juno to school on Monday, they go to GeneticAlly. Jess is ushered into hair and makeup and meets Aneesha Sampson—the reporter who’s going to interview her and River. As River heads to his solo interview in the lab, he tells Jess he loves her for the first time. Jess is left speechless as River laughs and admits this is not the scenario in which he pictured saying it.

Lisa Addams, head of customer relations, situates Jess in David Morris’s messy office as she waits to be interviewed. As Jess sets down her laptop, she realizes the results of her and River’s two tests are in front of her. She starts to sift through everything and marvels at the fact that her match with River might be “encoded in their cells” (283).