There's Something About Sweetie(105)

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” he’d said simply when she’d asked if he was sure.

And after his game … the ultimate test. Sweetie swallowed. The scout didn’t make her nervous, but that did.




This was it.

It was the last game of the regular season, with only one basket between Ashish and state.

Eleven seconds left. Oliver caught the rebound and looked to Ash for direction. With one eye on the clock, Ashish called the play and moved his team toward the basket.

Nine seconds. Sharing a grin with Ash, Oliver turned and over-undered the ball to Elijah.

Seven seconds. The defenders closed in on Elijah as Ash dodged into the open, calling for the ball.

Four seconds. Elijah bounced to Ashish, relief all over his face.

Two seconds. Ashish sprinted across the three-point line. The final basket. It was up to him.

As Ashish ran, the sounds of the chanting crowd faded into an incoherent whooshing. There was only him and the ball. He had finally found it again—Balltopia. His blood buzzed with effervescent energy; once again Ashish felt completely in his element. The basketball court was his throne; in here, he was king. He’d reclaimed his place.

Ashish threw the ball up into the air. A moment after it left his fingertips, the buzzer sounded, signaling time. The ball whirled through the air … and whooshed through the basket. Nothing but net.

Ashish sank to his knees, his arms in the air, just as his teammates jumped on him, Oliver slapping his back and Elijah cheering so loudly, his ears were actually ringing. Through a break in the wall of bodies, he caught sight of Sweetie. She was crying and laughing at the same time, waving around a big foam finger. Ashish laughed and closed his eyes, relief and love and exhilaration washing through him.

When he had a break from all the congratulating and screaming, he began to jog over to his family, but a brown-skinned woman in her midthirties stepped in front of him. She held out a hand. He shook it; her grip was firm.

“Congrats on a game well played,” she said, smiling. “I’m Liesa Lopez, scouting for USC. Here’s my card. Call me and we’ll talk.”

Ashish took the card and grinned. “Sounds great.”

She nodded at him and slipped away.

Laughing, Ashish ran over to his family.

Ma grabbed him in a hug, saying “Shabash! Shabash, beta!” over and over again. Pappa patted him on the back and looked like he’d burst. Sweetie hugged him, whispering “Congrats, baby” in his ear. It sent a shiver up his spine in the best way.

Then he turned to Rishi. And Dimple. His big brother stared at him, his eyes wide with wonder. “Dude,” he said finally. “Oh my gods. You’re, like, epic.”

Ashish laughed, pleased. “Bhaiyya, Dimple, thank you for coming. Have you met Sweetie?”

Rishi grinned at him. “We have.” Then, looking at Sweetie, he said, “You sure about this guy, though?”

Ashish slapped him on the chest, and Rishi made a big show of almost keeling over.

“You need to lay off the workouts, man,” he said, gasping theatrically.

Behind her glasses, Dimple rolled her eyes. Turning to Sweetie, she said solemnly, “Welcome to dating a Patel brother. You are seriously in the best kind of trouble.”

Sweetie laughed. “I’m getting that feeling.”

Ashish bounced on the balls of his feet, still feeling the adrenaline from his win and this whole situation here. He didn’t want to admit how much this meant to him. “So, bhaiyya,” he said, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt, “do we, um, do we have your aashirvad?”

Rishi’s face got serious. Dimple looked from him to Ashish, a small smile on her face. Putting his hands on Ashish’s shoulders, Rishi said, “You and Sweetie have my utter and complete blessing, Ashish.”

They hugged, Ashish patting Rishi on the back, hard, to keep from tearing up.

When they broke apart, Dimple had linked her arm with Sweetie’s. “So,” she said, “what do you guys think of a double date?”

Sweetie grinned. “Let’s do it.”

As Ashish looked around at his family—and he didn’t care if it was silly, he totally included Sweetie under that umbrella—he thought, Life can’t get any more perfect than this.

But they were young, and it did.





Writing the first book in the Dimple universe felt like a dream come true. Getting to write the second book, featuring two of my most favorite characters I’ve ever written, felt like basking in the glow of a thousand silver stars while eating the sun. In other words, it made me happy.

A big thank-you to the extraordinary team at Simon Pulse for being the warm and cozy home to my third young adult novel! Every writer should be so lucky to have a publishing house that feels like family. An especially big hug to Jen Ung, my editor, who helped me shape this book into what it is today and who totally got Sweetie from the beginning.

Thank you also to my agent, Thao Le, for being the best and feistiest champion any writer could ever ask for. Having a sounding board you can trust in this business is nothing short of a lifeline.

A huge shout-out to the splendiferous indies and booksellers out there, including my favorite fairy-god-book-people at: Anderson’s Bookshop; B&N San Mateo; Book Bar Denver; Books, Inc.; Books of Wonder; Brookline Booksmith; Changing Hands; Elliot Bay Book Co.; Hicklebee’s; Joseph-Beth; Kepler’s; Old Firehouse Books; Once Upon a Time; Parnassus Books; Porter Square; Red Balloon Bookshop; Ripped Bodice; Tattered Cover; Third Place Books; University Bookstore; and so many, many more!