The Way You Make Me Feel(9)

Before I could respond, Mr. Carver snapped his fingers together, the sound reverberating through the room like a firecracker. “Wait! The KoBra? You mean the Brazilian Korean food truck?”

My dad blinked. “Yeah. That’s the one.”

“Are you the owner?” Mr. Carver asked, excitement propelling him as he stepped across the room toward us.

“Yeah, hi. Adrian Shin,” my dad said, holding out a hand. Mr. Carver shook it firmly. He was so tall that my dad looked twelve next to him.

Mr. Carver couldn’t stop grinning. “Jonathan Carver. Call me Jon. Amazing! Man, I love your food. I used to work downtown, at the bank building on Sixth, where you’d come by.”

My dad’s face lit up. “Oh wait! Yes, I recognize you. Kimchi pastel?”

“You got it!” The two laughed like old golf buddies.

I made a face. “Can we bromance later?”

Mr. Carver looked at me, and then a shrewd expression came over his features. “Adrian. Do you think Clara will need an extra hand this summer?”

My dad’s lopsided grin, which usually charmed everyone around him, sent a legit chill down my spine. “Yeah … she could definitely use a hand.” They both looked over at Rose, who was fanning her face.

She stopped and stared at them. “What?”

Her dad pointed at her. “If Adrian is cool with it, you’re also working for the KoBra this summer.”

Rose froze. “Huh?!” she screeched, arms outstretched.

“You heard me. You’ve been busy with summer school and internships since sixth grade—it’s time you learned how to work a good old-fashioned summer job. Minimum wage.” He looked for confirmation at my dad, who nodded.

Rose’s mom looked like she was going to protest, but Mr. Carver sent her some spousal-telepathy signal. She nodded her head slowly and said, “That’s a great idea. All the money you two earn will go to paying back the school. How does that sound to you, Principal Sepulveda?”

I was too stunned to speak. What was happening? Principal Sepulveda and our parents talked in a huddle, and Rose and I just stood there, helpless to our fates.

“Am I still suspended?” Rose asked, hands on her hips. “Hello?”

But they were absorbed in their conversation. I kicked the chair I had been sitting in, making it wobble but not fall over. Everyone ignored me.

The grown-up pack finally broke up, everyone looking satisfied. Principal Sepulveda pulled on her jacket. “All right, girls. Your parents have convinced me to hold off your suspensions since there are only two weeks left of school. If you work all summer to help us pay for the damages, we can revisit this in the fall when school starts.”

Rose looked relieved, but I wasn’t. “Just give me the suspension! Leave me out of this UN deal!” I cried.

Principal Sepulveda chuckled. “It’s going to be an interesting summer, Clara.”

I looked helplessly at my dad, whose grim expression wasn’t changing. He turned his back to me and headed toward the door. When I looked over at Rose, our eyes met. I scowled, and a spark of hate ignited in her eyes before she swept out of the room with a flourish, her skirt twirling around her.

This is some nonsense you’ve started, Rose Carver. Ready your body for the worst summer of your life.





CHAPTER 5

My dad grounded me for the last two weeks of school. I was forbidden to see Patrick and Felix outside of Elysian. They found that hilarious. I’d go to school then head straight home.

“What about Tulum?” Patrick had asked when I told them about my summer sentence. I swear he was more invested in my Tulum trip than I was. Patrick and Felix were kind of enamored of my mom. My mom’s life was, in general, #goals. Sometimes the only thing that got me through high school was knowing that a life like my mom’s was possible. Although she technically lived in S?o Paulo, she was barely home—never staying in one place long enough to get bored or bogged down by complicated relationships. If someone’s life could be a role model for us, it was hers.

I had assured Patrick there was no way my dad would hold me to this for the entire summer. He would cave, because that’s what he always did. Especially this year, when I wouldn’t get to see my mom as much as I usually did. Despite her schedule, my mom always made sure to show up for my birthday and the holidays. And I always got to visit her twice a year, usually in New York or some other big city. But last Christmas she was sick and stuck in Thailand, and I hadn’t been able to make it out to visit her during spring break because of a visit from my grandparents. So there was no way my dad could make me skip yet another visit with her.

With this in mind, I played along with the punishment. While grounded, I didn’t sneak out, especially since my next-door neighbor Mr. Ramirez would have snitched on me in a second. Mr. Ramirez basically lived by his front window. He was the first person to catch me drinking, with a boy over, and sneaking out of my bedroom window. I thought people like him only existed in 1950s suburbs.

So the last two weeks of school was Netflix and chill. Literally.

And every single day that passed was filled with more dread than the day before because I knew it brought me closer to my KoBra prison sentence with Rose. Even though I was sure this entire punishment would end prematurely, the thought of spending any time with her made me want to puke.