Miyu's Wish (5 page)

“Not just any boy,” Marlene interjected, eyeing me appraisingly. “But Thad Tannen! One of the best-looking guys around! If you have his attention, you could probably have anyone here!”

Tamara snorted.

“I don’t think he’s interested in me like that,” I replied doubtfully as we entered class and sat down. “I think he just feels guilty about yesterday.”

“I don’t know,” Marlene sang cloyingly. “He was admiring you the whole time you struggled with that locker.” She giggled. “I can’t blame him, though. You are pretty adorable.” She pinched my cheek.

“Hey!” I said, half-whining, half-laughing. I spun around and, for a moment, we both clung to the other’s cheek. We laughed.

Tamara snorted.

The bell rang, and I spun back around.
Did Thad really like me?
The possibility made my heart race, but I barely knew him. He was definitely good looking and seemed nice, but there was something cocky about him I didn’t like.
And was he trustworthy?
I wondered and wondered.

“Miss Moon? Miss Moon?”

Marlene poked my back, returning me to reality.

“Oh, sorry Mr. Prop!” I exclaimed, almost jumping out of my seat. “Wh-what’s the question?”

“Just taking roll, Miss Moon,” he answered dryly. “Glad you’re with us.”

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, sinking back down into my desk. The class sniggered lightly, and a couple of guys looked at me. I tried not to notice.

The morning breezed by until Gym, in which I battled for my dignity in a fierce game of volleyball. We weren’t really organized, playing in teams of four girls against five, but Coach Felix didn’t seem to mind as long as we were moving around. And we were winning, with Tamara dashing back and forth in front of the net, pounding the ball at her hapless opponents with the ferocity of a gorilla. Candace and Janet backed her effectively from both sides, leaving Marlene and me to observe from the rear.

“You should have come out with us yesterday,” Marlene said. “We went to Susan’s Savories, a nice little bistro off of Twenty-Third Street. A guy plays guitar while you eat, and the cheesecake is wonderful.”

“I know, I wish I could have,” I said glumly. I watched nervously as the other team sent the ball hurtling in my direction, but Candace got to it in time.

“Careful, Miyu,” she laughed. “That one almost got you.”

“We’re going to the mall today,” Marlene continued, watching Janet deflect another shot. “You can come, right? Should be a lot of back-to-school sales.”

I shook my head doubtfully. “I don’t think so. I’m running a few errands with my aunt after school.” I eyed the ball falling toward me again, but Marlene slammed it out of the way. She seemed annoyed.

“I’m also having a back-to-school slumber party this Friday,” she sniffed. “I don’t suppose you could join us for that.”

My eyes dilated as I looked at her dolefully. “Ah, don’t be like that,” I said, squeezing her arm. “I’ll definitely be there! I promise!”

Marlene gave me a satisfied smile. “Good, because it’s going to be a ton of fun.”

“Watch out!” Janet yelled.

Both of us stared in stunned silence at a volleyball—caught just inches from our faces by Tamara.

She scowled. “Will you two pay attention? You’re going to cost us the game!”

I told my aunt about the impending sleepover that night at dinner. “So I can go, right?”

Aunt Mari dabbed her mouth with a napkin, regarded me carefully, and then shook her head. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

My mouth fell open, a piece of linguine falling back onto my plate. “Wha—why?”

“You’re too young.”

I scowled, sounding almost like Tamara. “Auntie, I’m fourteen! And there aren’t going to be any boys. And Marlene’s parents will be there!”

She seemed troubled. “You don’t understand. I haven’t even met these friends of yours.” She paused, her elegant face now both cryptic and severe.

I stared back at her, my brow furrowed and my body temperature rising. “Auntie, how am I going to make friends if you don’t ever let me out to see them?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but it’s just too soon.”

Blinking back tears, I shook my head and then darted to my room. I clambered onto my bed and sank into a pillow; I just didn’t understand her.
Did she even want me to be happy?
I inexplicably found myself longing for my parents—something I had never done before. I shuddered and forced the feelings away, wondering
again if something was wrong with me. I awoke an hour later as Aunt Mari opened the door.

“You can go,” she said simply.

I tried to look at her. My hair was matted to my face like a heap of cobwebs, and I had to pull a large swath of it away to see her clearly. “Thank you,” I said weakly.

She walked over and knelt beside me, stroking my hair with her long fingers. “You are my gift from God, so if I seem too protective sometimes, it’s only because you mean so much to me.” She bent over and kissed me on the forehead.

I sat up to reassure her. “Auntie, it’s just a little sleepover, and they’re really nice. I know you’ll like them, too.”

She cupped my face in her hands and smiled. “Just promise me you’ll remain the sweet, caring girl I raised you to be. OK?”

I smiled and hugged her. “Yes, Auntie.”

After she left, I called Marlene to reconfirm the happy news. We chatted for a long time and once we said good night, I finally enjoyed a deep and dreamless sleep.

Chapter Eight

T
he rest of the week blurred by. I was making friends and falling into a comfortable routine, and by Friday, my first-day mishaps had been all but forgotten. Even my
other problems
seemed to be fading—no weird dreams over the last couple of nights, and my Swiss-cheese memory was slowly returning to normal.

In fact, only Art class remained troublesome. Still seated with the misfits, a subtle, silent tension had developed between Kimberly and me. We’d steal glances at each other, but immediately look away if the other seemed to notice.

Fortunately, the school day was done. Standing packed with everything a girl could need for a night away from home, I waited in front of Marlene’s almost palatial homestead. Two immense, oak doors slowly opened as a servant appeared to retrieve my things.

“Allow me, Miss,” the older man offered, taking my pink suitcase and motioning me inside. I found myself in an enormous
foyer, with a golden chandelier hanging over a marble, tile floor. Everything was polished to a pristine luster, and I felt dirty just standing there.

“Miyu! You’re the first one! Come up and see my room!” called Marlene, gazing down from the top of an elegant spiral staircase.

The servant bowed. I bowed back awkwardly, not really knowing the proper etiquette for such things, and then hopped up the stairs. Marlene clutched my hands as I reached the top and yanked me down a long hall.

“It was just refurnished and wallpapered,” she explained, smiling eagerly over her shoulder as I chased behind her. “It’s gorgeous!”

And it was. The huge, canopy bed with burgundy covers, the cherry-tart carpeted floor, and the dark-pink walls all left a cozy impression on the senses.

“I love it!” I said, sitting on her bed. It squished beneath me, and I allowed myself to tumble backward in a sort of awkward somersault.

“You really are a little kid,” Marlene laughed, but she then jumped on to join me. The mattress crested out from beneath her, raising me up and down. It was fun.

“It’s a water bed, of course,” she said, watching me with amusement. “Not too many people have them anymore, but I just had to have one.”

“Your family must be rich,” I said, rolling over to her with a smile. “Your house is like a mansion!”

Marlene shrugged. “Yeah, my dad works in investments, and we do OK. My mom works from home.” She looked at me. “What about your parents?”

“It’s just me and my Aunt Mari,” I said, falling on my back and gazing upward. “I was adopted as a baby.”

“If you were adopted, why do you call her ‘aunt’?” Marlene asked, lying down next to me. “Isn’t she more like your mother?”

I looked at her and bit my lip.

“I’m not really sure,” I said doubtfully. “She’s just always been my aunt.” Again, I thought of my parents, neither of which I could distinctly remember.

I must have looked troubled, for Marlene quickly changed the subject. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and wait for the others.” She grabbed my hand and, both of us giggling, pulled me off the bed. We hustled to the foyer.

One by one, Tamara, Candace, and Janet arrived, and we then set out to work on Marlene’s wonderful itinerary for the evening. Chinese cuisine for dinner, a dip in the pool, a soak in the hot tub, a quick trip out for ice cream, and then a romantic comedy on her big-screen TV. We concluded the festivities back in Marlene’s bedroom, where we laughed and talked while doing our nails and playing with each other’s hair.

“You sure have an incredible mane, Miyu,” Janet said. She had been running her fingers through my hair for the last few minutes as Marlene painted my toes. “It almost feels like fur.” She rubbed her cheek with a handful and giggled.

“All done. What do you think?” Marlene asked, looking up from my feet.

I wiggled my toes and beamed; she had painted the nails in alternating colors of blue and white. Pink flowers dotted the blue ones.

“They’re lovely,” I said, clapping my hands softly.

Tamara cleared her throat. “So what’s going on between you and that Thad guy, anyway?” She was lying on the bed behind us, flipping through a magazine.

“What do you mean?” I asked as innocently as I could. “We just talk occasionally when I go grab my books.”

“Does Miyu have a thing for Thad? I didn’t know that!” Candace chimed in, flopping herself down beside us.

Marlene laughed. “We
think
he has a crush on Miyu, but we don’t know how she feels about him…yet.” She looked at me pointedly.

My cheeks tingled under each one of their stares. “I think he’s cute, but we’re just friends,” I said awkwardly.

Janet rubbed my back affectionately. “Ah, leave her alone. Look, her face is getting all hot and flushed.” She was now speaking in baby talk, her head resting on my shoulder.

Tamara closed her magazine and looked down at me severely. “Either way, I’d be careful. Word is that Kimberly also likes him, and she’s not one a person like you should get tangled up with.”

I looked at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“She means that Kimberly can be as jealous as a cat,” Marlene said. “And when she’s mad, watch out!” Marlene clawed the air and yowled like an ornery feline. Everyone giggled as I watched her unhappily.

As the night grew later, we opened our sleeping bags and crawled inside, resembling a clump of multicolored slugs as we slid into our positions on the floor. Marlene and Janet found spots beside me, while Candace and Tamara—rolling their eyes at each other—squeezed in around us. We all laughed and whispered for a time, but I was soon fast asleep.

I dreamed of Thad. He had his back turned, and I was running toward him, singing out his name. No more talking; this time I wanted him to know how I really felt. And I wanted him to say he liked me in return, that I was the girl for him.