Pippa park crush at firs.., p.3
Pippa Park Crush at First Sight, page 3
Or is it more of a given?
And if I do ask him, do I do it over text?
HELP.
Do you want it to be a formal thing? I quickly texted back. Let’s talk about it at lunch tomorrow.
Without waiting for a response, I stuck my phone back in my pocket. I felt a little bad about my answer, but I knew that the rest of the Royals would be able to help Helen with dating advice a lot more than I could. Besides, she had reminded me of something….
I waited until Mina finished sealing her envelopes before clearing my throat. She glanced over at me. I tried to keep my expression completely innocent, but whatever Mina saw in my eyes made her lips purse in suspicion.
“Speaking of the happiest time of the year,” I started out, trying to flood Mina’s subconscious with positive images. Her lips thinned even more. I had better just get on with it. “It’s been a while since we went shopping. I was thinking that maybe it’d be nice to have a new dress for the holidays.” I said “holidays” instead of “Royals’ party” because I figured it would sound better to Mina, but she didn’t look convinced. She didn’t meet my eyes as she slipped her cards into a thick black folder.
“Let’s talk about this later,” she said.
Great. There was that “later” thing again.
“It doesn’t have to be expensive,” I pressed. “Just something nice. For when special occasions pop up. You always say to dress how I want to be perceived. Besides, it could be my Christmas present.”
Mina rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Please, Pippa.” She sighed. “Can’t you see that we’re struggling right now? We can’t afford presents this year, and you don’t need new clothes!” Her voice started to rise.
“Well, fine. You don’t need to snap.” I crossed my arms.
“Come on, girls. Everyone’s tired right now,” Jung-Hwa soothed. He crossed over to the table and placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of each of us. I started salivating immediately—my taste buds didn’t know when I was upset. “But there’s nothing that kkori gomtang won’t solve.”
Jung-Hwa said that about a lot of foods, but in the case of oxtail soup, I thought that he might be right. It was hard to describe the taste, except that it was like the richest, beefiest thing you could imagine. The oxtail was so tender it dissolved as soon as it touched your tongue, and the saltiness of the soup was perfection combined with the spicy sourness of the kimchi and the comfort of the rice. As soon as I had my first bite, my worries melted. For a moment, it was like Mrs. Lee had never told my fortune. I had never been irritated at Mina, and the laundromat was doing great. I’d even find another way to get a new dress.
“I’m sure this oxtail wasn’t cheap,” Mina said. But as soon as she tasted the soup, she, too, went silent. By the time we reached for seconds, we were both smiling.
* * *
“I might whip up some gingerbread cookies this weekend,” Jung-Hwa told us after we had all eaten so much soup that our stomachs radiated heat.
“If they come out as hard and burnt as last year, we can use them to make a gingerbread house instead,” I teased. Jung-Hwa was a great cook, but not a very good baker. He usually left the sweet treats up to Omma….
Omma. My mood sank a little.
“Even better,” he said, unphased. “We can enter it into the church’s gingerbread house competition.”
“Oh! That reminds me,” Mina said. She turned to me, and the look in her eyes mirrored my own a few minutes ago, when I had been preparing to ask her about the dress. I put down my spoon, suspicious now, too. “Pastor Oh called—about the Christmas Pageant.”
“Interesting,” I said.
I looked at Mina, waiting for her to explain what this had to do with me. But she was silent. Too silent. Oh, no.
I shook my head. “No way.”
“Come on, Pippa.”
“I’m way too old to be in the pageant!”
“He’s not looking for any extra sheep. The pageant has grown so large he’s having trouble managing all the children on his own. He needs a couple of older kids to help out.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
Pastor Oh was in charge of the Korean Baptist Church on the border between Victoria and the next town. I had attended junior youth group there a long time ago, back when Mina had forced us to go multiple times a week. But over the years, her dedication had ebbed. Nowadays, we mostly just went on special occasions, except when Omma was here. Then we went every week. It felt like forever since the last time I had participated in the pageant, but I could still remember the countless hours I had spent sweating in various animal costumes (which were washed about once every decade and smelled like it). Not an experience I cared to repeat.
“But I haven’t done the pageant in years,” I whined. “I don’t remember any of the cues. I wouldn’t be very helpful.”
“Ah, the pageant. I miss those days.” Jung-Hwa sighed. He dug out his phone and scrolled through photos until he brought up a slew of ancient pictures. “Look at you.”
Jung-Hwa swiped though a series of photos of eight-year-old me. In some I was laughing, in some I was pouting, and in all of them I was dressed as a woolly white sheep. Well, I was supposed to be a white sheep. In reality, the costume had taken on a dusty, dingy gray hue.
“You were so tiny back then,” Mina said. Her voice softened slightly, and although most strangers wouldn’t have recognized the change, it was the closest to a coo I had heard from her. “This was back before your growth spurt.”
“You might not have had the lead, but you stole the show. I couldn’t film anyone but you the entire time,” Jung-Hwa said, proudly. “Which, incidentally, is why I wasn’t allowed to volunteer to film again the next year.”
I tried to maintain my resolve—NO pageant—but even I had to admit: Little me was pretty cute. Even if I had been going through a chunky bangs phase.
“It’s for a good cause, Pippa,” Mina said. I had to give her credit: She saw her opening, and she pounced. “Everyone in the community comes to the pageant. Besides”—Mina met my gaze—“Pastor Oh’s influence and opinion is very valuable at the church. I ran into him at the post office the other day, and he told me that if you’re willing to help him out, he’ll let the Lucky Laundromat act as an official sponsor for the pageant. He’ll even include a free advertisement in the program. It could help things here.”
With that, I knew that Mina wasn’t really asking me to be part of the pageant. Because if she were asking, then I would have the option to say no. But how could I when she was guilt-tripping me with the laundromat?
“Fine,” I grumbled.
“Good,” Mina said. It was a little short of, “Thank you, Pippa, my gorgeous, gracious, self-sacrificing little sister. What would we do without you?” but for Mina it was a lot. “The first practice is tomorrow night.”
“So soon?” I groaned. “You couldn’t mention that first? I’m supposed to hang out with Helen!” I hadn’t spent one-on-one time with her in over a week, and now that would be even harder. Not to mention, I still had basketball practice, and it was almost the end of my first semester at Lakeview—I had to focus on my grades now more than ever. Mina should have understood that—after all, she was the one always saying it. She shouldn’t force the pageant on me.
I debated refusing to go, but when I looked at Jung-Hwa, his eyes were fixed so pleadingly on me that my stomach churned. Mina and Jung-Hwa were always there for me. I had to be there for them….
But that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.
“Fine,” I mumbled.
I pushed away my soup bowl—even if it was more of a symbolic gesture at this point, seeing as I’d already eaten half the pot. I maintained a steady frown as I washed it, trying to look on the bright side. I didn’t want to be part of this pageant, but we needed more business at the laundromat. And maybe Mina would take it easier on me now that I was doing her a massive favor. I perked up a bit. In fact, maybe she would be so appreciative she would help me out with a little something as well. Somewhere out there, my perfect dress was waiting for me. A dress that would steal hearts. A dress that would make Caroline jealous of how stunningly mature I looked. A dress that would fix everything. And it had already started working its magic—as I dreamed about how gorgeous I’d look in it, the pageant and the Tower card totally drifted from my thoughts.
4 BOYS
24 Days Until Christmas
“Heads up, everybody.” Mrs. Rogers, my algebra teacher, rapped her dry-erase marker on the whiteboard. “The last test of the semester is next Tuesday, so I suggest you pay attention.”
Next Tuesday? As in exactly one week from now? “Oh, no,” I groaned. I stared at the equations on the board. The numbers made about as much sense to me as Morse code.
I’m doomed, I thought. I’ll never pass this test.
Wait. Don’t panic. I took a deep breath. I’ll text Eliot and see if he’s available for a couple of tutoring sessions. If he can help me, I just might do okay.
The tension in my shoulders eased, and it also occurred to me that this test meant I’d definitely get to see Eliot at least one more time before the break.
I had to smile. On what planet would I ever think a math test was a good thing? Planet Eliot, of course.
I wondered if he would be coming to the Royals’ party. Surely Bianca would invite him. Would she invite him as her date? He doesn’t date seventh graders, remember? I reminded myself. Unless that whole seventh-grader thing had just been an excuse….
Suddenly, my throat felt a little full. Did we have to bring dates to the party? Helen had already mentioned inviting Buddy. But that didn’t mean he was going to be her date date, right? Right, I decided. She would definitely have said if it was a date date.
Stop worrying, I told myself. Having a date can’t be required.
I packed up my things and headed to my locker. I quickly checked the hallway to make sure none of the teachers were around. Then I took out my phone and texted Eliot.
Unexpected test alert. Algebra exam next week. Any way we can work in another session before break?
Say yes, say yes, say yes. He had to say yes. And while we were studying, I thought, I’d do some sleuthing, and see if he was coming to the party. Date or not, he’d still see me with the Royals in my dream dress.
Before I could put my phone away, it buzzed. Eliot responded almost immediately. It made me smile to think of the two of us walking through the hallways at this very moment, both breaking Lakeview’s no-texting rules.
How about Thursday afternoon? Do you mind meeting in the library?
In the library? Lakeview’s library?
I didn’t mind at all hanging out with Eliot at school. It would make me feel less like a tutoring obligation and more like a legitimate friend. And if some of the girls in my grade happened to spot us—even better! Plus, even though Eliot lived in the biggest house in town, it wasn’t the best space for personal conversations. Eliot’s mother had died when he was little, leaving behind a grouchy father (who also happened to be our headmaster here at Lakeview) and a beyond-creepy great-aunt who liked to snoop. Studying in the library would be much mellower.
By the time I reached my locker, Helen was already waiting for me.
“What has you all glowy?” she teased.
“Oh, nothing.”
“Come on,” she said.
But I didn’t want to tell her that the reason I was smiling was because right now, Eliot wasn’t in some other part of the school—he was here, inside my head, both of us at the Royals’ Christmas party. He was wearing a tux, and I was wearing a strapless dress made entirely of diamonds… which, yes, were quite hard and pointy, but looked amazing. “I know I said I don’t date seventh graders,” Eliot was saying, smiling shyly. “But I could make an exception for you.” Of course, it was at that exact moment that we noticed we were standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe….
“Really, it’s nothing,” I told Helen. “I’m just thinking that this Christmas has potential. That’s all.”
* * *
There was no practice today—and no school tomorrow!—on account of some training thing that all the teachers in Victoria had to attend, so during lunch Helen suggested the group head to Duo’s after school to talk details about our upcoming party. Since pageant practice didn’t start until six thirty, I could swing by. We decided to meet up in the parking lot after school.
During my last class, one of the girls asked a million questions about the homework, so by the time I made it to the parking lot, almost all the Royals had already piled into Starsie’s car. I got there just in time to see lanky Win squeeze herself into the back of the sleek red Volvo, looking like some kind of contortionist. Only Caroline remained outside, hovering next to her mom’s black Range Rover.
“See you two there!” Starsie called out from the passenger window. She waved her fingers at us as the Volvo slowly rolled away.
I looked over at Caroline, who looked over at me. Half of me expected her to just leave me in the parking lot, but after an uncomfortable beat, she shrugged.
“I guess you’re riding with me, Pippa.”
I followed Caroline into the back of her mom’s car, debating if it would be better to just walk to Duo’s. Sure, by the time I actually got there I probably wouldn’t be able to feel my fingers or toes anymore… but I also wouldn’t have to sit in strained silence with Caroline for an entire car ride. Still, if Caroline felt uncomfortable, she didn’t show it, so I guess I could deal with it, too.
“Hey, Mom,” she said, tossing her backpack on the floor. “We’re going to Duo’s.”
Caroline’s voice was smooth and casually commanding, like she was speaking to a chauffeur. I couldn’t imagine how Mina would react if I ordered her around in that tone, but Mrs. Bingham just flashed us a thumbs-up and continued to talk spin classes with whoever was on the other end of her Bluetooth earpiece.
I was expecting Caroline to give me the cold shoulder, but as soon as we hit the road, she started prattling on about the Christmas party. Possible guests, decorations, food. She talked so fast that even if I had had something to add to the conversation, there was no opportunity to jump in. We were halfway to Duo’s before she took a breath.
“Aren’t you excited, Pippa?” Caroline demanded. “You’ve never been to a Royals’ party before. I’m sure the ones you went to at Victoria Middle were quite a bit… well… different.”
In other words: bad.
Again, before I had time to respond, Caroline swept on: “Ugh. There’s just so many decisions to make. Like what to wear. I bought a couple of new dresses last week, but neither of them are special enough for the party. See?”
Caroline shoved her phone in front of my face and scrolled back and forth between pictures of two different dresses. One was a rose-gold halter dress embellished around the waist with a line of smooth pearls, and the other was an off-the-shoulder, seafoam-blue dress with a dramatic slit on the left side. Both of the dresses were drop-dead gorgeous, and each looked five times as expensive as my entire wardrobe combined.
“I’ll probably go shopping again tomorrow. That boutique downtown, Impressions, has some cute stuff.”
Caroline continued to talk about how hard it was to find the perfect outfit, and how exhausting it was to go dress shopping all day. I “mmmed” and “oohed” absentmindedly but didn’t really pay attention until Caroline said, “Have you thought about who you’re going to bring?”
I stopped staring out the window.
“Excuse me?”
“As your plus-one. Duh. Every Royal gets one, and Helen’s for sure bringing Buddy.” Caroline paused, like she was giving me time for that to sink in. “Not that I know what she sees in him. But whatever. Who are you going to bring?”
“Hmmmm,” I said, drawing out the word to buy time. Besides Eliot and Buddy, what boys did I actually know? None sounded about right.
I wondered again if Bianca would ask Eliot. Even though I had told all the Royals about the “doesn’t date seventh graders” thing, that didn’t stop her from hanging around his locker before school, fluffing her hair, and giggling.
Caroline was still waiting for an answer, and not wanting to look like a total dork, I shrugged. “I’m still deciding. But I’m not worried.”
“Bold,” Caroline said. She ran a hand through her long, glossy red hair and sighed. “But relatable. I don’t know who I’m going to bring, either.” She paused. “Mark and Ryan are both on the boys’ basketball team, but they’re just seventh graders. Oliver is in eighth grade, so he might be okay. Plus, earlier today, Starsie said Josiah had a question for me, and I’m pretty sure I know what he’s going to ask.”
“Maybe you should just do it Bachelorette style and have them compete for you.”
I was being sarcastic, but Caroline didn’t seem to notice. “Hmm. That’s actually not a terrible idea, Pippa. Wow.”
Caroline listed out pros and cons for each of her suitors, and as she did, I couldn’t help but slip into a small fantasy.
I was at a ritzy department store with dressing rooms bigger than my bedroom, trying on a dozen glamorous outfits, each with silky fabric that melted through my fingers. Outside, Eliot waited, ready to help his date choose between dresses. Each time I emerged in a new one, he would leap out of his chair, stunned at how beautiful I looked. And he wouldn’t be shy about telling me either.
I sighed a little and pushed away the fantasy. It would only make reality more disappointing, if that was even possible.
When we reached Duo’s, Caroline was still bragging about her horde of devoted admirers. Although the ride couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, I had never been so happy to exit a vehicle in my life.
I hadn’t been to Duo’s in a week or so, and Mrs. Jecknell, the co-owner, had done a nice job cozying up the place—probably against Mr. Hine’s wishes. Red and green tinsel glittered from wall to wall, and the old-fashioned jukebox blasted Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run.” A sign above the cash register even advertised two new winter-themed treats: the “All I Want for Christmas Is a Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae” and the “Chestnuts Roasting on a Vanilla Sundae.” If I had come here with Buddy, we would have ordered both and split them, but I had a feeling if I got one with the Royals, Caroline would give me that sickly sweet smile of hers and then purse her lips, like she was confirming that I would never be able to fit into her hand-me-downs.
