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I must be blushing hard because Nora smirks and raises an eyebrow.

“I’m hungry,” Jase says a little too defensively.

“Of course you are,” Andy says.

“Do you want anything?” I ask Nora.

“Nah,” she replies. Whenever there’s a snack bar within proximity, Nora will always buy at least one thing. Today is an exception. I’m pretty sure she’s doing this on purpose so I can be alone with Jase. Darn you, Nora. “Have fun!”

“We’re just buying food,” I grumble.

“And we should go before the line gets long,” Jase adds.

There’s a fluttering in my stomach. Can he tell I’m embarrassed and is helping me leave before the teasing gets worse?

Jase and I stroll towards the snack bar, and my arm brushes against his. We don’t do anything to move our arms away. The fluttering in my stomach grows stronger. I can feel Nora and Andy looking at us. Hannah is cheering on Michael as he cranes out a Pikachu doll. I don’t know about Karthik, but my guess is that he’s just watching Michael play. Karthik doesn’t seem like a starer or a teaser. I’d probably glare at Nora if Jase hadn’t started talking.

“Ugh, the line is so long!” he says when we reach it.

I count the people in front of us, then, after recounting for certainty, arch an eyebrow at him. “There are only three people.”

“Yeah, too long.”

“Someone’s impatient.”

Jase shrugs. “I never knew that side of you existed.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re competitive. You may have said you sucked, but that didn’t stop you from playing as hard as you did.”

“Are you saying this because I beat you at air hockey?”

Jase narrows his eyes to slits and laughs. “I just wasn’t expecting it. You’re shy, but at every game we played, you had this fire. I could tell you really wanted to win.”

I say, “My older sister. She’s so successful. I’ve done everything to prove that I’m smart, too. But somehow, everyone compares me to her, anyway. I feel like I have to compete for my identity.”

There’s a tenderness in Jase’s eyes, a look that says I’m sorry, and I feel this urge, this comfort, to continue.

“It’s always Aprilette this and Aprilette that. I just wish they’d, I don’t know, think I’m smart without bringing my sister into the picture. I work so hard to stand out as my own, only for everyone to say I’m just like her.”

“That sucks.”

“It does. And it also sucks that I feel like I have to follow her path. What she did got her to where she is now. So why not take a route that’s proven successful? That’s what my parents think, anyway.”

“I’m sorry.” Tenderness glistens in his eyes. “It’s the other way around for me. Since I’m the older one, my little bro has to watch after me. I want him to do better, but the only way I can is if I’m a good role model myself. He knows you’re tutoring me, so I hope he gets inspired.”

“Sounds like you’re setting a great example,” I say, grinning proudly as I add, “especially because I’m your tutor.”

Jase chuckles and nods to confirm that yes, he is becoming a good role model thanks to me.

We step forward in line. Our Converse, mine black and his blue, scrape across the checkered floor. There are a few people in line where the counter is, a Snacks sign hanging on the wall, the letters glowing in neon light. Boxed candy and bagged chips line across the shelves. At first, I consider the White Chocolate Cookies n’ Cream Hershey bar before reading through the menu on the TV screens beneath the Snacks sign. A couple passing by shares a cup of ice cream that looks so smooth and whipped I want some for myself.

“My mom was going to take me out of the Blossoms gigs if I didn’t get my act together with school. So I signed up for this SAT class,” Jase adds. “You’ve seen me finish the homework right before our class starts. That’s a step up from last year. Before, I wouldn’t turn anything in at all. Usually because I forgot or just gave up. I actually think this SAT class is whipping me into shape.”

“That’s good progress,” I say. “See? You’re already becoming a good role model for your little brother. The only people who sign up for an SAT class are the ones who want to do well.”

“About that...” Jase scratches the back of his head as we move forward. “I only signed up for the class because I thought they’d give me all the answers and I’d just have to memorize everything.”