Bam! Bam! Bam!
My heart sank. It was our downstairs neighbor hitting the end of her broom against the ceiling—her way of telling me to stop.
I turned off the music and flopped onto the sofa, hanging my legs off the arm. Sometimes I hated the apartment. I couldn’t even practice without our downstairs neighbors having a tantrum.
When my phone rang, I raced to the counter to pick it up. It was Kevin.
“Hi,” I said, trying not to sound annoyed.
“Sasha! I’m sorry I flaked on you today.”
“No problem.” I was doing my best to keep my voice calm. I was angry, but I didn’t want to sound angry.
“We can practice tomorrow. Ms. Kumar said we could use the auditorium after school.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
“Yeah, I explained to her how because of Quiz Bowl, Karly couldn’t practice at lunch.”
My anger toward Kevin started to dissolve. “Thanks for doing that.”
“Yeah, we need to bring our A game to the competition. I watched a couple of the acts during lunch today, and they’re good. I mean, seriously good.”
That was what I was afraid of—the competition. “Karly better be there tomorrow.”
“She will be. I told her if she didn’t show, she’d be making my bed for the next three months.”
“Good.” Karly hated making her bed. The threat of making Kevin’s should motivate her.
“You psyched about Downtown D’Lights?” Kevin asked.
YES. “It’s going to be fun!” I said, but didn’t add, especially when you hold my hand.
“I can’t wait to go ice skating and show off my new moves.”
Ice skating? Gulp. I had mixed feelings about ice skating on our first date. On the one hand, I couldn’t ice skate—I couldn’t even stand up for more than three seconds without a face plant on the ice—so it didn’t exactly play to my strengths. But on the other hand, I couldn’t ice skate—which meant Kevin would need to help me. Which meant it was the surest way for us to hold hands.
“Yeah, me too,” I said.
“I heard the Senior Center is bringing back the snowman-making competition. Remember that?”
“Of course.” How could I forget? When I was little, it was my favorite event. Claire and I were always partners, and she’d do the wrapping (each pair was given a roll of toilet paper) while I stood very still until my whole body was covered. We’d been the fastest, and won a bunch of times.
Kevin had started talking about what he wanted to eat (gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate, pizza), but I was only half listening. I was still thinking about the snowman-making at the Senior Center and debating what would be more “date like”: wrapping Kevin in toilet paper or being wrapped myself. Okay, maybe neither, but still it would give us a chance to get closer (literally).
“Yoo-hoo, Sash. You still there?”
Startled, I realized I had no idea what Kevin had been saying. “Oops! Yeah!”
By the time the call ended, I wasn’t at all angry with him anymore. True, he’d blown off practice, but he’d apologized. Even better, he’d arranged for us to rehearse tomorrow afternoon. Anyway, I couldn’t be mad at Kevin. It definitely didn’t fit in with my plan for Kevasha.
Karly, though, was a different story.
Chapter Tweleve
PREPARATION
“I can’t believe you blew off practice yesterday. You didn’t even text me.” I stood on the stage, looking down at Karly, who sat in the first row, pulling off her boots. “We needed that time to practice.” I wasn’t yelling, but I also wasn’t exactly using what teachers call an “inside voice.”
“I know.” Karly pulled up her leg warmers. “But I also needed to practice for Quiz Bowl. Sasha, it’s one week from this Saturday.”
“But you weren’t even practicing.”
“What are you talking about?” Karly lifted herself onto the stage.
“I saw the picture on Instagram. You weren’t studying. You were on a date. With Ahmed.”
“A date? I wish. Sasha, we were taking a five-minute break. Do you have any idea how tiring it is to run through a thousand questions and try to solve a bunch of math problems in seconds?” She stared at me. “No, you don’t.”
“Girls.” Ms. Kumar stood in the back of the auditorium. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Karly and I said at the exact same time. Normally we would’ve laughed or said “jinx” when that happened, but instead we glared at each other.
“This is supposed to be fun. Remember?” Ms. Kumar sat down in the second row. “Why don’t you show me what you have so far?”
Just then Kevin barged through the auditorium doors, ran down the center aisle, and jumped onto the stage. “I’m here!” He did a pivot turn and faced the audience.
Ms. Kumar laughed. “You sure know how to make an entrance.”
“You’re not doing that during the show, right?” Karly asked. I was thinking the same thing but instead I said, “Nice.”
Karly raised her left eyebrow at me. “Nice? Really?”
I took a deep breath and turned on the music. We ran through the routine but Karly and I bumped into each other doing a turn and Kevin and I were still struggling to reach the high notes of the song. When we finished, Ms. Kumar offered a few suggestions (mostly about my and Kevin’s singing) and then we tried it again.
“Better,” Ms. Kumar said when we finished.
“It would be even better if you gave me back the hat.” Kevin bumped my arm with his. “You’ve got to admit, it would give my costume just the spark it needs.”
“Spark?” Karly and I said at the same time in the same skeptical tone. This time, we both cracked a smile.
“You two have no vision. You need to shake it up,” he said as he did a shimmy with his shoulders.
“I’ve got to go.” Karly climbed off the stage. “Quiz Bowl meeting.”
“Now?” I said. “But I thought we could work on our costumes.” We still needed to glue the candy cane appliqués onto the white leotards.
“Sorry.” She zipped up her coat and swung her backpack over her shoulder. “I can’t be late.”
“How about—” I was about to ask Kevin if he wanted to work on it when Ryan burst through the door.
“Hi, Ryan.” Ms. Kumar waved from her seat in the second row. “You ready to do your run-through?”
“Sorry, Sash.” Kevin yanked Ryan up on the stage. “I promised I’d help with some of his acro moves.”
“Wait, what?” I asked as Kevin and Ryan pulled out a mat from backstage. “Why?”
It was Ms. Kumar who spoke. “Kevin is going to make a cameo appearance in Ryan’s act. So they can do a few stunts.”
“But …” Annoyed, I scooted off the edge of the stage.
“Sasha,” Ms. Kumar said as I approached the second row. “It’s not a problem. Kevin can be in both acts.”
Not a problem? Not a problem for whom? I grabbed my boots, backpack, and coat and headed out of the auditorium.
“See ya, Sasha!” Kevin called from the stage.
On a bench in the hallway, I sat down to put on my boots. As I struggled to get my right heel in, I suddenly felt like crying. I knew Mom would say “It’s your hormones,” but it wasn’t that. I was angry—it was obvious Kevin and Karly weren’t taking our performance seriously enough—but there was something else jumbled in there with my anger, too. I was hurt. With Kevin spending more time on acro and Karly doing Quiz Bowl, they’d found new friends. Karly had even found a boyfriend. Was I being replaced?
Not wanting to cry, I rubbed my eyes and stood up.
I didn’t know what I was going to do about Karly. But with Kevin, I was determined to move us to the next level. Wouldn’t being boyfriend-girlfriend be even better than best friends?
I needed our date to go perfectly. As with any big test, preparation was key. I needed to outline what we would do leading up to the big moment when we’d hold hands.
Geeky? Yes, but that’s why I made it on to the high honor roll every semester. Preparation.
I zipped up my coat and headed outside.
At the Senior Center on Saturday, Karly wasn’t there again. As I helped serve lunch, I was determined to not let Karly’s absence (and lack of text about it) get to me. Tonight was Downtown D’Lights and I needed to stay focused. I’d already laid out my clothes for it—jeans and my superfuzzy blue sweater. And I’d printed out a list of conversation starters (thank you, Google) in case there were any awkward moments. Most importantly, on a small index card, I’d written the order of events for the night and the likelihood of reaching my goal.
1. Snowman-Making Competition at the Senior Center (chance of holding hands: unlikely)
2. Dinner at Salvatore’s (chance of holding hands: possible)
3. Ice Skating (chance of holding hands: definite)
I wasn’t the only one at the Senior Center thinking about Downtown D’Lights. The staff was busy setting up for the events they were hosting. In the dining room, there would be make-your-own gingerbread houses using graham crackers, frosting, and gumdrops. In the lounge, there would be a storytime for preschoolers, and in the yoga room there would be a snowman-making contest. I smiled when I spotted a huge box of toilet paper in there.
After lunch, I hung up some posters for the Holidaze Spectacular. Big T and Miss Melinda sat in a circle with five other people in the lounge area. They were all knitting, which reminded me of the mitten and hat drive at school. The tree was still pretty bare. I went over and told the group about the drive, and they were super enthusiastic.
“No problem,” Big T said. “We’ll get to work on it right away.”
“Sasha.” Miss Melinda handed me a hat. “This is for you.”
For me? It was really cute—a black cap with a small red flower embroidered on the front.
“I was going to give it to you for the holidays but now seemed like a good time.”
“Wow, thank you!” It was so soft. “I love it.” I felt special knowing she’d made it just for me.
“I’m so happy you like it.” She smiled.
I gave Miss Melinda a hug. “Thank you so much.” I definitely needed a hat, and now I had the perfect one. “I’ll wear it tonight.”
“Do you have a big date?” Miss Melinda nudged my arm. “For D’Lights Night?”
Embarrassed, I mumbled, “Sort of.”
“I’m glad one of us does,” Miss Melinda said, winking at Big T. Everyone laughed, including me.
A big date! I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Tonight Kevin and I would officially exit the friend zone. Tonight was the start of Kevasha!
At four o’clock, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and did my makeup. With the exception of dance recitals, where the rule was “the more the better,” I didn’t usually wear makeup. I started with foundation and then dotted cover-up on a couple of zits. By the time I brushed the blush across my cheeks, I was feeling pretty good but when I was done, I checked my face in the mirror and I wasn’t so sure. The foundation looked too light and the eyeliner made my eyes look a little mean. Not exactly the look I was going for. I decided to FaceTime Claire.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“The bathroom. I need you to check my makeup.” I turned my face from side to side. “How does it look?”
“Too much blush,” Claire said. “And that eyeliner, it’s got to go—and the foundation—”
“What should I do?” I rubbed my cheeks and looked at my hands. They were streaked with tan-colored foundation. I was starting to freak out.
“Wash your face.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Wash it all off. All you need is a little lip gloss or maybe just some lip balm.”
“That’s it?”
“It’s cold there, right?”
“Freezing.”
“Your cheeks will be rosy from being outside.” On the screen, she touched her chin. “Just put a little cover up on that.”
With my hand, I covered the zit on my chin. “Okay.”
After the call ended, I did what Claire told me to do. And without the thick layer of makeup, I felt much better. Much more me.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Mom looked up from her laptop and smiled. “You’re growing up, Sash. I remember the first time we took you to Downtown D’Lights—you were in a stroller. And now look at you, heading off with your friends.”
“With Kevin,” I corrected her. “Just the two of us. We’re going together.”
“Right,” Mom said. But I was surprised. I thought she’d get all gushy about this being my first date, but she didn’t. “Have fun, and don’t forget to thank Mrs. Hall for driving you.”
At the door, I zipped up my coat. “Mom, are you going to go to any of the events?” I suddenly felt sad about Mom being alone in the apartment on a night that had always been something fun we did as a family.
“Not this year.” She tapped the textbook next to her. “With exams coming up, I need to study.”
“Okay.” I put my hand on the doorknob.
“Please tell me you’re wearing a hat,” Mom said.
I pivot-turned as I put on the black hat Miss Melinda made for me. “Ta-da!”
“Cute!” Mom gave me a thumb-up. “Very cute.” And although I didn’t exactly think of Mom as a fashionista, her approval still made me feel good.
“They’re here.” I looked down at a text from Kevin. “Bye!”
Halfway down the stairs, my stomach started to flutter. I’d never been on a date before! I was excited, but nervous too. Sure, it was only Kevin. But Kevin wasn’t just Kevin anymore.
Failure was not an option.
Chapter Thirteen
DOWNTOWN DELIGHTS AND DISASTERS
I’d ridden in the Hall’s station wagon a hundred times before, but seeing it parked in front of the building that night, I felt as excited as if it were a stretch limo waiting for me. As I neared the car door, I inhaled deeply, doing a yoga breath. It usually helped calm my nerves, but the coldness of the air surprised me and when I exhaled, I started coughing uncontrollably.
“You okay?” Kevin asked, peering around from the front seat as I slid into the backseat.
“Yeah.” I was relieved the coughing had stopped, but I was disappointed Kevin was in the front seat. I’d imagined the two of us in the backseat together.
Mrs. Hall turned around too. “Sasha, I love your hat!”
“Thank you.” I touched the embroidered flower. “Miss Melinda, at the Senior Center, gave it to me. She made it.”
“Wow!” Kevin said. “That’s really nice. If only I had the top hat, then we’d really be stylin’.”
“Top hat?” Mrs. Hall asked as she started driving.
“Ryan gave me this awesome top hat. He thought it would be good for the Holidaze Spectacular.”
“That was nice of him,” Mrs. Hall said.
“Yeah, wasn’t it? But Sasha vetoed it. She said it was too much.”
“Hmm.” Mrs. Hall glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “I think I’ll side with Sasha on this one.”
“Mrs. Hall, if you saw it …” I shook my head and shivered.
“You’d love it, Mom.” Kevin faced me. “You are going to give it back to me, right?”
“Right after the show, it’s all yours.”
Kevin groaned; Mrs. Hall and I laughed.
“Do you want me to drive you to the top of Main Street or do you want to start somewhere else?” Mrs. Hall asked.
“The ice skating rink.” Kevin turned in his seat to face me. “Right?”
“Actually …” I needed to stick to my schedule. “I was thinking we could start with the snowman-making contest at the Senior Center. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
“Oh, I remember that one,” Mrs. Hall said, laughing. “That’s when you wrap your partner in toilet paper and then decorate them like a snowman.”
As we drove thro
ugh town, Mrs. Hall turned up the radio. She and Kevin sang along to a corny holiday song, hamming up the chorus. I looked out the window at the houses decked out with holiday decorations. Lights, inflatable dreidels and Santas, and life-size reindeer. My favorite lights were the white ones—not the white-white ones, but the ones with the warm golden glow. That’s the kind we decorated our old house with. Claire and I would trail behind Dad as he strung the lights over the bushes, and then we’d stand on the ground handing him strands of lights as he climbed a ladder to reach the top of the big pine tree.
When Mrs. Hall turned down Main Street, I spotted Anna and Mira on the crowded sidewalk. Main Street hadn’t seen this many people since, well, last year’s Downtown D’Lights.
Mrs. Hall dropped us off in front of the Senior Center. “Call me if you need a ride. Dad and I will be shopping, but who knows, maybe we’ll join you later at the ice skating rink.”
“Ahh. Please don’t,” Kevin said. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Have fun, and if you see Karly, she’d better be wearing a hat.”
“Karly’s here?” I asked Kevin as we headed up the steps.
“Did you think she’d miss D’Lights Night?”
“No.” I knew Karly loved it. Last year, she’d made the entire Hall family walk around wearing elf hats. “But …”
“She’s with the team.” He shrugged. “Even Quiz Bowlers need a study break, I guess.”
Thinking about Karly hanging out with her new friends (and boyfriend!) bothered me. I knew it shouldn’t, especially since it made it much easier for me to be on a date with Kevin. But still … Karly hadn’t even asked what I was doing for Downtown D’Lights. She also hadn’t said anything about she and Ahmed being a couple.
“Come on.” Kevin pulled me into the lobby where there were carolers and a display of gingerbread houses. “Let’s do this.”
A few minutes later, Miss Melinda handed me a roll of toilet paper, a scrap of fleece, and a hat. “Good luck, Sasha.” The room was crowded with teams. I sized up our competition: there were a couple of Senior Center regulars, a few teenagers, and everyone else was under the age of ten.
“We can win this,” I whispered to Kevin.
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