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Monday is the best, and I’m not being sarcastic. I haven’t seen Minji all weekend because my parents dragged me on their social rounds with them. I think Mom was afraid when I didn’t show back up to the game Friday night. She wanted to make sure I hadn’t done anything crazy with that Asian boy. Her words.
We did, however, text. I still haven’t turned Minji’s phone back on, and he assumed it got stolen. Since none of his personal things ended up online he got himself a prepaid phone and called it good. All weekend he kept sending me cute emojis and making sure I was still okay.
He also sent me a selfie of him lying in bed at the apartment he’s staying in. I haven’t stopped looking at it since Saturday night. Replace that picture you took with this one. He said. I’m not replacing anything, I’m just making it my new background.
My phone dings and I squeal as I see a new text from him. See you at school today?
How can something so simple make me do a little jig in my bedroom? If he saw this side of me, he’d be so embarrassed.
I might actually be on time today. I write back, giggling to myself.
Today’s outfit is a long flowing top, leggings, and heels—of course. All of the dye is officially off my skin and I’m looking killer. I hope Minji eats his heart out.
My leg bounces all the way to school. I can’t wait to see him. This weekend without him has been torture. When I pull into the parking lot, I spot him immediately.
Minji is leaning against the hood of his car, which I now notice is a classic Mustang. Girls from the school who’ve never looked at an Asian before are stopping and staring. He’s wearing something totally casual, even by Texas standards, which are low. Yet, that whole bad boy vibe is rolling off him. That’s when I notice just the barest hint of guyliner. It makes his already intense eyes smokin’.
I’m the one eating my heart out.
It takes an astronomical amount of willpower to not run his direction. I compose myself before getting out of the truck and strutting the best I can his direction. When he sees me he stands, shoving his hands in his jean pockets.
He’s looking so hard my way people are turning to see what he’s looking at. I try not to notice them and focus only on him.
“Were you waiting for me?” I ask when we’re in talking distance.
Heavens, that smirk. “Of course. I decided you need a bodyguard here at school.”
I laugh, batting my lashes. “Do I?”
He bites his lip and I find myself staring. How can he do this to me right here, so publicly. I don’t think my heart can take it. “At least until things are better between you and Abby?”
Yeah, I’d rather not remember Friday night, except for the part when Minji carried me to his car. Swoon.
He tilts his head in the direction of the school and I nod. He’s walking so close his arm keeps brushing mine. I hold tight to my books so I’m not tempted to grab his hand.
We’re friends. I keep telling myself. He’s leaving. In less than two months. He belongs in Korea, and I’ve been lying about knowing who he really is.
But man, do I wish it was more.
He walks me to my class, and this time the whispers that follow me are different. I understand what it must look like. Dylan dumped me a week ago, and now I’m cozy with the new kid. I guess it goes to show how wrong perceptions can be when people don’t know the whole story.
We get to the door of my first class, American History, and stop. I lean against the wall, still hugging my books to my chest. “So are you going to follow me in?” I ask, not hiding the flirt in my tone.
“No,” he says putting his hand above me. He’s in my personal bubble, but not overly-close. I wish he was closer, anyway. “I’m going to GED class until lunch.”
I press my lips together as I nod. “I’ll see you at lunch, then?”
He stands straight. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
I watch his backside as he disappears into the crowd, then try not to melt into the wall behind me. He is so freaking perfect, it’s my new life mission to figure out if he has any flaws.
Abby is already in class when I take my chair. She doesn’t look up or acknowledge me in any way. At least she has the decency to realize when to back down. I still want to make up with her. Whatever’s happened, she wouldn’t act like this if she wasn’t under extreme stress. I have to figure out what happened to push her to the edge like this. I’m just not sure where to begin.
***
Minji’s Taste
Likes:
Dislikes:
I set down my pen and lay my head on the desk. All week I’ve been asking Minji questions, trying to figure out if he has any flaws. The answer is no.
There’s no cheer practice today so Minji asked if we could hang out. I told him he could have the whole Saturday. I’m still pinching myself daily to make sure this is real.
Friendship is something I’ve had in the past, but never appreciated. It’s fun to hang out with Minji. Even in our quiet moments I enjoy being around him. It’s more than simple attraction, I crave his company. Whenever he’s around, I find myself drifting his way like he’s the center of gravity.
I opt for sneakers and jeans today, because I have no idea what we’re doing, and I want to be prepared.
Mom likes Minji. I’m not sure if it’s an act or what, buy he’s been here a couple times and Mom has never kicked him out or told me she doesn’t approve. I’m glad I shared my secret with her, even though we fought. I think she understands more than I give her credit for.
“Have a good time!” she calls to us as we leave.
“You look good,” he says when the door is shut behind us.
My hair is in a ratty bun and my jeans have holes in them. “You sure about that?”
“Yes,” he says. “You should be casual more often.”
I frown. “So you don’t like it when I dress up?”
“I never said that. I like you both ways.”
I’m not sure how to take that. I usually think I look like crap if I’m not on my best game, but I guess if he thinks I look good today, too, I’ll accept it.
Minji’s more comfortable with driving, and he’s told me traffic doesn’t bother him, so I let him be the chauffeur for the day.
“What should we do?” I ask once I’m in the car and buckled.
He sifts to reverse, looking over his shoulder as he goes. “I already have a plan.”
“So...I’m just supposed to trust you,” I say.
He smiles. “Yep.”
He’s not even sorry. Somehow I’m still okay with it.
“Come on,” I pout. “Don’t I get a hint?”
He thinks on it. “Um...Yes.”
I wait for him to say more but he doesn’t. “And the hint is...?”
He chuckles to himself. “It’s something I don’t like doing.”
What? That makes no sense. “Why would we do something you don’t like?”
He sighs. “You’ve been asking me all week if I’m afraid of anything, so I thought I’d give you an answer today.”
Seriously? Now I’m a little worried. “Am I going to be scared, too?”
“Maybe,” he says, “But I hope not, because I need one of us to be strong, and it’s not going to be me.”
I don’t mean to laugh at his pain, but seeing him shake in his boots at the prospect of doing this thing is pretty cute.
“It’s not dangerous is it?”
His eyes go wide. “I really hope not.”
I’m expecting us to go somewhere mind-bending downtown, but we drive right through the heart of Houston without taking a single exit.
“How far south are we going?” I ask when we get to Pasadena.
“Will you relax?” he says. “You told me you had all day, so we’re taking advantage of it.”
Honestly, I’ve never been this far south before. I mean, I live in the Houston area, but the area is huge. Most everything I want to do is close to home, so there’s no need for me to travel this far. We’ve already been in the car for an hour, and Minji doesn’t look like he’s going to stop anytime soon.
I decide to take his advice and find a different way to pass the time. “Should we play a game?” I offer.
“Oh no,” he says, “Not Twenty Questions again.”
I start to laugh. “What’s wrong with Twenty Questions?”
“You’re going to ask me a bunch of questions about where we’re going, and I’m going to give in and divulge everything. I’m not doing that.”
I stick my bottom lip out. “Fine.”
“But I do know something we can do,” he says, a half smile on his face.
I don’t like his tone of voice, it’s too mischievous. “What’s that?”
“We can play Truth.”
“Truth?”
“Yeah, it’s Truth or Dare, but without the dare part.”
I put my hands on my knees and try to stretch out my legs. He’s overly eager, and that worries me. If we’re being honest, then I might let my secret slip. Then again, if I say no, he’ll suspect me even more.
“Okay,” I agree, “But only if I get to ask you a question first.”
“Shoot,” he says.
“Have you ever had a girlfriend before?”
The question comes out almost before he’s done talking. It’s the one thing I know he would never report in Korea, and it’s been eating at me for days. I wasn’t going to ask him out of the blue, but he’s the one who opened that flood gate.
He cringes. “I should have seen that coming. Yes, but I was only fourteen and we we’re both awkward trainees.” He shutters.
Crap, he’s just revealed part of his K-pop life. So there was a girl at his company that he dated while working to become a star. I want to ask who it is and if she’s debuted in a girl group, but that would give me away, so I go for the good ‘ole American answer.
“Trainees?”
His knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel. “Yes,” he says slowly. “When I was younger I was training for a career. Which is why I’m in GED class now.”
Smooth, but not smooth enough. The next question comes naturally. Bonus: it’s my way out. If he answers this I can pretend to look him up and discover K-pop all on my own.
“What career?” I ask, feeling pretty proud of myself.
He shakes his head. “No way. You can’t ask that yet.”
I turn to him. “Why not?”
“Because,” he says, “We’re playing a game. The only way you can ask me more than one question is if I don’t answer. Right now it’s my turn to ask you something.”
Crap, he’s right. If I wasn’t so dang competitive I would tell him to forget the game so we can talk, but he knows how much I like to win fair and square.
“Alright,” I concede. “Ask away.”
He smiles, straightening his back like he’s proud of himself. Stinker.
“How long were you and Dylan dating?”
Do we have to come back to that? Then again, I suppose it’s only fair since I asked him the girlfriend question. “You want the truth?” I say.
He nods, watching the road as he waits.
“Truth is,” I say. “My relationship with Dylan wasn’t real, but only the two of us knew that. We both needed a way to keep people from asking us out all the time, and it was a good solution. I never, ever, thought of Dylan as anything more than a friend. Apparently, it was different for him. But he wasn’t lying when he said I never really liked anyone before. Not until now anyway.”
I can’t believe I added that last part on, but it was the honest truth. It occurs to me that I’m telling a lot more than he told me, but that’s okay. I wanted to tell him, get it off my chest, that sort of thing.
“And who do you like now?” he asks.
My face warms and I look away so he can’t see the blush he brought on. “It’s my turn to ask you a question. You said it was the rules.”
It’s just an excuse. He knows I’m talking about him. He has to know. This was my way of trying to figure out if he likes me too.
“Corrine,” he says, turning the mood somber. “Before you ask me anything, I need you to understand something.”
I really don’t like this tone of voice. He said understand the way my dad does when he’s trying to teach me a life lesson.
“What’s that?” I ask, still afraid to look at him.
He sighs, and I wait a few moments for him to say something, but he doesn’t. I turn to him and see his brows pinched, lips pursed, and jaw ridged.
“You can’t...” he starts, taking in a deep breath. “I can’t...” he falters.
“Honestly, Corrine,” he says, making my heart twist in my chest. “This is the hardest...” He stops himself again and clicks his jaw shut, nostrils flaring.
“I’m leaving in a month and half,” he says outright. “I can’t get involved with anyone right now.”
If it were possible to hear a heartbeat outside a body, Minji would know just how loud and deep mine is at the moment. It feels like it’s throbbing so hard it’s going to quit any second.
“I know that,” I say, and I do. Did. Doesn’t make it hurt any less. I was really hoping since we’ve been spending so much time together that he’d changed his mind, but I guess he hasn’t.
“If I had any other choice—” he starts.
“Save it,” I say. I don’t want him to be like this to me. We were having such a good time until I stepped in and ruined it.
“Please don’t be mad,” he says, reaching over and patting my head. “I really enjoy hanging out with you.”
His hand brushes down my hair, again and again, petting me like I’m a dog.
“Please?” he asks.
There’s nothing he needs to beg about. It was my own self-perceptions that got us here, but I still don’t feel like perking up, yet.
“How about a deal?” he says. “We stay friends for today and put this whole thing behind us, and before I leave, I’ll take you to the Winter Ball.”
Now that can make me change my attitude. “Seriously?” I say, sitting forward in my chair.
A whole night of dancing with the best dancer I know? Yes please.
“Seriously,” he answers, “Besides, I’m dying to see you all dressed up.”
How can I say no to that? “You have a deal!”
My smile can’t be contained, and I look out the window so he can’t see how goofy I am. Once I’m not so focused on him, I notice we’re about to go over a huge bridge.
“Are we going to Galveston?” I ask.
“Yep,” he answers, “And we’re almost there.”
