She’s biting her bottom lip, more like chewing on it, her eyebrows pulled tight. “Say something snarky and make me feel better.”
“I have a date to the dance,” Kim says.
“What?” Cass bites.
“To homecoming. I have a date.”
“Who?” Cass asks. There’s tension in his throat like the words hurts.
“Jason Park.”
“What?” he yells. “Is this some Jasmine thing? An alternate person who’s taken over your brain? You said he was a douche.”
I cringe. Jason is the only other Korean in our grade and Uma’s dream guy for Kim. Cass can’t compete with that.
“My exact words were ‘he’s a douche with a bad Asian mustache,’ but I changed my mind. He’s nice.”
“Nice,” Cass mocks. “I hope no girl ever calls me nice . That’s code for ‘I’m never gonna touch her boobs.’”
“Maybe Jason will touch my—”
I cut Kim off. “Then will you go with me, Cass? Pretty please.” His eyes are still shooting daggers at Kim. “If I’m going to kowtow to this archaic high school ritual, I need a date to give me a corsage. Plus, every queen needs a king, right?”
Cass’s shoulders fall and he huffs. “Of course, I’ll go with you. But I’m pretty sure Ben Tyler will be your king.”
“What?”
I hadn’t thought about a king. Of course, it’ll be Ben, for the same reason I’m nominated. That and he’s just plain hot. Everyone likes a hot king. Thinking about him makes my stomach tight.
“Have you ever noticed how long his eyelashes are?” Cass says.
“He does have nice eyelashes.” Kim leans back against the lockers.
“Are we seriously talking about his eyelashes?” I ask, a confused anger coming over me. I don’t want to know Ben’s eyelashes, and yet I do, so well. His eyelashes are kind of like Snuffleupagus’s on Sesame Street, all long and accentuating his colorful eyes.
I grab books out of my locker, shoving them in my backpack without looking to see if they’re actually the ones I need for my homework.
“Can I have a ride?” Kim asks me.
“I walked today.”
“You walked when you have a car?”
“Exercise is good for you.”
“That’s propaganda sold to you by the American government. Exercise is overrated. Asian people never exercise and we’re, like, the skinniest race.”
“That’s because half the population is starving,” Cass interjects.
“Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
“Will you both shut up?” I yell and rub my temples. Kim and Cass look at me.
“My mom’s picking me up, anyway. Dentist appointment.” Cass stuffs his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. He pauses for a second and stares at Kim, as if he’s holding back words. But Kim doesn’t say anything, just wrinkles her nose and looks at the wall. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
Cass leaves, his head hanging low over hunched shoulders.
“Will you go to Common Threads with me to get a dress?” Kim asks when Cass is out of earshot.
“Why did you do that to him?”
“Do what?”
“And why the sudden school spirit?”
“We’re seniors,” Kim says. “We need to do this stuff. We never went to a party at Suzy’s before, but we did it.”
“Cass almost got his ass kicked by Brian Fontaine.”
“Whatever. He shouldn’t have French-kissed Lily.”
“Are you jealous?”
Kim adjusts her backpack, shifting her weight from side to side. She looks at me with resolute eyes. “Will you go shopping with me or what?”
I say yes, but as we walk out of school, I can’t stop thinking about the love the two of them ignore. Don’t they know we’re all one accident away from death? There might not be a tomorrow for them to love each other.
The next day, Hunter Hunter shows up at Shakedown Street, riding his skateboard up to the counter. He flings his head off to the side to move the hair falling in his face.
“Do you get free shakes?”
“Sometimes.”
“Cool. Is that the Dead?” He points at my mural.
“It is.”
“Cool. Do you
“I have a date to the dance,” Kim says.
“What?” Cass bites.
“To homecoming. I have a date.”
“Who?” Cass asks. There’s tension in his throat like the words hurts.
“Jason Park.”
“What?” he yells. “Is this some Jasmine thing? An alternate person who’s taken over your brain? You said he was a douche.”
I cringe. Jason is the only other Korean in our grade and Uma’s dream guy for Kim. Cass can’t compete with that.
“My exact words were ‘he’s a douche with a bad Asian mustache,’ but I changed my mind. He’s nice.”
“Nice,” Cass mocks. “I hope no girl ever calls me nice . That’s code for ‘I’m never gonna touch her boobs.’”
“Maybe Jason will touch my—”
I cut Kim off. “Then will you go with me, Cass? Pretty please.” His eyes are still shooting daggers at Kim. “If I’m going to kowtow to this archaic high school ritual, I need a date to give me a corsage. Plus, every queen needs a king, right?”
Cass’s shoulders fall and he huffs. “Of course, I’ll go with you. But I’m pretty sure Ben Tyler will be your king.”
“What?”
I hadn’t thought about a king. Of course, it’ll be Ben, for the same reason I’m nominated. That and he’s just plain hot. Everyone likes a hot king. Thinking about him makes my stomach tight.
“Have you ever noticed how long his eyelashes are?” Cass says.
“He does have nice eyelashes.” Kim leans back against the lockers.
“Are we seriously talking about his eyelashes?” I ask, a confused anger coming over me. I don’t want to know Ben’s eyelashes, and yet I do, so well. His eyelashes are kind of like Snuffleupagus’s on Sesame Street, all long and accentuating his colorful eyes.
I grab books out of my locker, shoving them in my backpack without looking to see if they’re actually the ones I need for my homework.
“Can I have a ride?” Kim asks me.
“I walked today.”
“You walked when you have a car?”
“Exercise is good for you.”
“That’s propaganda sold to you by the American government. Exercise is overrated. Asian people never exercise and we’re, like, the skinniest race.”
“That’s because half the population is starving,” Cass interjects.
“Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
“Will you both shut up?” I yell and rub my temples. Kim and Cass look at me.
“My mom’s picking me up, anyway. Dentist appointment.” Cass stuffs his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. He pauses for a second and stares at Kim, as if he’s holding back words. But Kim doesn’t say anything, just wrinkles her nose and looks at the wall. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
Cass leaves, his head hanging low over hunched shoulders.
“Will you go to Common Threads with me to get a dress?” Kim asks when Cass is out of earshot.
“Why did you do that to him?”
“Do what?”
“And why the sudden school spirit?”
“We’re seniors,” Kim says. “We need to do this stuff. We never went to a party at Suzy’s before, but we did it.”
“Cass almost got his ass kicked by Brian Fontaine.”
“Whatever. He shouldn’t have French-kissed Lily.”
“Are you jealous?”
Kim adjusts her backpack, shifting her weight from side to side. She looks at me with resolute eyes. “Will you go shopping with me or what?”
I say yes, but as we walk out of school, I can’t stop thinking about the love the two of them ignore. Don’t they know we’re all one accident away from death? There might not be a tomorrow for them to love each other.
The next day, Hunter Hunter shows up at Shakedown Street, riding his skateboard up to the counter. He flings his head off to the side to move the hair falling in his face.
“Do you get free shakes?”
“Sometimes.”
“Cool. Is that the Dead?” He points at my mural.
“It is.”
“Cool. Do you
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