CHAPTER TEN

NOW

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

I hadn’t expected to see the Hmong Community Center decorated for Halloween. It’s such a Western holiday, I never thought a place that works so hard to maintain our culture’s traditions and values would embrace it. But Mee had told me that every so often, they let a little America in. “When in Rome ... ” Mee had said.

Dad was working late, so I snuck out and showed up at 7:00 for the Halloween party, dressed as a mummy. The place was packed. Monsters of every kind rocked out on the dance floor. I scanned the room, looking for Mee. All I knew was she had dressed as an astronaut.

I spotted Grandmother first, over by the punch bowl, chatting with the partygoers and handing out treats. Suddenly, it didn’t matter that I’d been suspended. It didn’t matter that the people I thought were my friends hadn’t wanted anything to do with me. I still had my family.

I walked over to the punch bowl and tapped Grandmother on the shoulder. “Trick or treat, niam pog,” I said.

Grandmother laughed and squinted at me. I unwrapped enough of the toilet paper I was using as bandages so she could see my face.

As soon as she realized who I was, she frowned. Teeth clenched, she started talking furiously at me, shaking her finger with every syllable. At first, I thought she believed I was someone else, so I quickly took off all the TP around my head. That only made her angrier.

“I don’t understand,” I tried to tell her. Her voice got louder, and people started to look our way.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find Mee. She was wearing a motorcycle helmet as part of her “space suit.” She lifted the visor, and I could see she also was not happy. She said something to Grandmother, who immediately shut up but kept on fuming. Then Mee took me by the hand and led me away.

We stepped just outside the center. The sidewalk grew quiet as the music inside faded away.

“Does Grandmother not like mummies?” I asked. Maybe my costume was seen as disrespectful toward the dead.

Mee, who was usually all smiles, frowned. “What were you thinking, Jenny?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know about The Confessional.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ugh, not you too. I already told you: I didn’t sleep with Mr. Ashbury. The rumor you heard was wrong. You’ve got to believe me.”

“It doesn’t matter if I believe you. What matters is that you said it.”

“It was a lie. I made it up. I promise.”

“But you still said it. In Grandmother’s eyes, it’s just as bad as if you’d done what you said you did. You’ve brought shame to our family.”

“Look,” I said, “I’ll go on the site and erase the comment. It’ll be like it never happened.”

Mee shook her head. “It did happen. You just don’t get it, Jenny. Grandmother cried for two hours when she heard about what you said. She knows there’s no way anyone can arrange a marriage for you now.”

“Arranged marriage?” I asked. “You’re joking, right? It’s the twenty-first century. People don’t still do that.”

Mee looked like I’d slapped her across the face. “It’s rare, but those who stick to our traditions still arrange marriages, yes. We believe in family. I thought you did too. I thought that was why you were reconnecting with us.”

“You thought I wanted someone else to pick a husband for me?”

“Family sticks together,” she said, ignoring my question. “Everything we do affects the honor of the family. You brought us shame. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t sleep with your teacher. You said you did. That’s what matters.”

I didn’t want an arranged marriage. I didn’t know that I even wanted to stick with traditions. All I knew was that I wanted my family. They shouldn’t have just given up on me like my so-called friends.

“Mee,” I said, trying to sound calm, “please let me speak with Grandmother. I’ll give her a week to cool off. Then I can come over and we can talk about this. I’ll apologize. I’ll do whatever she wants to make up for it.”

For just a second, Mee appeared to be thinking about it. Like she felt sorry for me and would talk to Grandmother on my behalf. But that second passed, and her face clouded over.

“You should go home, Jenny,” she said.

And she left me there on the steps of the center.

•••

Dad didn’t say a word when I came home. He should have reminded me I was grounded and extended my sentence. But maybe he could tell I’d been crying. So, instead of laying into me, he said, “We should talk about what comes next.”

I threw off the rest of my toilet-paper costume. So he had been planning. I just didn’t know if it would do any good. My own blood wouldn’t stand by me.

“I don’t know if I’m in the mood,” I said, and started for my bedroom.

“I’ve been asking around,” Dad said in a tone that told me I wasn’t going to be able to dodge him. So I stood in the hall just outside the living room. “We’ve got a couple options. First, you could transfer schools. I know that’s not ideal, but it means you could continue the year with little interruption. It might be tricky getting another school to admit you, but we can try. Maybe we can get you into Mee’s school, Madison North.”

I shook my head. “That’s really not a good idea.”

Dad was good at reading me. Maybe too good. I didn’t have to tell him that something had gone down with Mee. He could just tell.

“All right,” he said, not pressing. “Let’s talk option two. You make your case to the school board. The meeting to discuss you was an emergency meeting. Their next regular meeting is in a couple days.”

I thought about standing up in front of a bunch of people like the stern-looking guy in the gray suit from Boyle’s office. It definitely wasn’t my favorite plan. But if there were only two options, I figured it was the one to go with.

“So how will that work?” I said.

“We get you on the agenda, and you can appeal their decision.”

I’d never been much of a public speaker and I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of speaking to a room full of Gray Suits. “Can’t we get a lawyer or something?”

“A lawyer would make this easier, yes. But we can’t afford one.”

“Can’t you appeal the decision?” I asked. “They’re more likely to listen to you. You sounded good going up against Boyle.”

Dad took my hand. “I’ll be right by your side. But this is something you need to do.”

I hated the idea. Hated it. But I knew he was right.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s do it.”