Page 14

CHAPTER 14

Dear Marcus,

Nova Scotia is just lovely by yacht. Yes, it’s quite chilly but I look stunning in my blue dress, just as you predicted. My kitty kite won second place which was rather disappointing, but the tail did get ripped off by a rogue wind current so it’s to be expected. If only my best kite mender hadn’t missed the boat, but I received your telegram and will demand the captain turn this ship around at once. I’m positively dying to see you in the green and orange plaid suit I picked out for you. It’s so fetching. All the elderly women onboard will positively swoon when they see you. Yes, you’ll have to play a lot of Bingo but you’ll get lots of birthday money for years to come and since kite menders don’t make a lot, it will be very worthwhile.

All my sea-faring best,

Mei, Second place winner in the International Kitty Kite Festival

“ S o…” Audrey sits back in her chair, arms crossed. “How’s it going? Been on a date yet?”

I mimic her, slouching with my arms crossed “Have you?”

She shoots forward in her seat. “Oh, don’t worry—I’ve got the baklava coming. I had a lovely lunch date this week. Just wondering if we’re going to share the baklava or if I get it all to myself.”

“I told you it had to be a real date. Not Stacy from accounting.”

“For your information, it was Ricky from accounting. And we’re going out tonight. Guess I’m eating baklava alone.”

“Nope.” I shake my head and tap the table with my thumb. “I earned the other half. Twice.”

Her brows are super pointy when she’s surprised. “Don’t you dare lie for baklava. It will turn to lava in your mouth and burn off your tongue.”

I smile and nod. “Oh, this is for real. I’m as surprised as you are.”

Audrey squints. “Are you being serious?”

I shrug. “Yeah. A lot changed while you were in Boston.”

Her shoulders drop. “That was fast.” She slides a shake toward me. “I’m not even sure what to do with this information if it’s true.”

“Come on, Drey.” I roll my eyes and shovel ice cream into my mouth, talking around it. “You knew it’d happen eventually. There just wasn’t a girl I liked enough. Now there is.”

Her frown turns from scrutiny to curiosity. “Have you told Ray? And have you kissed her?” Her eyes spark and I’m afraid she’s gonna light the napkins on fire as she leans forward, devouring a spoonful of ice cream.

I meet her eyes, then focus on my spoon.

“What does that look mean?” she explodes, slapping both hands on the table and leaning out of her chair toward me. “Did you lose the bet?!”

Uh, thought about it. Wanted to about 325 times. But I’m keeping that information to myself. I reach across the table and poke her shoulder. “Calm down.” I shake my head. “It’s only been two dates.” My stomach ruffles with the thought of kissing Mei. Making out with her. Doing other stuff. Later .

Audrey narrows her eyes. “I sense you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

I jab the spoon in my shake, sitting back in my seat. She’s not gonna stop digging, so I’ve gotta give her something to obsess over. Plus, I’m dying to tell somebody about Mei. “Not gonna lie—the motorcycle’s really hard to think about when I’m with her.” I pick at the table’s edge. “She’s all I can think about. Her and… that .” I need to stop. I’m saying too much. But what if she can tell me what to do so I don’t mess this up? I can’t have this conversation with Dad. And I’ve seen Johnny and Savvy make out and I’m not asking either of them for advice. They went zero to ninety in ten seconds so it’s only a matter of time before they’re over. Not gonna be me and Mei.

Audrey relaxes, crossing her arms on the table and leveling her gaze. “Well, it’s about time.”

“I’m not gonna do anything, Drey.” Even though I so, so want to. “Don’t even know what I’m doing, but…I kinda get how I could lose the motorcycle now. I won’t, though. Just afraid I could. But I won’t. Definitely not. But also, I’m…” I scan the hanging plants and yellow wind chimes hanging over our table, embarrassed to admit my total lack of knowledge in all things Girl. “I’m clueless,” I look at her. “I mean, I know the basics, so don’t give me the whole birds and bees talk—I got that much. I just didn’t know…” I swallow. How strong I could feel for her. That my hormones can boss me around. That I swear I saw “I love you” in her eyes. Or maybe it was the reflection of my thoughts.

I hunch over my shake, staring into it. “Didn’t know I could feel this way. Dad didn’t mention it when he talked about girls messing me up. And if you tell him, I swear, Drey…”

She stares at me, a slow smile creeping across her face. “Are you kidding?! You think I’d ruin this by telling that killjoy? No way. But you should bring your lady love on our next lunch date. ”

“No.” I shake my head.

“No?”

“Nope.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed of me?” She pulls a hideous face.

“No, even though I should be.”

“What’s her name? What does she look like?” Audrey leans forward and twirls her spoon in her shake, her bracelets jangling.

“Her name’s Mei and she looks unbelievable, that’s what.” I smile at the table, thinking about the way Mei’s smile reflects off everything around her.

“So…I’m guessing blond? Long legs, long hair? Perfect teeth, etc., etc., etc., blah, blah, blah?”

“Perfect but in a black hair, killer smile, brown eyes, Taiwanese kinda way.”

Audrey’s eyebrows could climb Mount Everest on their own. “So…” Her eyes scan the café. “Not one of the screaming girls at your games.”

I shake my head. “Exactly opposite.”

Audrey leans forward, a weird grin on her face. “What’s she like?”

My mind draws a cross-section of Mei, arrows pointing to different parts of her. An arrow labeled ‘Intriguing’ points to her head; her mind is an entirely new universe to discover. One arrow labeled ‘Killer’ points to her smile. A big clump points to all the parts of her body I like best—long, slender fingers; deep eyes; skinny bird legs. Arrows pointing to the way she dresses; how she watches me when we talk like she’s absorbing every word I say. The way she floats more than moves, and how her voice calms me. The smart, funny things that come out of her mouth. The only thing I don’t like about her is her taste in music, but we can work on that.

An arrow points to the tattoo on her neck and, in my diagram, my initials are under it. It’s so permanent and personal, I choke on my own air when my stomach knots.

“You okay?” Audrey tilts her head.

“Yeah. Good.”

“Wow—you floated off to La-La land. You’ve got it bad.” Her smile’s too wide. “I can’t wait to meet this girl who replaced my girl-avoiding nephew with a lovesick man.”

“Not lovesick.”

She raises her eyebrows, challenging me.

Lovesick? Is this how it starts? Oh, no way. It’s been two weeks. A month if you count our notes. But why can’t I sleep? I’ve never had a problem sleeping. I stare out the windows during class. I see her everywhere, like she’s tattooed on my eyeballs, and everything I look at has a Mei on it. I repeat the word in my mind, trying to get used to it being in there. It’s never been there before. This feeling can’t be that. But maybe. Eventually. If things keep going. Could it?

“Take it slow, Marcus. I’ve dealt with enough hormonal guys to know that sometimes love gets overtaken by other feelings. There’s no rush.”

“Don’t even know what I’m doing anyway, since, you know, not a lot of girls in my life besides you. I just…I don’t wanna mess things up.” Face Eater eating Mei’s face in the alley flashes in my mind. “I want everything to be perfect.”

I like having Mei in my world. Like having her all over my days and talking to her until way too late. Love having thoughts of her all over my head. The sound of her laugh everywhere inside it. Having her all over me would just be a bonus. My life feels bigger with her in it. Soccer and school are still cool but she’s the coolest thing by far. She’s the first thing I think about when I wake up, and I take her with me through my day, wondering what she’d think about the guy in history who’s a total perv. Or what she looks like sitting at a desk, working out a calculus problem. And I always, always, wonder what she’s doing. Thinking. How she’s moving. Who’s lucky enough to see her smile at that moment. Or does she save the big, sparkly, dimple smile just for me?

Mei’s opened a whole new side of me. Something amazing and crazy is rumbling through my life.

It’s official: I’m falling for her, big time.

My eyes snap to Audrey’s. “This can’t be happening—I’m eighteen. Haven’t even kissed her yet,” I blurt.

She smiles and tilts her head. “Your dad fell in love when he was seventeen.”

“It obviously wasn’t love, but he thought it was, and then everything fell apart and he’s sad and alone and bored enough to want me to be there with him.”

She tilts her head and gives me a mom stare. “For Ray, it was love. For your mom, maybe it wasn’t, maybe it was. Love doesn’t look the same for everyone. Everyone has their own experiences. This is yours.”

What if I’m headed for love, but Mei’s not? That would be the ultimate form of messed up. My chest tightens, air flow stops. No way. She has to be as into this as I am. Doesn’t she? Or is she gonna take off like my mom? Leave me with feelings I have no clue how to handle?

“What do I do?” I ask Audrey. “I don’t know the rules or how to do anything.”

“You’re obviously doing something right.”

“I know, but like…now I wanna know everything about girls so I can do everything right and be perfect for her so she’ll have no reason to leave…” I take a deep breath and let it out.

Audrey rubs one of the leaves on the plant in the center of the table, then looks at me. “When you say that, are you referring to falling in love or…other stuff?”

I shift in my chair, then press a hand to my ribs. “No! Yes? Everything. I’m just curious. For way after graduation, if this thing continues. I mean, I’m not gonna be a monk forever so I just wanna do my research for…eventually. When I make ‘the big commitment,’ quoting Dad.”

She rolls her eyes. “You would.” Twisting her hair off her neck, she pulls it into a high ponytail. “You sure you want to know everything about girls? It might scare you away.”

I hesitate. “Yeah? I mean…yeah.”

“Ah. Like you want to get straight A’s in Girl.”

“Yeah,” I grin, “Like that.”

She nods. “So very Marcus of you. And not very boy of you.” She pins me with her eyes. “But that’s a very, very good thing, I assure you.” She sits taller in her seat and smiles. “I can tell you all about girls and answer all your questions. Shoot!”

I jab my spoon into my shake again.

“What?” Audrey leans forward. “My firsthand girl experience isn’t good enough?”

I glance at her, laughing uncomfortably. “You’re my aunt . You know? It’s weird.”

Audrey narrows her eyes, considering me. “Oh. Right. So…not a real girl. Gotcha. Well. Fair enough.” She grabs her bag from the chair. “I’ll direct you toward true knowledge then.” She stands and scoots in her chair. “Stuff your face and let’s go.”

I attempt to camouflage myself in the Self Help and Relationships aisle while Audrey flips through book after book about relationships and the female brain. About communicating with women. Female anatomy.

My hoodie is suddenly too loose like it’s spilling all my thoughts for everyone in the bookstore to see but it’s also threatening to choke me.

“Okay, Drey—that’s good. Ten books. Plenty to study.”

She hoots at something she reads and slaps the book shut, then points to the stack of books on the floor between my feet. “Pick up your pile of wisdom and walk confidently to the counter. You’re on a quest for knowledge. Your girl will thank you.”

Ten books are hard to shield under my arm as I dart through aisles and around brick columns toward the register. But as embarrassing as it is and as amateur as I am, my curiosity is raging. Maybe this stack will explain why Mei won’t tell me about Face Eater. Or why she gets all fidgety when I ask about her family. Or how she can talk to me without saying a word. And then there’s the stuff I shouldn’t think about but do. All the freaking time.

Audrey pays, then hands me a gigantic canvas bag that weighs 100 pounds.

“Well, Lover Boy, you’ve got some reading to do. But if Ray finds these, I’ll deny everything.”

I shake my head. “He won’t find them. Trust me. Ripping every single cover off and locking them somewhere.”

She smiles and rolls her eyes. “Whatever you need to do but here’s some aunt-ly advice in parting.” She steps in front of me. “This is your life, not your dad’s.”

“Okay, yeah, I—”

“Create your own future, not your dad’s or your mom’s. It’s an exciting time for you. Enjoy it.”

I wait, knowing she’s not finished, my head heavy, the bag cutting into my fingers.

She smacks her lips super loud. “Oh, and also—two hundred dollars on books entitles me to a meet and greet.” She pivots in the opposite direction. “Go get her, tiger,” she calls over her shoulder.