Page 7 of The Other Side of Together

Not sure what just went down. Not sure why Face Eater took off when the cops pulled up. Still wondering if I’m the guy he saw watching her. I definitely was, but why does he care? And how did we have a full-on, silent conversation with our eyes? I have no ideawhy I feel like I should apologize to her if he’s not going to. Maybe that grimace on her face meant she liked whatever he was doing to her. I mean, I’d never wanna see that look on a girl’s face, but what would I know?

When a lamp turns on in a second-story window above the restaurant, my eyes are all over it and the outline of a girl yanking her curtains closed, a mini-Buddha statue perched on the windowsill. It’s the same window by the same fire escapewhere Mei Li and her friend were the night we met, and when a ponytail shadow sways behind the curtains, it’s confirmed: definitely her. Buddha has exceptional taste in women. That fat, happy statue knows everything that’s going on between her and Face Eater. And everything else in her life.

I keep my eyes on the window and diagram a mental pie chart: WHY I’M STANDING IN THE ALLEY STARING AT MEI LI’S WINDOW EVEN THOUGH I’M PRETTY SURE SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND:

47 percent adrenaline mixed with anger toward Face Eater; 43 percent eye convo; 11 percent something I haven’t felt since I saw Jake’s older sister in her bra a couple months ago. On accident—only on accident. Not like she left her door open on purpose, knowing I’d walk by.

I wanna talk to Mei Li again. Then again, why work to get to know her if she has a boyfriend? Even though I really wanna ask her what a girl like her is doing with a guy like Face Eater. Don’t know him, but have a pretty decent read on his MO from watching him in action. I don’t know her after passing a few notes, either, but like the smart, funny stuff she’s said in them. What I’ve seen of her, I like. A lot. If I stare at this window much longer, and it’s really hers, I might see more than I’m prepared for, though.

“Marcus Miller! I see you, boy!” Guo’s thick accent calls from her shop door and I snap my head toward it like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t, but grateful for a distraction, though a wrinkled old woman probably won’t be enough.

“Guo!” I throw my bags over my shoulder and walk toward her, arms open. “Hello, beautiful.” I bend and pull her into a hug. She pats my back and when we pull apart, she reaches up and jabs her pointer finger in my face.

“Why didn’t you stop Ugly Chao from bothering Mei Li?”

I squint. “Ugly Chao?”

“Why didn’t you punch him?” She points toward the door down the alley and motions for me to lean closer. “He’s a bad man.” She shakes her head. “Mei Li needs a nice boy. Like you. No matter what Mr. Ray says about girls or what Baba Zhang wants.” She flutters her eyes at me and I laugh, putting my arm around her and steering her toward her shop.

“Ah, Guo, you flatter me.”

“I’m serious.” She ducks from under my arm and steps in front of me. “She needs a nice boy. Like you.” She reaches up and pats my face then pushes her palms against my chest. “I see you stare at her like this.” Her mouth falls open, and she clasps her hands, swooning. But really, mocking. She grabs my arm and points. “Go back now. Give Mei Li a happy face.”

“Sorry. She’s inside—I have no way to talk to her. Plus, Dad wants me home for safety reasons.” I jerk my head toward the growing collection of cop cars. “You know—young, innocent boy, neighbor ladies bothering me in dark alleys.”

She slaps my arm and shakes a finger at me. “You have big muscles. You’ll be fine.”

I lay my hand on her shoulder. “I got a friend coming over. And Mei Li has a boyfriend, so I—”

“No. No. No.” Guo shakes her head and stomps her foot, waving the idea away. “Not her boyfriend. And we want to keep it that way. Is your friend more beautiful than Mei Li?” She throws her head back and laughs. “Not possible, Marcus Miller.”

I smile and shake my head. “Uh…definitely not. It’s Johnny.”

“Oh! Johnny will understand, then! He loves all the girls. You need girl and I’m a Love Hunter. Mei Li is the one for you, Marcus Miller.” She nods, confident in her theory. “She’s the one.” She pokes my chest and I smile down at her.

“Pretty sure after watching that whole scene she’s intoChinese guys, not white guys twice her size. And he’s pretty into her. Don’t think I can compete with his possessiveness. But you keep hunting for love for me and let me know what you find after I graduate college.”

“You teasing me?” She squints up at me. “I’ll tell your fortune without a cookie.” She steps closer and grabs my arm. “You and Mei Li will be together someday. You will see. Guo Mama knows. Guo Mama definitely knows.”

CHAPTER 5

My phone rings for the fourth time from where I threw it in the pile of pillows on my bed but I’m mid-teeth brushing and can’t answer. Or maybe I just don’t want to. It’s Nick again, no doubt. He’s not used to being ignored, but I don’t want to hear his excuses. His drinking has become a bigger problem than he realizes. And the way he ran away when police cars pulled up across the street…?

Whatever happened with him tonight scratches through my mind. He’d obviously been drinking before he ever came to the restaurant. It was practically seeping out of his pores, and I hate the bitter taste it left. Hate how possessive he was. I hate the way he kissed me like he was punishing me. That I kissed him back, even if it was to distract him from Marcus. But mostly, I hate that Marcus saw the whole thing.

Hot, coiling embarrassment and heavy shame fill my room until it’s so tight around me, it squeezes me out the window and onto my fire escape. I take a deep, shaky breath, the crisp air sharp against my lungs as I grip the railing. But when I look down on the street, I hold the breath I just hauledinto my lungs because Marcus is still outside with Guo Mama.

I step backward, my palm sliding along the windowsill as I duck to crawl back inside, but I bump Buddha and he clatters to the metal landing.

Bending to pick him up, I stare at the black spot on his belly where I’ve rubbed off the gold paint with my wishing, but my eyes are pulled toward Marcus and my heart leaps up my throat like it’s the one who’s been caught peeking. Marcus stares up at me and Guo Mama cackles before shuffling into her shop.

He holds the straps of his backpack while he walks toward my fire escape two stories below, then smiles and waves once as his eyes say,“Hey.”

I straighten, bite my lip, and trap Buddha in my balled fist. “Hi.”

He squints, holding my gaze. “You okay?”

I nod and shrug.“Fine.”

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