Page 40 of The Trade

---

hey, so miller thinks ur hot

Jade

nice

West

what do u think?

Jade

I guess I'm pretty hot, ya

West

...

Jade

which one was he again?

West

green hat

Jade

yeah, he's cute

West

cool.

should I give him ur # then?

Jade

if u want

West

alright

Jade

goodnight theo

West

goodnight

12

JADE

Crushes,I’ve decided, are a curse. A painful, gut-twisting, heart-wrenching curse. They swoop in, make you feel all giddy and hopeful, and then smack you down with the brutal weight of rejection.

West clearly isn’t interested in me whatsoever. In fact, he’s so uninterested that he’s trying to pawn me off on his teammates, like some used car he’s tired of driving or a beat-up piece of furniture he’s left out on his front lawn.

---