Jasmine waves at me from my doorway. “Jackson?”
“Yeah?” I mark my place in the lighting design book Bowie got me for Friendsmas, which is what we call it when we give each other gifts in December for completely secular reasons.
“Can you help me for a second?” Jasmine fidgets with the hem of her blue Royals hoodie. I’m not sure why she even owns it; neither of us likes baseball. But she got it from Blake, her four-times-removed ex, and even though Blake was a total bust, she really liked the hoodie.
His breakup list is more wrinkled than most since she took a really long time to get over him. He still holds the record for longest relationship—three months, though once January rolls around, Liam will tie it.
BLAKE THE BRICK’S BREAKUP LIST:
RACIST HAIR?
TRIED TO PULL OFF WHITE GUY LOCS
SMELLED LIKE BURNT HAIR (NOT HIS OWN?)
NO NECK, HEAD SHAPED LIKE LEGO MINIFIGURE
REVERSE-HITLER MUSTACHE
WEIRD FACIAL HAIR
ONCE ASKED JASMINE IF SHE SHAVED HER ARMPITS
ENCOURAGED JASMINE TO SHAVE HER ARMPITS
MEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST
TOLD GROSS JOKES
I never told Jasmine half of the stuff he said to me when she wasn’t around, including a lengthy soliloquy on the merits of tongue piercingswhen it came to blow jobs.
As much as Jasmine mourned the breakup, I was grateful for it.
“Jackson?”
“Huh?”
“I said, can you help me pick what to wear tonight?”
I follow her to her room, where she’s got three different outfits laid on her bed.
“You know being gay doesn’t make me good at fashion, right?” I sweep my hands up and down my fadedInto the Woodsshirt from the last Broadway revival. I didn’t actually see it, but Mom found the shirt online for my last birthday.
“I know. But I need your help. Liam’s going to be there.”
I figured.
“Do the sweater and jeans, then.”
“You think?” Jasmine runs a hand over the red dress with the heart neckline that I ignored. “It’s not... I don’t know, plain?”
“It’s cute.”
Jasmine’s nostrils flare. “Cute is for first dates. This is a party. I’m trying to, you know. Move things forward.”
“Gross!”
“Aw, don’t be weird.”
