Page 85 of Summer Breakdown
“Ma.”
“I didn’t say anything!” She gives it a few seconds. Marcel isn’t great at being pushed, but he does tell her eventually.
Marcel sighs. “She’s called Tabitha, and she doesn’t know I exist.” Jasmine never had a crush at school. She was in a committed relationship before she truly knew what a crush was. Watching it play out on Marcel’s face is everything. She wants Frankie to spend the night so she can dissect it with her.
“How do you know her?” Jasmine asks as casually as she can.
“She’s in my art class.”
“Have you spoken?” Ezra asks. Marcel’s still bright red, but he’s getting so much better with talking in a group. Jasmine thinks he’s adorable.
“She followed me on Instagram, and she liked my story.”
“Tight,” Zach replies with a small smile. “Did you like hers?”
Marcel groans. “I liked all of her posts.” Her boys always been a romantic. Frankie laughs and Marcel rests his forehead on the table again. He’s picked up Frankie’s dramatics already. “I’m not cool.”
“You’re cool,” Ezra replies. “You have sick hair, and you have a skateboard. Man, girls and boys will be throwing themselves at you.”
“In an age-appropriate way,” Jasmine replies quickly. Marcel rolls his eyes but its fond. Jasmine has had all kind of talks about intimacy with Marcel. It makes her stomach churn to think he might even be thinking about holding someone’s hand.
“I liked all of Mal’s photos the day I followed her,” Zach says with a shrug. “She’s obsessed with me.”
“I am,” Mali replies with a smile. “Girls like nice guys, and guys that show they like them.”
Marcel looks up at her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah!” Mali replies. Everyone should listen to Mali about relationships. She’s so healthy about everything in her life. Jasmine wants to know what’s wrong tonight. “Invite her to a match or something.”
“Should I?” Marcel asks Jasmine and she shrugs.
“If you’d like too.” Then, her nonchalance disappears, and her smile is wide. “What does she look like?”
Marcel sighs, but it’s heartfelt. Like just thinking about her is enough to make him happy.
“Like summer in a person, I guess. With braids.”
Jasmine squeals. Lani mimics her. Maybe she’d want to come with them to get their nails done.
“She’s black?”
“Yeah.” Jasmine’s heart settles. She wonders what her life would be like if she’d had anyone at school that liked her for real. That liked what she looked like. That knew what it was like to look different to everyone else. It’s not something she thinks about often, because through the hardship and the pain – she got Marcel and Kehlani. She’d do everything a million times over to get them. But it was harder than anything she’d ever want her kids to do.
“I am being as cool about this information as I can be,” Jasmine replies.
“It’s not cool,” Ezra replies as Frankie says, “It’s not that cool, sweetheart.” Jasmine glares at them but it doesn’t last long.
“I don’t mind,” Marcel replies. “Mum’s the coolest person I know. Even if she’s not most of the time.”
Lani walks around the table again, holding onto the edge. She sits next to Mali on the bench. Shuffling closer every few seconds. Jasmine knows what she’s going to do because she asked if she could hug Mali earlier. It’s wild they haven’t hugged yet because Mali might be Lani’s favourite of the group. After Ezra. She doesn’t have a ranking list or anything, but Mali does come with colourful hair and an unmatched energy.
“Hi!” Mali says. Jasmine adores how excited people are to talk to her.
“Hi,” Lani replies looking up at her.
“You okay?”
“I’m sleepy.” Jasmine’s surprised she’s still awake. It’s only nine, but her eyelids have been drooping for forty-five minutes.
