Page 45 of Rules for Rule Breaking

Truthfully, Winter was getting hungry again.

She rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. As much as she wanted to speak with Halmeoni, she didn’t feel well. Every time she thought about Bobby, the pit in her stomach got bigger. It wasn’t the seafood; it was guilt.

“Can I ask you something else, Halmeoni? Do you think Bobby is good-looking?” she asked, not waiting for the permission.

Halmeoni clicked her tongue. “You and your dramatics, Winter. Bobby Bae is a very handsome boy.”

Winter scoffed. “I don’t mean handsome like he cleans up nice on Sundays. I mean, is he, like, really attractive? Like, do people want to date him?”

“Do you?”

Winter wrinkled her nose. “Ew. No.”

“He’s intelligent, and for some that’s enough. You are as smart as he is, if not smarter, so maybe it’s not enough for you. I called to ask you about your college visits, Soon-hee,” Halmeoni snapped.

Her reasoning made sense. As a matter of fact, it might have been the only thing that made sense.

“What’s really wrong?” Halmeoni asked.

“Nothing. My stomach is all in knots.”

“Go get Bobby and get something to eat. No trash.”

“Fine, Halmeoni. I’ll eat. But there are some things that food can’t fix.”

That was a lie.

Winter took her hair out of the towel and threw it on the bed. Halmeoni was in her ear talking about her bingo game, which had been the night before. Mrs. Landau ended up winning and taking the $4,600 pot. Winter nodded to signal that she was paying attention, forgetting that her grandmother couldn’t see her.

The adjoining door wasn’t locked, so she opened it and found herself face-to-face with Bobby, who had just stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. A gasp escaped her.

“Winter, what are you doing?” Halmeoni asked. “You sound strange.”

“I’m getting Bobby for dinner,” she whispered.

“Why are you whispering? Are you antagonizing that boy? You promised you would be nice.”

“If I whisper, maybe he can’t see me.”

Bobby waited a moment, probably for Winter to explain herself. But when she didn’t, he asked, “Are you okay?” sounding more annoyed than concerned. “Why are you here?”

“I came to get you for dinner. Want to say hi to Halmeoni?” she asked, extending the phone to him.

“Um... no. Not right now.”

Winter was wide-eyed and so very caught. Her phone slipped out of her hand onto the floor, drawing her attention away from Bobby for the first time since she opened the door. She scooped up her phone, ran back to her room, and threw herself on the bed. Her head dropped against the pillows, and she looked up at the ceiling.

“You still there, Halmeoni?” she asked, putting the phone back up to her ear. “Tell me more about bingo night.”

Bobby Bae

19. WE WILL RESPECT EACH OTHER’S BELONGINGS

Bobby leaned on the jamb of Winter’s open door. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book, with a pencil between her teeth, which she then used to secure her hair into a messy bun.

Winter finally noticed him and jumped about a mile into the air. Her hand shot to her heart. “You’re like the basement person fromParasite. You scared the shit out of me.”

Bobby smirked. “What are you doing?”