the voice, the chest, the weird nerd qualities lurking just beneath the surface. I mean, he likes English lit .
“I think he likes this girl at school,” I say for some extremely stupid reason, like my mother is serious about dumping Brad for Sai. “I mean—”
That makes her laugh. “Then hopefully I can restrain myself. Anyway, cash for tonight.” She hands me a wad of bills. “And would you call me if you’re going to be out late? That seems like the right thing to do, yeah?”
“What’s late?” I tuck the bills into my wallet. “Like midnight?”
“One? Sure.”
We walk downstairs together, where Travis and Sai are standing in the living room. Sai is at the bookshelves while Travis is in front of one of the paintings.
“Devvie, oh my God,” Travis says. A good greeting. “Your hair is amazing.”
My mother’s stylist was booked for a couple of weeks, but Kate called hers last night and got me in first thing in the morning. My hair now falls just below my chin with a bit of a swing, like I always have a wind machine on me, and instead of mouse brown it’s colored auburn. And I’m still just Devan, with a face that’s too round and eyes that are boring, but this is maybe the best I’ve ever looked.
“It looks good,” Sai says with a nod. From a straight guy that’s a solid hair compliment. “Man, your house is awesome .”
“Very posh.” Travis looks at my mother. “Are you Devan’s mom? Is this your posh house?”
“I am and it is,” she says. “Thanks, both of you.”
“We should go, if we have to pick up everyone else,” I say.
“Hang on.” Sai leans in closer to the bookshelf he’s examining. “Man, this is an awesome collection. I had to leave most of my books behind when I moved.”
Oh my God, such a nerd. Unfortunately that just makes him hotter.
“Were you in a hurry?” Travis asks. “Like, running from the law?”
“You’re so weird,” I say to Travis, which is the kind of thing I said all the time to Justine, and suddenly I miss Justine so much I could puke. She has only emailed to say things are very very good with The Tenor, though. It’s like we were gone from each other before it was even true.
“Nah, my dad just had limits on how much I could pack, said books take up too much room.” He shrugs like it isn’t a big deal, but I think maybe it is.
“Okay, you’ve looked at books enough, this isn’t a library,” Travis says. “’Bye, Devan’s Mom; it was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, guys.”
I follow Travis and Sai outside to Travis’s Beetle. Sai gets into the back so I take the front passenger seat. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“Really no prob,” Travis says. “So if you moved only a week ago, were you living with someone else then or whatever? Because your house looks way nicer than if you moved in a week ago.”
“Yeah, um, before I lived with my dad and stepmom,” I say. “In St. Louis.”
“With Sai!” he says all excitedly.
“Not exactly,” I say, because, okay, St. Louis isn’t as big as L.A. or anything, but it’s not like everyone there knows one another. People who were born in L.A. probably think all other cities are like teeny tiny towns.
“But you’re here for a while?” Travis asks. I wish he’d stop with the questions. I don’t want anyone to know how weird my whole situation is. “I mean, you’re not gonna, like, land a part in the fall show and then go back, are you?”
“No, I’m not going back.”
“I don’t blame you,” he says. “The Midwest, ugh. But won’t your dad mind?”
“He’s dead,” I say, “so probably not.”
“Oh my God, Devan, I’m sorry,” he says as Sai leans forward and touches my shoulder, saying, “Man, that sucks.”
I hope it isn’t a bad sign that he keeps calling me man .
“It’s okay,” I say. “My dad and I weren’t close or whatever.”
“Still,” they both say. A popular reaction.
“Still. I’m okay.” That much, I’m nearly
“I think he likes this girl at school,” I say for some extremely stupid reason, like my mother is serious about dumping Brad for Sai. “I mean—”
That makes her laugh. “Then hopefully I can restrain myself. Anyway, cash for tonight.” She hands me a wad of bills. “And would you call me if you’re going to be out late? That seems like the right thing to do, yeah?”
“What’s late?” I tuck the bills into my wallet. “Like midnight?”
“One? Sure.”
We walk downstairs together, where Travis and Sai are standing in the living room. Sai is at the bookshelves while Travis is in front of one of the paintings.
“Devvie, oh my God,” Travis says. A good greeting. “Your hair is amazing.”
My mother’s stylist was booked for a couple of weeks, but Kate called hers last night and got me in first thing in the morning. My hair now falls just below my chin with a bit of a swing, like I always have a wind machine on me, and instead of mouse brown it’s colored auburn. And I’m still just Devan, with a face that’s too round and eyes that are boring, but this is maybe the best I’ve ever looked.
“It looks good,” Sai says with a nod. From a straight guy that’s a solid hair compliment. “Man, your house is awesome .”
“Very posh.” Travis looks at my mother. “Are you Devan’s mom? Is this your posh house?”
“I am and it is,” she says. “Thanks, both of you.”
“We should go, if we have to pick up everyone else,” I say.
“Hang on.” Sai leans in closer to the bookshelf he’s examining. “Man, this is an awesome collection. I had to leave most of my books behind when I moved.”
Oh my God, such a nerd. Unfortunately that just makes him hotter.
“Were you in a hurry?” Travis asks. “Like, running from the law?”
“You’re so weird,” I say to Travis, which is the kind of thing I said all the time to Justine, and suddenly I miss Justine so much I could puke. She has only emailed to say things are very very good with The Tenor, though. It’s like we were gone from each other before it was even true.
“Nah, my dad just had limits on how much I could pack, said books take up too much room.” He shrugs like it isn’t a big deal, but I think maybe it is.
“Okay, you’ve looked at books enough, this isn’t a library,” Travis says. “’Bye, Devan’s Mom; it was nice to meet you.”
“You, too, guys.”
I follow Travis and Sai outside to Travis’s Beetle. Sai gets into the back so I take the front passenger seat. “Thanks for picking me up.”
“Really no prob,” Travis says. “So if you moved only a week ago, were you living with someone else then or whatever? Because your house looks way nicer than if you moved in a week ago.”
“Yeah, um, before I lived with my dad and stepmom,” I say. “In St. Louis.”
“With Sai!” he says all excitedly.
“Not exactly,” I say, because, okay, St. Louis isn’t as big as L.A. or anything, but it’s not like everyone there knows one another. People who were born in L.A. probably think all other cities are like teeny tiny towns.
“But you’re here for a while?” Travis asks. I wish he’d stop with the questions. I don’t want anyone to know how weird my whole situation is. “I mean, you’re not gonna, like, land a part in the fall show and then go back, are you?”
“No, I’m not going back.”
“I don’t blame you,” he says. “The Midwest, ugh. But won’t your dad mind?”
“He’s dead,” I say, “so probably not.”
“Oh my God, Devan, I’m sorry,” he says as Sai leans forward and touches my shoulder, saying, “Man, that sucks.”
I hope it isn’t a bad sign that he keeps calling me man .
“It’s okay,” I say. “My dad and I weren’t close or whatever.”
“Still,” they both say. A popular reaction.
“Still. I’m okay.” That much, I’m nearly
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