House of the Hanging Jade by Amy M Reade

anyways?”
    I showed him how to place his fingers so the chopsticks would stay in place, then he clumsily maneuvered them to pick up one small piece of the fish. He squeezed his eyes shut and put it in his mouth. He started to chew slowly.
    â€œWell? What do you think?”
    He continued chewing, then swallowed and said, “I don’t know. Can I have another piece?”
    â€œSure.”
    He took another piece, a little bigger, and ate it. “This doesn’t taste like fish. It’s not bad.”
    I grinned. “That’s the great thing about poke . The fish doesn’t have a strong flavor, so you’re able to taste the seasonings. All you taste of the fish is a delicious freshness.”
    He had a third piece, then handed me the container. “It’s pretty good,” he admitted.
    â€œWhy don’t you finish it? I can get some more for myself on the way back to the house.”
    â€œNo, it’s yours. I’ll eat the lunch you made this morning.” He pulled the small padded cooler out of his backpack.
    I settled back in the driver’s seat, admiring the sweeping view of the Pacific and waiting for him to get his lunch out. Once he started eating the cheese sandwich I had made for him, I asked my first question.
    â€œSo, what were you doing in the trees beside the road?”
    â€œNothing. Really. I was just waiting in there until the bus came and dropped Justine off. Then I was going to walk into the house with her.”
    â€œYou were just going to hang out there all day?”
    â€œYeah. Where else was I supposed to go?”
    â€œHow about school?”
    â€œThe kids in my classes are all jerks.”
    â€œWhat about James?”
    â€œHe’s not a jerk, but he’s not in any of my classes.”
    â€œHow do you know him?”
    â€œHe lives up the road. He rides my bus.”
    â€œSo the kids are all jerks. Any other reason you didn’t go to school today?”
    He was silent for a full minute. “I don’t know,” he finally said with a sigh. “I just don’t care about it.”
    â€œDoes it have anything to do with Dr. Doug?” I asked gently.
    He only hesitated for a moment. “Maybe. I’m sick of the cops asking questions, I’m sick of my parents not talking to each other, I’m sick of living here. I want to go back to California. I had lots of friends there. I was one of the cool kids. Here I’m just a loser haole with rich parents.”
    I changed the subject. “What’s the poke sale for?”
    He shrugged. “The school. There’s not enough money in the budget for lots of things, so the school has to raise its own money.”
    I nodded. Not enough money for lots of things—like a job for Liko, like Hawaiian-culture classes. “So why not get involved? Join clubs, meet people. Maybe the kids in school just need to get to know you better.”
    He shrugged again. “Maybe.”
    â€œAnything else going on?”
    â€œNah. That’s pretty much it.”
    â€œWhat do you think of Liko?”
    He hesitated again. “He’s cool. He’s a good math teacher and my parents like him. He even helps Justine sometimes.”
    â€œI’m glad. He likes being a tutor. Maybe you and he could go surfing or kayaking together sometime.”
    He nodded. “That’d be cool.”
    â€œYou want me to take you back to school?”
    â€œI don’t know. Okay.”
    I smiled and handed him the container with the remainder of the poke . “Here. Finish this. I’m full.”
    He accepted it with a “thanks” and finished it. “That’s pretty good, actually,” he said with a shy smile.
    â€œTold you.”
    I dropped him off at school and watched him walk inside, his backpack hanging off one shoulder. I felt sorry for him. Being a teenager could be so hard, and he had the added stress of Dr. Doug’s death weighing