The Henna Wars(78)

“I’m nervous,” she whispers, her lips grazing my ear and sending a shiver down my spine.

“Me too,” I whisper back. She edges closer, and I can smell her sugary-sweet perfume.

“There are a lot of excellent business ideas and executions in this school this year,” Mr. Kelly announces into his mic from the top of the hall. He’s wearing a plain black suit and tie. The judge next to him, smiling through bright red lips, looks more relatable. In an all-girls school I think she should be the one running the competition. She should be the main judge, to show girls that they can make it in the business world.

“But unfortunately, there can be only one winner.” As Mr. Kelly says this, silence spreads over the entire hallway. We all wait breathlessly to hear who the winner is.

Flávia’s hand squeezes mine at the same time Chaewon finds my other hand.

“And the winning business belongs to … Chaewon Kim and Jessica Kennedy!”

I gasp out loud, but it’s drowned out by the sound of the hall bursting into applause.

Chaewon and Jess have the biggest grins on their faces. I wrap my arms around both of them before shoving them through the crowd. They walk up, looking at the stage in awe. They obviously didn’t expect to win, but if anyone deserves it, it’s definitely them. They’ve been working hard through and through. No games. No sabotage.

My heart fills with pride as I see them up there, accepting their award from Mr. Kelly and Ms. Walsh. Their smiles are so wide it’s contagious.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Flávia leans down to whisper while everybody is still clapping.

“What’s funny?”

“That this was all about the business competition. That’s how it all started out and now …”

“I know. Neither of us are up there.”

Flávia heaves a sigh and turns away, trying to find someone in the crowd of people. “I better go … Chyna doesn’t look too thrilled with the outcome. Talk to you later?”

I want to tell her to stay, but I just shrug and say, “Sure.”

Jess and Chaewon can’t stop smiling after they’ve come down from the stage. I envelop them both in hugs, before admiring their trophy.

“I can’t believe we won,” Chaewon whispers. “I can’t believe we won.”

The trophy is translucent glass shaped like a diamond. In the very middle it says YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR’S AWARD in glittering gold writing.

“You guys deserved to win,” I assure them. “You’ve worked so hard for this.”

Chaewon wraps me up in another hug so tight that I can feel her ribs poking at me.

“Okay, okay. Wow, let me breathe.” She lets me go and rubs at her eyes, like she’s trying really hard not to cry.

“Chaewon.” Jess rolls her eyes and pokes her until Chaewon does begin to sob a little bit, but also to laugh. And then we’re all giggling together and I’m not sure why, really. But it feels like a huge weight off my shoulders. It feels like the most normal thing to happen since Ali outed me to the entire school. Like at the end of the day, none of that really mattered. Not Ali, not Chyna, not even the business competition. Because I’m still here and I have my friends, my sister, my family. And things will be okay.



It feels odd to be stripping my stall. Like it’s the end of an era, even though the competition only lasted a couple of weeks. I carefully roll up the banner with the lesbian flag and tie it up with a rubber band. I’m thinking I’ll stick it up on the wall of my bedroom.

“… her mom basically did all the work for her.” A hushed whisper comes from the girls in the stall beside mine. I place my banner aside carefully. Soundlessly. So as to not attract any attention.

“That’s why Chyna even did henna as her business. These days, if you’re white, people don’t even want to consider you.”

“Right. The trendy thing is to be ‘diverse’ or whatever.”

I can’t even hear the speakers’ next words, because I’m feeling that simmering of anger inside me again. Of course even when Chaewon and Jess win the competition Chyna still does everything in her power to manipulate the situation.

I catch sight of her and Flávia packing up their stall next to Chaewon and Jess’s. The next thing I know I’m marching right over there and staring Chyna in the face.

“Nishat.” Her lips are pressed into a thin line. “What do you want?”

“You can’t stand that someone else gets attention even for a second, can you?” The words tumble out of me before they’ve even formed in my mind. It’s like I’m working off adrenaline.

Her lips get thinner somehow. “What are you talking about?” she asks at the same time that Flávia shuffles over with wide eyes and says, “Hey, Nishat.”

I barely register her. All I can see is Chyna, with her wispy blonde hair and blue eyes—trying to manipulate a victory for someone who deserves it, just like she tries to manipulate everything. Like she manipulated our friendship to make herself out to be kind of person who fits in, and me to be the “other.”

“Telling people that the only reason Chaewon and Jess won the business competition is because being diverse is trendy?” It’s an effort to get out the words in a remotely calm and collected way. The way Flávia is looking back and forth from Chyna to me makes me think maybe I’m not as composed as I think I am.