Page 45 of Follow My Voice
Erick looks exactly like I imagined he would from hearing him on the radio. I can only hope he’s not as annoying as he sounds; I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he’s Kang’s friend.
“What’s up?” Kang asks.
Erick shamelessly looks me up and down. “Is this the famous K?” He crosses his arms.
“And you must be Erick.”
“Yeah, the one you kicked off Kang’s show because ‘Kang’sshowis perfect on its own.’?”
I feel like dying of embarrassment as he quotes my text message. “I was only telling the truth.”
“Ooh, she got you there, didn’t she? To be fair, she’s only spitting facts,” Kang says.
“For your information, my show is just as popular as Kang’s.”
“Oh, really? Then I guess your backpack must be full of gifts from listeners, too. Are you going to share?”
Erick narrows his eyes. “I don’t need snacks to prove my worth.”
Kang applauds. “Wow, Klara, I didn’t know you had this side to you.”
Erick sighs and sits down across from us. “I’m so over this; it’s so boring being stuck here. I tried to sneak out but that counselor lady says no one’s allowed to leave until the tornado warning is lifted.”
Erick picks up the other white chocolate bar and, instinctively, I reach out and grab it from him.
“Hey,” he objects.
“Sorry, that’s mine. It’s my favorite.”
“Mine, too.”
“I was here first,” I argue.
“And I picked it up first.”
“But I took it away from you, so… too bad.”
Kang laughs and Erick shoots him a murderous look. “Thanks for your support, bro. So quick to screw me over for a girl!”
Kang holds up his hands. “She took it from you fair and square.”
Erick gives us the middle finger and I laugh. He looks like a kid who just had a piece of candy taken away. Well, that’s literally what happened.
And so the afternoon flies by over candy, playful arguments with Erick, and witty banter with Kang. For the first time in a long time, I’m hanging out with people my own age and I don’t feel at all out of place. My eyes meet Kang’s as he laughs at something I’ve just said.
I feel… normal.
21Embrace Me
ERICK IS NOTas much of an idiot as he seems on the radio; maybe he’s just playing a part for his show. Not once has he made an even slightly sexist or inappropriate comment. It may be too early to be completely sure, but for now I’ll trust my instincts.
Kang, however, is the exact same guy I hear every other night on the radio: warm, calm, and confident in who he is and what he says. Every time I look at him, I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest and my stomach flutters in a way I’ve never felt.
All these feelings are new and exciting to me. Before the whole journey of my mother’s illness began, I hadn’t given boys much thought. Then, after my mom died almost two years ago, I got tapped in for the battle with cancer. Boys haven’t been a priority for me; I’ve been too focused on surviving.
So Kang is my first, for everything. The first guy I’ve had a crush on that I’ve started texting and talking to. I’m enjoying discovering so many sensations and reactions in my body. Now that I’ve met him, I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him, to touch him. This is unknown territory, but there’s a longing in me that wasn’t therebefore. I watch him jokingly punch Erick on the shoulder after he says something that annoys him. I stare at his lips, how they curve into that beautiful smile of his.
Will you be my first kiss, Kang?I blush and lower my head.Don’t flatter yourself, Klara.
