the same spot and dug out the remaining roots. “Jordyn left after I threw up. She said my puke stank. How embarrassing.”
“Yeah,” I said. Jordyn leaving didn’t sound like much of a pact to me.
She stopped raking. “He helped me clean up; I used his toothbrush to freshen up, and we made out when Jake left.”
“He’s a senior.” I grabbed another bunch of red flowers.
“By the way, Jake wanted to know where you were. I told him you have an Israeli boyfriend in Tel Aviv.”
I smiled. The kiss made me normal.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.” Gorgeous Avi thought I was okay enough to kiss, and it wasn’t a joke to verify my slut status. I was far from the non-kissable girl I had been. My reinvention was happening.
“Hey, what’d you do at Avi’s?”
“Listened to music. Went to the beach.”
“You’re blushing. What’d you do at the beach?”
“Kiss.” I wondered if I could get away with shouting it out loud.
“I told Jake he’s your boyfriend.”
“Must be fate.” I walked over to the water cooler. It was because Avi knew nothing about my past.
“Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”
“Yeah.” After the kiss, I thought his smile might be a polite thanks-for-the-kiss thing, but when he walked me to the bus stop, we held hands until I got on the bus. He wouldn’t have held my hand if he didn’t like the kiss.
“Ben’s cute and nice,” she said.
“Is he your boyfriend?” I asked.
Naim stood in front of us with one of his friends.
“The water is not for you,” Naim’s friend said. “It’s for those who don’t waste time.”
“Sorry.” I smirked.
Naim’s nostrils flared.
Mia picked up her rake and said something in Hebrew.
“Get to work,” Naim’s friend said, ignoring Mia.
“He’s cranky today,” I whispered.
“You’re finished working here,” Naim’s friend yelled. “Don’t come back.”
I didn’t answer. They could yell all they wanted.
“Deleck,” Mia said.
“Um hmm,” I said.
~ * * * ~
At the Deleck, I ordered our usual. “Two pita ‘n chips.”
“No falafel. Extra fries,” Mia told the cashier.
“Falafel in mine, please.” I wanted it my way, sans the fries.
At the last open table by the window, I knocked soil off of my hands, so they weren’t filthy. Mia handed me a pita with fries.
“Didn’t I order falafel?”
She bit into her sandwich. “I’ll eat your fries if you don’t want them.”
I waved my sandwich at her, annoyed that my order was wrong. “Take one.”
“Hey, fired workers.” Ben and Jake walked over to our table from the door. “Heard you were mouthy,” Ben said with a cigarette hanging from his lips.
I wanted to dab the grass stains on his shirt with a wet napkin.
Mia smiled. “Give us an easy job. Please.”
Ben stopped at our table. “Dorm eight needs two maids.”
Jordyn had told us cleaning dorms was quick and easy. Neat freak me would be doing what I did best. “Excellent,” I said.
“Thanks.” Mia kissed him on the cheek like he had been her boyfriend forever.
Jake raised his empty hands up. “Ben, can you get me something? I don’t have any s hekels .” Ben got up and headed to the food line. Jake looked me and blinked. “Mia said you’ve got an Israeli friend.”
“His name’s Avi,” I said.
“Is he your ‘maybe’ boyfriend?”
Mia kicked me under the table.
“Maybe,” I said. Boyfriend! He could absolutely be my boyfriend.
Ben returned to the table, bearing two pitas. “Did you hear about the terrorist attack in Haifa?”
Mia shrugged as if he was talking about the weather.
“Two bombs.” Ben handed one pita to Jake.
“That’s too bad,” I said. “Haifa isn’t that close to us.”
“We need to be careful at the bus stop.” Ben put down his pita. “It’s been blown up before.”
“So?” Mia scrunched her eyebrows.
“Stay away from anybody dressed in tons of clothes.” Ben looked pissed. “They might have a bomb.”
“I’ve
“Yeah,” I said. Jordyn leaving didn’t sound like much of a pact to me.
She stopped raking. “He helped me clean up; I used his toothbrush to freshen up, and we made out when Jake left.”
“He’s a senior.” I grabbed another bunch of red flowers.
“By the way, Jake wanted to know where you were. I told him you have an Israeli boyfriend in Tel Aviv.”
I smiled. The kiss made me normal.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.” Gorgeous Avi thought I was okay enough to kiss, and it wasn’t a joke to verify my slut status. I was far from the non-kissable girl I had been. My reinvention was happening.
“Hey, what’d you do at Avi’s?”
“Listened to music. Went to the beach.”
“You’re blushing. What’d you do at the beach?”
“Kiss.” I wondered if I could get away with shouting it out loud.
“I told Jake he’s your boyfriend.”
“Must be fate.” I walked over to the water cooler. It was because Avi knew nothing about my past.
“Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”
“Yeah.” After the kiss, I thought his smile might be a polite thanks-for-the-kiss thing, but when he walked me to the bus stop, we held hands until I got on the bus. He wouldn’t have held my hand if he didn’t like the kiss.
“Ben’s cute and nice,” she said.
“Is he your boyfriend?” I asked.
Naim stood in front of us with one of his friends.
“The water is not for you,” Naim’s friend said. “It’s for those who don’t waste time.”
“Sorry.” I smirked.
Naim’s nostrils flared.
Mia picked up her rake and said something in Hebrew.
“Get to work,” Naim’s friend said, ignoring Mia.
“He’s cranky today,” I whispered.
“You’re finished working here,” Naim’s friend yelled. “Don’t come back.”
I didn’t answer. They could yell all they wanted.
“Deleck,” Mia said.
“Um hmm,” I said.
~ * * * ~
At the Deleck, I ordered our usual. “Two pita ‘n chips.”
“No falafel. Extra fries,” Mia told the cashier.
“Falafel in mine, please.” I wanted it my way, sans the fries.
At the last open table by the window, I knocked soil off of my hands, so they weren’t filthy. Mia handed me a pita with fries.
“Didn’t I order falafel?”
She bit into her sandwich. “I’ll eat your fries if you don’t want them.”
I waved my sandwich at her, annoyed that my order was wrong. “Take one.”
“Hey, fired workers.” Ben and Jake walked over to our table from the door. “Heard you were mouthy,” Ben said with a cigarette hanging from his lips.
I wanted to dab the grass stains on his shirt with a wet napkin.
Mia smiled. “Give us an easy job. Please.”
Ben stopped at our table. “Dorm eight needs two maids.”
Jordyn had told us cleaning dorms was quick and easy. Neat freak me would be doing what I did best. “Excellent,” I said.
“Thanks.” Mia kissed him on the cheek like he had been her boyfriend forever.
Jake raised his empty hands up. “Ben, can you get me something? I don’t have any s hekels .” Ben got up and headed to the food line. Jake looked me and blinked. “Mia said you’ve got an Israeli friend.”
“His name’s Avi,” I said.
“Is he your ‘maybe’ boyfriend?”
Mia kicked me under the table.
“Maybe,” I said. Boyfriend! He could absolutely be my boyfriend.
Ben returned to the table, bearing two pitas. “Did you hear about the terrorist attack in Haifa?”
Mia shrugged as if he was talking about the weather.
“Two bombs.” Ben handed one pita to Jake.
“That’s too bad,” I said. “Haifa isn’t that close to us.”
“We need to be careful at the bus stop.” Ben put down his pita. “It’s been blown up before.”
“So?” Mia scrunched her eyebrows.
“Stay away from anybody dressed in tons of clothes.” Ben looked pissed. “They might have a bomb.”
“I’ve
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