29 Dates

by Melissa de la Cruz

“This is all for just the two of you?” Jisu asked. “How do you stay so slim?”

  “Nobody ever thinks this, but cheerleading is one of the most rigorous sports,” Tiffany said as she heaped a serving of baked ziti onto her plate.

  “Yeah, everyone thinks it’s just cute girls in ponytails waving some pompoms—I mean, we are pretty cute—but people don’t realize that we are literally throwing each other and hurling ourselves into the air.” Jamie cut the quesadilla into thirds and offered Jisu some.

  “I bet you could beat up every single guy at this booth,” Jisu said as she bit into the quesadilla.

  “That’s 100 percent true!” Jamie and Tiffany said simultaneously and laughed.

  “You remind me of those cheerleaders in Bring It On. They were so much better and cooler than the dumb football players in that movie.”

  “Oh, my god, that’s our favorite old movie!” Jamie exclaimed. “Such a classic.”

  “How do you know Bring It On? Did they have that in Korea?” Tiffany asked.

  “Tiffany, we get the internet in Korea, too. That movie defined my idea of American high schools, to be honest.”

  “Yeah, Tiffany.” Jamie threw a fry at Tiffany. “The internet and technology there is so much faster than here. Duh.”

  “Well, that movie is hella old!” Tiffany defended herself. “I’m surprised any of us have seen it. That was like way before our time.”

  Jisu glanced at Austin on the other side of the booth. Each time she looked over, their eyes locked and he smiled. Was he being a flirt? Or just encouraging of her making new friends? Every question she asked herself resembled the stupid quizzes from Mandy’s stack of magazines. But she had more questions for her questions and no answers. The ambiguity of it all was too distracting. Jisu started to miss the seons.

  During the ride back home, Jisu replayed fragments of the night in her head: the way she’d introduced herself, how she’d spoken about Seoul, how she’d reacted to a funny comment. At least Austin was the one driving and not her. Since when was socializing so anxiety-inducing for her? Being in a new city in a new country definitely had something to do with it.

  When Austin pulled up to the Murrays’ residence, Jisu was ready to run up the stairs and head straight to her room to replay those fragments a hundred more times before really decompressing.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Jisu said as she loosened the seat belt.

  “I’m glad you came out and met everyone. It’s like you’ve already been going to Wick for the last three years.” Austin smiled.

  Jisu watched Austin drive off. By the time she made her way to room and plopped onto her bed, she decided that none of the events of the night meant anything beyond friendship. Austin, Tiffany and Jamie—all of them were her new friends. She was relieved just to have made friends within her first week in a new city.

  And of course, Kaylee would be equally relieved to hear how the night went.

  JULY 18, SUMMER BREAK

  DATE NO. 6

  NAME: Lee Songsan

  * * *

  INTERESTS:

  International Studies, Communications, Sailing

  * * *

  Parent Occupations:

  Politician; Retired oncologist,

  now supporting husband’s political career

  * * *

  Jisu: Wow, I really did not know there were that many kinds of knots in sailing.

  SongSAN: Yup, and a real use for each one!

  Jisu: And you somehow have every single one of them all memorized.

  SongSAN: I’ve been sailing since I was a little kid, so it all comes naturally to me.

  Jisu: I think I need another cup of coffee. Do you want to order anything else?

  SongSAN: I’m all set. I try to avoid going near or over three cups a day. Too much caffeine can throw off the balance in your system and cause acid reflux if you’re prone to that kind of stuff.

  Jisu: Sorry, what? Oh, acid reflux, sure. I’ve heard of that.

  SongSAN: Are you feeling all right, Jisu?

  Jisu: Hmm? Oh, yes. I’m good. Sorry, Songsan, I was just up a bit late trying to do some of the reading we got assigned over summer break.

  SongSAN: I’ve been there. Which subject?

  Jisu: World history.

  SongSAN: History is one of my favorite subjects! Which era is the summer reading on?

  Jisu: It’s on revolutions: French, Bolshevik, American, Chinese, Korean—all of them.

  SongSAN: Revolutions are probably the most thrilling parts of history. The turning points, the pivot, they’re like the real-life plot twists.

  Jisu: Songsan, I hate to sound rude, but can we talk about something else? I spent all night trying to do the boring reading and barely got a hundred pages in.

  SongSAN: Of course, of course. No problem. History can be dry, too. At least it is compared to everything that’s happening in the world now.

  Jisu: What do you mean?

  SongSAN: Well, you have the Arab Spring and the repercussions in the years following, the ongoing Syrian civil war, all the chaos that’s sprung upon the US since their last presidential election and of course the impeachment of our last president.

  Jisu: Mmm hmm.

  SongSAN: To be honest, in every discussion I see unfold online, in print or on TV about the current state of the world, there’s a continuous thread that doesn’t get highlighted or called out as often as I think it should.

  SongSAN: I don’t think people realize how much climate change has a direct impact on all of these things happening. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a scientist and having the leaders of the world ignore your advice or deny and claim your lifelong research as flawed or even worse—a hoax. Could you imagine?

  SongSAN: Jisu?

  Jisu: Hmm? Oh, yes, totally. I’m with you 100 percent.

  SongSAN: Did you just...fall asleep?

  Jisu: What! No, no. Fall asleep? I could never. This is my fourth cup today. I was just...admiring this latte art that they made. Look—it’s shaped like a little leaf!

  SongSAN: Maybe you should head home. You seem tired.

  Jisu: I’m really sorry. I’ve just had a long day.

  SongSAN: Don’t worry about it. We can always reschedule. Who knows what kind of crazy global developments can happen between now and next week, or whenever we meet.

  Jisu: I’m sure you can give me the full download.

  SongSAN: You bet. How’s next Thursday for you?

  Jisu: Um, actually, I’m not too sure what my school schedule looks like. I’ll figure it out and have Ms. Moon get in touch? I might not be free for another two or three weeks...

  SongSAN: Sounds good. Just let me know.

  Jisu: Sure. I’ll do my best!

  7

  Another girl might’ve been devastated by the nonchalant way Austin greeted her on Monday morning after spending all that precious face time with him the previous Friday. But when he gave Jisu a simple head nod as they passed each other in the hallway, she felt relief.

  All that ambiguous tension of Does he like me? Does he not? was far more draining than any seon she had gone on. Sure, Austin was super cute and his charm was disarming, but Jisu had wasted a whole weekend distracted from her studies. She’d spent more time replaying every interaction with him than she had on homework.

  How did her mother think she could date and stay focused? If Jisu managed to actually fall for any of the boring normies that Ms. Moon set her up with, everything would be over. If Jisu had learned anything about herself from her non-date with Austin, it was that a real romantic interest would throw her off the rails. Of course, according to Mrs. Kim, the boys on the seons were not a distraction but rather useful pawns to insure a brighter, better future. But it just wasn’t that easy.

  Jisu waved to Kaylee as they both approached their
international studies class, but instead of greeting Jisu with her warm, bubbly self, Kaylee seemed to shoot darts with her eyes as she walked right past her.

  Oh, Kaylee, Jisu thought. If only you knew that Austin was always yours for the taking.

  The yearlong international studies course was one of the few classes that Jisu genuinely found interesting. As an international student, navigating her way through Wick-Helmering each day felt like an IS exercise. And unlike other teachers who constantly asked for her “unique perspective” as an international student or asked her to translate certain words into Korean, Mrs. French treated her the same way she treated all the other students.

  “Settle down, everyone,” Mrs. French said as she entered the classroom. The class eventually came to a hush as they watched her write on the chalkboard.

  Head, Hands and Heart. It was the Wick-Helmering school motto and the core mission of the school curriculum.

  “Today we are going to discuss your final senior project for IS: the infamous triple H project. I’m sure you’ve seen all the seniors before you work tirelessly on this. You and a classmate will have all year to develop a project that addresses one of the major issues of the international agenda listed on the class syllabus. The project must reflect the Wick-Helmering motto and combine matters of the three H’s. That includes your academic skills, your technical skills, your cultural understandings and, most important, your personal passions.”

  Mrs. French printed out a sheet of paper and taped it onto the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. “You have all been assigned a classmate. Link up and get going. You can come to me with any questions you have.”

  While half the class scattered to the front of the room to find out their partners, Jisu sat back and wondered how she was going to manage such a large project. The final grade in IS depended heavily on this one project, increasing the pressure to do well.

  “Hey, partner. Why so serious?” Jisu looked up at Dave Kang, standing by her desk.

  “Are we really partners?” Jisu asked.

  “Well, if you say it like you’ve been given a prison sentence, you’re gonna hurt my feelings.” Dave pulled up a chair to Jisu’s desk and eagerly flipped through the IS syllabus. Their assigned topic was “encouraging and increasing political involvement among the general public.”

  He was so enthusiastic about everything, like an overexcited golden retriever who didn’t know how to calm down. Maybe that’s how he was so popular with everyone? But his constant positivity had to take a break once in a while, too, didn’t it? Jisu couldn’t tell if this kind of upbeatness was something she envied or was purely confused by.

  “Must be nice to reunite with your long-lost sister from the motherland,” Bobby Leeman said. Bobby sat next to Jisu, but she hadn’t noticed him much since class started. Until now.

  “What?” Jisu gawked at Bobby, who was leaning back in his seat looking smug and satisfied with his dumb comment. Long-lost sister? Based on what? The fact that her and Dave were both Korean? Jisu didn’t even know Bobby, and he didn’t know her either. He hadn’t said a word to her or even introduced himself since she had gotten to Wick. Who gave him the right? Kaylee had warned Jisu about Bobby. He’s a troll. An ignorant jerk who craves attention that he never got from his mom. Jisu hadn’t fully understood what Kaylee meant until now.

  “How did you know?” Dave said to Bobby, sounding completely unbothered. “Must be because we look so alike. Is that it, Bobby? We all look the same to you?”

  Bobby remained quiet. Jisu’s heart started to race. She was just as taken aback by Dave’s reaction as she was by Bobby’s trolling.

  “Say it, Bobby. You think all Asians look the same. Say it.” Dave stood up and stared Bobby down. “Say it. I dare you.” He was white-knuckled and ready to go. Jisu tugged at Dave’s sleeve to calm him down, but she recognized the anger in his eyes. She saw it and realized she felt the same frustration, too, somewhere deep in her bones. And though Jisu was frightened that a fight might actually break out between Bobby and Dave, she was glad that Dave had shot back at him.

  “Whatever, man.” Bobby shrugged and slumped into his chair. Dave remained standing and didn’t break eye contact.

  “Coward,” he said with disgust.

  Jisu’s heart was still racing. A crisis had been averted, but she could still feel the panic coursing through her veins.

  “You know he only trolls people for attention,” Jisu whispered to Dave. “You can’t let him get to you like that.”

  “So you think it’s okay to let him say racist stuff like that and get away with it?” Dave made a good point. Bobby was being blatantly racist. And Dave was so quick to hit back—how often was he subjected to comments like that by the likes of Bobby? Jisu felt like throwing up.

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” Jisu protested. She wanted to fully explain that she was capable of standing up for herself, but she wasn’t going to fan the flames. She wasn’t in the mood to defend herself against someone who was already on her side. “Just don’t let him get to you that much. He’s not worth it.”

  Jisu sighed. The whole encounter had thrown them off entirely. She could barely focus on the assignment sheet in front of her, and Dave was still seething, she could tell. Stupid Bobby Leeman. He caused a scene and got a reaction. He got exactly what he wanted.

  “You know what?” Jisu said. “I think we should find another time to meet up and brainstorm. When we’re in a better headspace.”

  “Sure, that works.” Dave took out his phone and pulled up his calendar. He took a deep breath then exhaled.

  “Can you meet this Wednesday?” Jisu asked, trying to sound as chipper as she could, desperate to lift the mood.

  “No, I have swim practice after school.”

  “Okay, how about Thursday after school?”

  “I have a fencing match.”

  Are you serious? What sport doesn’t this guy play? How does he find time to get actual schoolwork done?

  “At lunch, then?” Jisu asked, a bit more impatient. Dave was getting on her last nerve.

  “Debate club meeting—hey, didn’t you say you were going to that?”

  “Class takes priority over clubs. Are you free at all anytime this weekend?”

  “Ah, no. I’m going mountain climbing. I’m usually free though.”

  Mountain climbing? Is he training to be in the army?

  “Well, then, when can you meet?” Jisu knew she sounded exasperated. “You’re not being helpful. At all.”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry, Jees.”

  Jees? That was a new nickname. Jisu wasn’t sure she liked the way it sounded coming out of his mouth. Jees. It sounded abrupt and ultra-Americanized.

  “Give me your number. I’ll text you when I figure out a time.” Dave handed Jisu his phone. She thought briefly of Austin. It was the same, harmless gesture.

  * * *

  Jisu had taken two steps out of the classroom when Kaylee appeared next to her.

  “Second week at school and you’re already passing out your number left and right, hmm?”

  “Kaylee, I’ve never met anyone who loves stirring the pot more than you do,” Jisu said. Why wouldn’t this girl leave her alone?

  “I’m not stirring any pot. I’m just making observations,” she quipped. “You know Dave has a girlfriend, right?”

  Girlfriend. Girl. Friend. The G word. It only made sense that he had a girlfriend. Dave had a bright smile that lit up the room, and the upbeat energy everyone liked about him was genuine. He was Mr. Congeniality. So of course he had a girlfriend.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Jisu asked.

  Who is she? What does she look like? More questions lined up against the back of her teeth. All Jisu had to do was open her mouth and ask. But she kept it shut.

  Kaylee shrugged and gave Jisu
an innocuous look. And I thought Min was fickle. Min is like a monk compared to Kaylee.

  Despite trying to downplay her reaction, part of Jisu was taken aback, and as the day wore on, she grew more and more curious about Dave’s girlfriend. Kaylee had all the answers, but Jisu let her questions pile up in her mind and pretended not to care.

  JULY 22, SUMMER BREAK

  DATE NO. 7

  NAME: Yoon Bumsoo

  * * *

  INTERESTS:

  Gymnastics, Physics, Veganism

  * * *

  Parent Occupations:

  Korean Astronomy and Space Institute

  researcher; Museum curator

  * * *

  BumsOO: Sorry, I usually don’t do this but I have to send this back.

  Jisu: Oh, no! What’s wrong with your mac and cheese? Did they not substitute with vegan cheese?

  BumsOO: No, they managed to do that. It’s just my food is cold.

  Jisu: At least that’s an easy fix. They can reheat it!

  BumsOO: You know what they do when you just ask them to reheat it, right? They stick it in the microwave for thirty seconds and wait a bit so you think they properly popped it in the oven or something.

  BumsOO: Excuse me. Sir. No, everything’s great. The cashew nut cheese looks like it’d taste great, but my food is cold. Do you see how the cheese has congealed here? And there? I can’t eat this, man. Can I get fresh new plate, please? Hot out of the oven? I don’t want this same plate reheated.

  Jisu: So...how long have you been vegan?

  BumsOO: Veganism is just something I’ve been trying for the last six months. I consider myself more of a food purist than a vegan.

  Jisu: A what?

  BumsOO: A food purist.

  Jisu: What’s the difference? Veganism seems pretty altruistic in and of itself. I mean, I could never do it, but—

  BumsOO: I know vegans who abide by all the rules and don’t eat meat or dairy, but they’re constantly snacking on all this fake sugar, sour candy nonsense.