Page 26 of The Other Side of Together

Her eyes triple in size, and on the one place I’m trying to hide. “What are you doing here?”

I clench my fist at my side like it can squeeze words out of me and a moment swirls between us, gathering all the tensioninto a ball in my throat before Guo Mama shuffles to Mama’s side, hands clasped behind her back.

“I asked for help with boxes after school, but thank you for coming early, Xiao Mei.” Guo Mama’s eyes sweep over my bruised face, her jaw tightening.

My eyes dart after Mama’s so I can catch them and say, “You know who did this.” Instead, I nod and talk to the air, hoping Mama gets the hint to leave, “I’ll be home before my shift.”

She stares at the floor, then nods and ducks her head as she walks through the shop and out the front door.

“Ah! Beautiful Mei Li…” Guo Mama’s wrinkles droop as she studies my face. “I can either guess what happened,” she says, motioning to her own cheek, “or you can tell me. I’m not your Mama or Baba. I don’t need to protect Ugly Chao and neither should you.” She stares me down while shame leaks through me. “It was Ugly Chao, yes?”

I hesitate, then nod and she purses her lips, shakes her head, pivots toward the counter.

“He will wish I never saw this.” She drops the heavy words between us like an anchor then shuffles to a drawer, opens it, and pulls out a Tupperware container. She pries off the lid with her gnarled fingers before pulling out a folded piece of paper and giving it to me. “This will make everything better. And I mean everything.”

I stare at the note, and all thoughts of asking Guo Mama about the “she” from her and Mama’s conversation disappears. Mama can hide whatever she wants, and so can I.

I smile at Marcus’s precise creases and my name written on one side in his blocky, sloped handwriting I’ve memorized.

I look at Guo Mama and she waves her hand toward the note. “Read! It’s so very good!”

“Youreadit?”

“Of course. I can’t pass notes without knowing what theysay.” She claps her hands, then brings them to prayer. “Everything’s going to be splendid, as I predict.” Humming, she shuffles off and pushes a rattly cart into her storage room.

I swallow and unfold the note’s corner flap, my fingertips pressing into the paper as I read the short message scrawled at the bottom corner in Sharpie instead of pen:

How would you feel about a second date? Saturday, 10 AM, maybe? Unless work and homework can tell better jokes than I can.

Guo Mama’s slippers flap against the terra cotta, and I straighten, balling my hands into fists at my side to keep all this energy inside. I don’t want to lose a particle of this feeling. She pats my shoulder as she passes, and I turn to her. “You can’t tell anyone, Guo Mama. Promise? I know it’s a stupid idea and I can’t have him but…I just…” I scan the letter again, my smile spreading. “I really like him and just want to pretend for one date longer.”

She cackles to the dragon lanterns hanging from the ceiling, then blinks at me. “You know I am good at keeping secrets. This one is special, and the gods are already helping you. Check your work schedule. You will see.”

CHAPTER 10

Mei: To answer your question from last night, I’d rather go without sugar for one week than not shave my legs. As for American names, I would choose Stella. Or Violet since it’s my favorite color. What do you think? If I had to choose a different name for you, it would be…maybe Bruno? Elwood? Or—I know—Alistair, Ali for short. You do go to that rich kid charter school, so…you should stop wearing hot boy t-shirts and jeans and switch to chinos and loafers. And a sweater around your neck. Maybe carry around a tennis racket.

Ilaugh at my phone, then shove it in my pocket and cross the street to the park where the boys are at the table under Ellie, the naked, red elephant-lady sculpture.

Johnny tosses an orange in the air and knee dribbles it while the other guys count. I walk by and snatch it, then throw it over his head to Ty. Johnny does a roundhouse and barely misses me, so I grab his leg until he falls. The guys laugh and I slide onto the bench, then destroy the triple decker turkey sandwich I made before school.

“Where’s your head been lately, Miller? Coach almost ripped you apart after you missed that pass during the game last night.”

I take a huge bite, chew. Shake my head.

“I’m tellin’ you.” Johnny leans around Jeff, pointing at me. “Miller has a girl, and he’s not spillin’. Last night on the train, he was talking to someone on the phone all secret. Must’ve been someone good, too, ‘cause his face was doing this.” Johnny stares at the sky, his mouth open in a stupid smile.

Jeff barks a laugh and Ty slaps the table. “Yeah, okay. Hilarious. It was probably his grandma telling him how much money she’s giving him for graduation.”

Ty leans across the table and pats my face with both hands. “Miller’s got girls trying to get his attention all the time, so unless she’s a super model, no girl’s gonna get him.”

I shove him away and Johnny slides onto the bench next to me. He wraps his arm around my neck and forces my head onto his shoulder, patting it. I jerk away from him, shove him off the bench, then finish my sandwich before ripping open a bag of Cheetos.

A week ago, soccer was my girlfriend, and I was a devoted boyfriend. It’ll always be my first love, but soccer doesn’t have a smile that shoots lasers and explodes my heart, or curve a pair of skinny jeans like Mei does. Soccer doesn’t have a voice that makes me shiver or turn my brain into neon cotton candy.

The guys move on to another topic and I pull out my phone, my heart tripping over itself when there’s a response froma-MEI-zing:

Mei: Having a hard time focusing on anything but last night...

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