“Yes,” you say aloud, in case she didn’t see your nod. You glance at Jina, who rolls her eyes and elbows Celeste again.
She sighs. “She thinks you’re cute.”
“Oh.”
It’s warm in your room with four people suddenly in it, but maybe that’s not the only reason your cheeks are heating up. Your ears feel full, like you’re on a plane about to land. You swallow.
On the one hand, you’re glad someone thinks you’re cute. Maybe she’s noticed all your gains. Or maybe she likes your longer hair and the way it curls. Maybe you should keep it this length, even though it’s annoying to have it always falling into your eyes.
On the other hand, you’re pretty sure you don’t care if girls think you’re cute. You can’t tell anyone that, though.
Jina and her friends wait in silence. Are you supposed to say something else?
“Th-thank you?”
Jina mutters, “Told you so.”
What did she tell them? Your ears get hotter. What do they think about you?
Has Jina said anything to Maman and Baba?
“What?” you ask, though your throat has gone all sandy.
Jina throws up her hands. “I told you he was clueless.” She turns back to you. “She wants to ask you to the dance, Farshid.”
“Oh.”
Well, why didn’t she, then? Instead of going through messengers who can barely stop giggling long enough to ask the question.
“So…,” Audrey says.
“So?”
“So are you going to go?”
“I don’t know,” you say. “She hasn’t asked me yet.”
Jina snorts. “See? Oblivious. Come on. Tell Hope she’s on her own.”
Jina drags her friends out of your room, failing to close your door, so you rest your cello in its case and get up to close it.
Your hand shakes as you do, and this time it has nothing to do with exhaustion from your workout and everything to do with the surge of adrenaline racing through you.
A girl. Wants to ask you to the dance.
You could say yes. Everyone would see you together.
You wouldn’t have to worry about that word, the whispers, the questions. Everyone would know you’re straight.
Except you’re not, are you? When you think about the dance, you don’t think about Hope.
You think about Cooper.
So what should you do? Lie and go?
You don’t know.
And you can’t ask Jina what to do. You can’t ask anyone in your family, because Maman and Baba might found out, and you can’task Nour, because she already looks at you funny sometimes when you’re in RC and Cooper is around, and you even heard her muttering something about “a man crush.”
