Page 39 of The Other Side of Together

“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. Femaleanatomy.

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.

CHAPTER 15

Marcus: Bummed we’re not hangin’ right now, but I’m dedicating my win to you tonight. And it’s gonna be a big one.

“Wow.” Lin shakes her head, staring at the ceiling while I lay on my stomach next to her. “You’ve stunned me. And that’s hard to do, as you know. I mean, the only thing you could tell me that would be more life altering is that you got us on The Price is Right. But who needsthatwhen you havehim? The ultimate Door Number Two. All the prizes of all the Showcase Showdowns ever.”

Dropping the Marcus bomb on Lin wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be. She’d sat still for the first time in her life and didn’t say a word until I told her all the details. Most of them. Maybe 50 percent.

“So…” Lin’s frosty pink lips form an O, her blue-lined eyes scanning my room. “You…Marcus Freaking Miller. Before you know it, you’ll be kissing and…No way you’ll wait four weeks tokiss. Icouldn’t wait four seconds.”

I shrug, and when her eyes go wide, I brace myself before the inevitable squeal pierces the silence.

“Wait,” she blurts, cutting her squeal short. “Did you already kiss him and you’re not telling?”

I swivel my head toward her and smile. “Do you really think I could keep it to myself?”

She squeals into my bedspread and squeezes my forearm with both hands. “Mei Li! This is crazy. This is Marcus Miller we’re talking about. Not even going to pretend I’m not so jealous right now.” She shakes her head. “I want every detail from now on—no holding back. Promise? Like, if it’s a ten-minute kiss, I want you to spend ten minutes telling me every single detail. Got it?” She holds out her pinkie and I hook it with mine and press my thumb to hers, sealing the promise. She nods then asks, “Are you going to see him tonight?”

I blow my hair out of my face. “He’s got a game.”

“Is it an away game?”

“No. Home, I think.”

Her eyes shine, and she wiggles her eyebrows. “Well…we have legs, and there are trains we could use those legs to get to. We have cards to ride those trains. We can do homework later. Catch what I’m saying?”

The stadium rumbles as the crowd stomps and chants with the cheerleaders. The bleachers are a patchwork of colorful yelling fans as Lin and I slide in next to an old man and his dog.

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