As we study derivatives, I stretch my neck from side to side. Every Sunday, before our usual dumpling and spring roll feast at Golden Dragon, Mom and I go to a power yoga class. Yesterday’s was particularly strenuous, but at least it took my mind off the chorus I can’t nail and the infuriating boy with the stupid bracelet.
“No questions for me today?” he asks as I gather my things after class.
I eye him. “Nope. I know all I need to know about you.”
He inclines his head to the side as though he doesn’t quite believe me.
“I’m going to get my old phone fixed, so—”
“Angie, please stop with the phone. I don’t want it back.” He lines up his books before sticking them into his backpack.
But I don’t want it either. Instead of bringing it up again—I’ll just give it back to him, and that’ll be that—I shoot out of my chair and stride out of the classroom. I’m so concentrated on putting distance between Ten and myself that I smack into a hard chest. Hands come around my biceps to steady me.
I lift my eyes and meet bright-blue ones.
“Hey there, Conrad.” Jasper’s breaths hit my forehead in bursts, as though he’s been sprinting through the hallway to reach me.
“Hi.”
“I was coming to find you.” His jaw’s a little flushed, which reinforces my suspicion that he ran.
“Yeah?”
He lets me go, then rubs his neck. My bag slides down my arm, so I hoist it back up.
“Want to hang sometime this week?” He sends the words flying at me as fast as one of his footballs.
“Um.”
People shuffle past, knocking me into Jasper. I’m so close I can see his pupils pulse in anticipation.
“We could go to a movie or something,” he says.
“Um. Sure?” He breaks out into a grin that freezes when I add, “Let me ask Rae—”
“Rae?” His smile falls. “I meant you and me.”
Oh.Oh… “Like a date?”
He rubs his neck so hard I wonder if he has a crick in it. “Yeah.”
Whoa. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because Mel likes you,” I blurt out. “She’s my friend. I can’t do that to her.”
Jasper doesn’t question that Mel and I are friends, which strengthensmy resolve not to get involved with him. If he really liked me, he’d know who my friends are—is—and see right through my lie.
“Anyway, I need to get to class.” As I sidestep away from Jasper, I bump into another male body. I look up and find Ten staring down at me. “Sorry,” I mumble, before hurrying to my next class, alert so as not to knock into yet another person.
I want to tell Rae about Jasper asking me out, but she’s too busy discussing homecoming with the committee she’s invited to have lunch at our table.
After school, although I planned to go straight to Lynn’s house to ask her for input on my song, Rae coerces me into grabbing frozen yogurt. Since I can never say no to food or to Rae, I end up at the Dairy Fairy with an extra-large serving of rocky road.
“RaeRae!” Melody waves at us from the line of customers.
Rae gestures her over, which leads me to guess they made up. From the way Laney, who’s standing next to Mel, glares at the refrigerated display, I’m deducing she and Rae didn’t.
