“That’s not happening.”
The little Asian woman walked up to us and crossed her arms. One thing was for sure. Her cold stare was a hell of a lot more effective than his.
“Museun il-iya?” she said. “Noogoon-dae nae ttal-eul chyeodabogo itsut-uh?”
I winced. So, this was Snow’s mother. From what I could tell, she wanted to know who I was—the troublemaker who’d been staring at her baby girl. Shit, and I’d thought I was stealth.
Bae’s lips curved. “Geunyang jiruhan bujajip-ae aeyo ajumoni, geogjeong maseyo.”
I glared at that. Her calling me trouble was better than him calling me a “bored, little rich boy” any day. I was just about to tell him off—in Korean or English, it didn’t matter—when Snow joined us.
“Hey,” she said to the group. An eyelash on her cheek distracted me. I had the crazy urge to brush my hand across her skin and let it keep going…to her jaw, her neck, her… She glanced my way then, and to cover, I forced a grin. “Why are you here?”
For you, I thought, but held back, not wanting to scare her.
Matching her serious tone, I said, “I want to learn self-defense.”
She cocked an eyebrow at Smith. “Looks like he’s got you covered.”
Ah, screw it.
“Alright, alright,” I shrugged. “You caught me. I’m here for you.”
“Me?” she said in surprise. God, she was cute when she was confused. “Why?”
I couldn’t resist. Leaning in close, my gaze locked on her, I plucked the eyelash from her cheek and blew it off my finger, loving the way her eyes widened. “I just wanted to see you, ninja girl. That so hard to believe?”
A strangled sound ruined the moment.
Snow turned to her mother, looking flustered. “What’s wrong, Omma?”
“Snow-Soon, who is this boy?” she said. And that answered that question. The woman spoke English nearly as well as I did.
“He’s just one of the CCDS kids. No one special.”
Ouch. That stung.
Her mom scanned her face then said, “Amudo ahnimyun wae ulgul-yi ppalgae-jyuh?”
“What? I am not!”
Snow’s mom tsked while I tried to translate what she’d just said. When it finally came to me, I couldn’t help but smile.
If he’s no one, then why are you blushing?
Good point, Mrs. Lee. She did look a little flushed, especially when another Korean girl stepped up to us and said, “Hey, aren’t you that guy from the movies? Holy crap! Snow, this is him isn’t it? Hoodie guy, right?”
Snow groaned, but I just laughed. So, she had a nickname for me as well. I took that as a good sign.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” I said, holding out a hand. “I’m Ash.”
“Min-Hee,” she said, smiling. “I can’t believe you’re here. That was some kiss.”
“Kiss?” Bae Bae looked like he’d swallowed a box full of nails. Smacking my hand away, he turned to this new girl with a sick look on his face. “What kiss?”
“Kiss?” Snow’s mom looked even worse. “Kiss? What’s this about a kiss?”
“Thanks a lot, Min,” Snow mumbled.
“Sorry,” Min-Hee whispered. “Imo’s so tiny. I didn’t see her there.”
Snow rolled her eyes. “Mom, calm down. It was nothing.”
“Nothing? You let this boy kiss you? How is this nothing?”
“It was just a kiss.”
The woman came up and poked me hard in the chest. I’d definitely have a bruise tomorrow. “Wae?” Poke, poke, poke. “Wae nae-ttal-hantae kiss hatssuh?”
“Actually,” I said, gently pushing her finger away, “she kissed me.”
“You speak Korean,” she said. Turning to Snow, she demanded, “Did you know he spoke Korean?”
She nodded. “I did.”
“More secrets.” Her mother frowned. “Why couldn’t you just find a nice Korean boy?”
“Omma,” she snapped.
“Plenty of successful businessmen,” Mrs. Lee went on. “Doctors and lawyers. You’re so smart you graduated early. I had always hoped maybe you and Bae might…”
The way Snow’s face turned to disgust and Bae paled told me they definitely were not a couple. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Actually, Ahjumma,”—Bae stepped forward. Seeing the way the big guy had kept hold of Min-Hee’s hand was also reassuring—”we have something we need to tell you both.”
“Bae,” Min-Hee muttered, “I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to her yet.”
“We have to do it sometime,” Bae said softly. “Snow’ll understand.”
“Understand what?” Snow said.
Bae threaded his fingers with Min-Hee’s and kissed her knuckles. I wasn’t so sure Snow would understand anything. Even I could see she looked more puzzled now than ever.
“Min?”
“I tried to tell you, Snow, but…the timing just wasn’t right.”
She turned those fierce eyes to the Asian colossus. “Tell me what, Bae Bae?”
“We’re engaged,” he said, and I watched her face fall. One minute, she was standing there embarrassed at her mother’s outburst. The next, she looked like someone had just run over her favorite puppy.
Guess I’d read that one wrong after all.
Walking out with Smith, I threw a glance over my shoulder. I wanted one last look at my ninja girl. But she wasn’t looking at me. She wasn’t looking anywhere but at the ring flashing on Min-Hee’s finger.
Smith patted me on the back. “Tough luck, man. What’d you say we stop for a drink somewhere?”
“You know I don’t drink,” I said, rubbing my neck, trying to shake it off. To shake her off. “Bad for training.”
“Don’t be an idiot. I was talking non-alcoholic, like maybe a soda. You need something after a disaster like that.”
True enough, I thought. But I didn’t think a little Sprite was going to cut it.
CHAPTER 5: SNOW
Min and Bae Bae.
Min-Hee and Bae.
The party girl and the no-fun, all-business man of stone. My best friends together. Like that. I shook my head. Nope, didn’t matter how I thought about it. That shit was weird.
And depressing.
“…never meant to hurt you. Really. I tried to tell you so many times. It wasn’t like we wanted to keep it a secret, but…” Min trailed off, eyes glancing to mine and then away. She’d been rambling for the past five minutes. I had to work to hear her over the loud music playing in the bar. “I didn’t think you’d understand.”
She was right. I didn’t. Why hadn’t she told me this before?
“Bae and I…we just…we’re just—”
“Just what?” I asked.
A deep breath then, “We’re in love, Snow.”
“In love,” I said flatly. “But you’re eighteen. He’s twenty-one. How long have you been…”
“Three months. We got engaged last Friday.”
I scoffed. In love after three months? Heck, in love and engaged? This had to be some kind of sick joke.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” I asked. “Did Koi put you up to this? If he did, it’s so not funny.”
Koi’s parents owned the karaoke bar we were sitting in. Like The Singing Fish, he was loud and flashy. And he was known for his pranks. Last year, Koi had slicked the Academy floor with butter—which nearly caused Mom to have a stroke when students started going down like bowling pins. He was now indefinitely in charge of cleanup duty. The year before that he’d introduced itching powder to everyone’s jock straps. Even I’d laughed at that one. The guys had been watching their backs ever since. Koi was currently onstage performing a totally off-key, mildly inappropriate rendition of Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” As much as I didn’t want to believe Min would keep something like this from me, it didn’t have the feel of one of Koi’s jokes. Too much drama, not enough laughs.
“It just kinda…happened.” Min shrugged.
“H
ow?” Her sugary sweet expression made me want to roll my eyes. “You barely know each other. Of all the times you’ve come to The Academy, you’ve only talked like twice. You and Bae Bae have absolutely nothing in common. Trust me on that. I know you both too well.”
“I know,” she laughed, “but I couldn’t stay away. He’s so much deeper than he looks, Snow. We talked like you said, and then we started IM’ing every night. He took me out a few times, and I was hooked. He looks at me like I’m the only girl in the world. His touch sets me on fire. Behind that cool façade, he’s bursting with passion.”
Passion? I looked at her like she was nuts. “But it’s Bae Bae.”
“I know,” Min sighed. “Isn’t he great?”
Ugh. If I had to listen to more of this, I was going to hurl.
“Hey, hey!”—I waved Bartender Dan over—”Give me another hit.”
“You sure? Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” I stared the guy down. Being around Mom and Bae had made me an expert. Five seconds later, he caved. “Hey, it’s your stomach.”
“You’re a good man, Bartender Dan.”
He took and refilled my bowl from a special tube behind the bar. It was one of the great things about The Singing Fish. Marshmallow fluff on tap. Koi’s idea. This definitely called for major fluff. After he slid the bowl in front of me, I plunged my fingers into the gooey white mixture and scooped some into my mouth.
Heaven.
“Ewww.” Min grabbed a plastic spoon and shoved it into my hand. “That’s just not right.”
“You and Bae Bae,” I mumbled, shoveling in more fluff. My stomach felt like crap. I was on my fourth bowl, but it distracted me from the ache in my chest. Why hadn’t they told me? “That’s the definition of not right.”
“I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
The spoon stopped midway to my mouth. “Excuse me?”
“It’s one of the reasons Bae and I decided not to tell you.”
“Oh, really,” I said. So, they’d talked about me behind my back. Fantastic.
“We love you, Snow. You know that,” she said, crossing her arms. “But unless you’ve felt what we’re feeling it’s hard to explain.”
“Try.”
Min shook her head at my frown. “It’s not that easy. You wouldn’t—”
I pointed the spoon at her. “If you say ‘You wouldn’t understand’ one more time, I’ll beat the Asian out of you.”
“No, you won’t,” she said.
No, I wouldn’t. But this was crap. “What wouldn’t I get, Min? How the two people I love most in this world besides Omma, the two people who’re supposed to be my ‘best friends,’ have been hooking up for months now behind my back? Believe me, I get it. Neither of you trusted me with the truth. Simple.”
Min’s face fell. “Ah, Snow, it wasn’t like that.”
“Sure sounds like it,” I muttered. “You two are all buddy-buddy now. It’s cool. No need to tell me anything. I’m probably too stupid to understand anyway.”
“Have you ever felt your heart jump when some guy looks at you?” She searched my face. “When he smiles, it’s like the room lights up. When he touches you, your skin gets all tingly and hot, like you’re about to explode. But still, you crave it like nothing else.”
The memory of Ash’s hand on my cheek flashed through my mind. I could still feel his fingertips. The waves of heat racing across my skin.
I squashed the thought. Ash had cut out quick when he heard about the engagement. Before that, I’d seen him teasing Bae Bae. Sure, he’d said he was there to see me, but why would he do that? All I could figure was maybe he saw Bae’s warning to stay away as some kind of challenge. Min said guys like challenges. Bae was out of the picture, so I’d lost my appeal. And now I was losing my best friends, too.
There wasn’t enough fluff in the world to cover this one.
“Snow, you’re not…” Min bit her lip. “What Imo said, you don’t have a thing for him, do you?”
“Who?” I said, inhaling more marshmallowy goodness.
“Bae,” she frowned. “Who else?”
“Oh, God, gross.” I dropped my spoon and took a pull on my third bottle of Root Beer. I was already in sugar overload, but good Lord. What was up with everyone today? “Min, don’t say things like that. You’ll make me gag.”
“Okay, okay.” Min titled her head. “But who’d you think I was talking about?”
I shrugged. No way was I telling her. About Ash or my still tingling cheek.
“Oh my God.” Her eyes widened like she’d made some great discovery. “Snow!”
“What?” I said, taking another sip.
“You’re into that Ash guy, aren’t you?”
Choking, I sputtered, “Nuh-uh.”
She nodded, a satisfied look on her face. “Yes, you are. I know you, lady. You kissed him, and he chased you. It’s what all the great romances are made of. I should’ve called it sooner after that hot kiss.”
“Are you high?” I said, eyes watering. The Root Beer burned a path down my throat, but I forced myself to swallow. “Hell, never mind. You’re engaged to Bae Bae. You must be on something.”
“Just look at that blush.” Min tsked, not buying it. “You are so into him.”
“Min, I’m not blushing. I’m hacking up a lung over here.”
“Didn’t you see how he was looking at you?” she said. “It sent a shiver down my spine, and I’m not even attracted to him.”
“Did you see how fast he left?” I countered.
“The point is that he came to The Academy in the first place. Just to see you. So romantic.”
“Yeah, and then he left without a word. I bet Bruce never got rejected,” I mused. “He was way too cool.”
“Why must it always come back to Bruce?” Min sighed. “And Ash didn’t reject you.”
I snorted. “The only thing he knows about me is that I can’t keep my lips to myself. Oh yeah, and that I beat people up for a living. Real attractive, Min.”
“You are quite the bad ass,” she agreed. “How could he possibly resist?”
I cracked a smile.
Min grinned back. “So, we okay?”
“Always,” I said and then narrowed my eyes. “You just tell Bae Bae to treat you right or else. The guy might be bigger than me, but I can take him and he knows it.”
Min sighed. “Snow-Soon Lee, I love you and your violent ways. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”
I hadn’t known how much I needed to hear those words until she said them. “Love you, too, Min.”
Just then Koi’s voice came over the speakers. He sounded more California-surfer-dude than Chinese-American, and he dressed like a homeless person. His black hair had a life of its own, the long spikes sticking out in all directions. The audience surrounding the small stage was cheering, Koi’s groupies in the front hanging on his every word.
“Thank you, Crispin County! I am seriously feeling the love here tonight,” he said, hand to heart. The crowd ate it up. “The Singing Fish welcomes everyone with open arms. Tone-deaf or pitch-perfect, here we let it all hang out. Balls to the wall, my lovelies. No fear!”
The crowd let out another whoop, but as Koi’s smile widened, eyes searching the crowd, I got a bad feeling.
“In that spirit, I have a special treat for you tonight.” His eyes danced as they settled on our table. “A friend of mine is in the audience, and she’s feeling a little low. Can I get a spotlight on table five?”
The bright light hit me and Min like a sucker punch. No time to duck. Nowhere to run.
“I figure singing always gives me relief. It’s free therapy, man, and I’d like to invite her up to sing out all her woes. What do you say, people? Let her feel the love.”
Min’s jaw was hanging open, eyes wide.
“Snow, my little song bird, get your ass up here!”
Little song bird? Oh, he’d pay for that.
People started clapping. The guy at the next table
over winked at us.
“Don’t be scared now, little bird. Come and share your story with us!”
Bruce wouldn’t be nervous, I thought, standing on stiff limbs. Bruce Lee was a showman, a performer. He’d have strode confidently up there and stolen the show.
I started walking, the spotlight following my every move. Climbing those three steps to the stage was like scaling Everest. The stage lights shined hot on my face. Koi was still smiling like an idiot. He obviously didn’t know I was thinking of all the different ways I could strangle him with that mic cord. I was up to seven when he threw an arm around my shoulders.
“Heard Bae and Min dropped the bomb on you” he said. “I picked the perfect song.”
“I’m going to kill you,” I hissed as he handed me the mic.
“Then I’ll die laughing,” he smirked. Facing the crowd, he lifted his voice, “Let’s give her some encouragement!”
Koi sat at a table near the stage. I squinted and looked for Min, but the light was blinding. I could barely see past the first row of people. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.
Bruce, I thought, just get me through this. Get me through, so I can punch Koi in the face later.
Over the dying applause, I heard the familiar chords of a piano. Locking gazes with Koi, I lifted a brow. Adele? Really? He dipped his chin, a dare in his eyes.
Adele, it was then.
If he thought I’d back down, he was wrong. Bruce never backed down. I didn’t either. I’d only sung a handful of times at The Singing Fish, most of them before I’d hit puberty. By then, I’d been too embarrassed. But I belted out “Someone Like You” as if my life depended on it. The high notes were a challenge. I was pretty sure I hit a few only dogs could hear. If it was someone else, I’d have been laughing my ass off. Didn’t mean I wasn’t going to get him for this later, but Koi had been right. Singing the song was surprisingly therapeutic.
So. Min and Bae Bae were a couple. I could deal. It wasn’t like they were leaving me behind. Like Min said, we were still BFFs. Nothing could change that. The betrayal I’d felt before lessened to a slight pinch beneath my ribs.
And as for Ash…even if he was gone for good, even if I never saw him again, he’d given me a gift. Min had called it hot, but it was more than that. That kiss was one for the record books. I wouldn’t forget it—or him—any time soon. And that was okay. If Adele could get over it, so could I.
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