Ninja Girl

by Cookie O'Gorman

  “One, regardless of if they’re together or not, he’s still my client”—I held up a hand when she went to interrupt—”and two, why would that bother me?”

  “Because he’s your first.”

  “First what?”

  Min rolled her eyes. “The first guy who’s shown an interest, the first one who’s come after you. Ash isn’t like the others. He didn’t overlook what’s right in front of him. And honestly, Snow? I think that scares the heck out of you.”

  “Yeah, right,” I said.

  “You are scared,” she insisted, “and that’s okay so long as you don’t let it hold you back. Ash likes you. He does, but he’s not going to wait around forever. If you want him back, you need to find your inner Bruce Lee and go for it.”

  “Wow.” I paused, staring at her. “How long have you been waiting to say that?”

  Min shrugged. “A while.”

  “Well, message received.”

  “Good.”

  The karaoke bar was loud and crowded as we walked inside. And it wasn’t just family and friends. There were a few other dazed customers. Guess they hadn’t expected all the balloons and streamers, the big banner that said Congratulations Min and Bae! I’d been here hours earlier to help decorate, so I’d known what to expect. But Min gasped in delight.

  “Oh my God,” she breathed. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “All Bae Bae,” I said. He’d had such a clear idea of what this party should be. It surprised the crap out of everyone. From the color scheme—blues and silver—to the soft lighting, snacks, and music, he’d planned everything. Even I’d been impressed.

  “Did someone pick up the heart ice sculpture?”

  “Uh yeah, over in the far corner.” I frowned. There was no way she could see it from here. “How’d you know about that?”

  She waved me off. “And the music? Did he include Ingrid Michaelson and a little Girls’ Generation?”

  “There’s a playlist,” I deadpanned.

  “Excellent, what about food? Did Imo bring her famous Dok?”

  “Yeah, she did.” We’d stayed up late adding flowers to the sticky rice cakes. I shook my head. “You planned everything didn’t you?”

  “Of course,” Min sniffed. “You expected me to leave everything to Bae? Please. The man may be fine, but he would’ve had us listening to Jay-Z and eating raw vegetables.” She shivered. “Not at my engagement party.”

  “Good point.” Bae Bae was kind of a health nut.

  Leading Min-Hee to a table near the dance floor, I did a sweep of the room. I saw Omma talking to Min’s mom; Bae’s parents were talking to her dad. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins, all littered the room. Everyone from The Academy was here, too. But no Ash. Something inside me deflated.

  “Snow, you okay?”

  “Fine,” I said.

  Min was too freaking observant. “Ash will be here. He said he was coming.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Whatever,” Min-Hee mocked, and I glared. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. You’ve got to be nice. It’s my engagement party, remember?”

  “Like I could forget,” I laughed. “Do you know how many balloons I had to blow up this morning? You’re lucky I love you so much, Min. My lips are still tingling.”

  She beamed.

  “You want anything from the snack table? I’m starving.”

  “Just some Dok and a root beer,” she said. “You’re the best, Snow.”

  “I know this.”

  I walked away to fix us a plate. The long table was jam-packed, such a great display of food I got a bit of everything. Unfortunately, when I came back, our table had been infiltrated. Nara, Lisa, and Lynn had taken the other three chairs. Not going to lie. Their sexy chic dresses made me feel extra mannish in my button-up and jeans. Fashion wasn’t my strong suit. And with The Academy struggling, I couldn’t afford chic even if I wanted to. Shrugging, I went to stand by Min-Hee. There was no place for me with them here.

  “Why are you putting so much thought into this?” Nara said. “Just buy some sexy lingerie, and call it a night.”

  Min sighed, taking her root beer from me with a nod. “Because I want to get him something really good.”

  “What are we talking about?” I asked.

  “Wedding presents,” she said back. “Bae’s hard to buy for.”

  “Or you know what?” Nara’s smile was on the wrong side of sleazy. “Forget the lingerie, and give him a lap dance. I’m sure that’d make the big guy happy.”

  “Ewww.” I shuddered, trying to block the disturbing mental image while Lisa and Lynn giggled.

  “Oh, grow up.” Nara eyed my plate with distaste. “God, how can you eat that much?”

  I shoved a rice cake into my mouth and ignored her. “Min, get him some new throwing stars.” Bae Bae had collected them since we were kids. “He’s been looking at this set on eBay for months. They’re pretty sick.”

  “Anyone could get him those,” Nara said. “I still say lap dance is the way to go.”

  “You would,” I mumbled, digging into a seriously delicious cupcake.

  Min frowned. “I don’t even know how to dance. Does Bae Bae know how to dance?”

  “Don’t think so.” Actually, I knew for a fact that he didn’t—which made his engagement surprise for Min that much more awesome. But I wasn’t about to tell her that. Instead I said, “See? Stick with the stars. That’s a perfectly acceptable, non-slutty wedding gift.”

  “I was hoping it would be more romantic than that.”

  “God, Min, don’t be such a baby,” Nara said. Her glare was still fixed on me, but she was spitting her venom at Min-Hee. “Guys don’t care about romance.”

  “Seriously, Nara, shut up,” I said, watching Min’s face fall.

  “What? It’s true,” she said. “Just look at this party. She had to plan the whole thing, and why? Because men are too lazy and uncreative to think of anything romantic.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Yeah, like you would know,” she scoffed.

  Before I could argue, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

  No, not someone—Director Sadie. Crap.

  “Hey, Snow,” she said, smiling. “What are you doing out here? I thought we were supposed to meet backstage.”

  Min frowned. “What’s backstage?”

  “Nothing,” I said and hopped up to lead Sadie away. I had to get her out of here before Min caught on.

  “Hey, aren’t you the girl who did Snow’s stunt reel?”

  Leaning around me, Sadie nodded. “I did. My name’s Sadie.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Min-Hee.”

  “Oh…oh!” Sadie blushed bright pink, accentuating her peaches and cream complexion. In the face of all that pretty, it was even harder to believe Ash’s claim. “Holy smokes,” she muttered.

  Min titled her head. “Your parents own that dance studio on Corner Street, right?”

  “They do,” Sadie said hesitantly.

  “Do you guys do dance lessons?”

  I winced.

  “Yeah, Monday through Saturday.” To me, Sadie mumbled, “Sorry, I saw you over here and wanted to make sure I was in the right place.”

  “No problem,” I said, though Bae Bae was going to kill me.

  It wasn’t just that I’d failed. It was that I’d failed so spectacularly. Judging by the calculating look in Min’s eye, she was putting it together with record speed. Less than ten minutes to show time, too. This sucked. We’d rehearsed tirelessly for the past week. Bae Bae had given me one job: Don’t let Min-Hee find out about the Big Surprise before the Big Surprise. Easy, right? Apparently not.

  “That’s it!” Min said suddenly.

  I didn’t want to ask, but—”What?”

  “Dance lessons.” She looked so happy even her eyes smiled. “That’s what I could get for Bae Bae. Why didn’t I think of it before? Neither one of us knows how to dance. We could do it together as a couple. I
t’s genius.”

  “Yeah,” I said as Sadie sighed in relief. “Great idea, Min.”

  “Did you hire Sadie to film the engagement party or something?”

  Nara snorted before I could answer. “Dance lessons? You really think a guy like Bae is going to want to do that?”

  “I don’t know”—-Min shrugged—”but it sounds like fun.”

  “It is,” Sadie agreed. “I always say the only thing sexier than a guy who can dance is one with a book. Bonus points if it’s Harry Potter.”

  A beat of silence.

  “What?” she said, looking at our confused faces. “Guys who read are hot.”

  “Whatever,” Nara said. She scooted away from Sadie like she might be contagious. “It’s a fact: Most straight guys don’t take dance, and those who do are usually forced into it.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. It was Min-Hee’s freaking engagement party for goodness sakes. She deserved to be happy. “I think Min is right. Bae Bae might go for a little dancing.”

  “You think so?” Min said hopefully.

  “Definitely, he’d love anything you get him.”

  Nara just shook her head at us.

  “Come on, Nara,” I said through gritted teeth. She was so pissing me off right now. “It is romantic.”

  “Romance is dead,” she said back and checked out her blood red nails. “Better Min-Hee learn that now than five years down the road.”

  I was about this close from chucking my last cupcake at her—which would’ve been such a waste—when Koi stepped onto the stage. The suit he wore was a throwback to the 70s: bright turquoise with a nice big ruffle down the front. His hair was even more spiky than usual.

  “Welcome everyone to this momentous occasion,” he said, smiling into the mic. “We’re here tonight to celebrate the engagement of Kim Min-Hee and Park Bae, two of the sexiest Asians I know. This party is going to rock so hard it’ll put all others to shame.”

  The crowd whooped while Sadie and I sat forward, waiting for our cue.

  “Where is Bae Bae anyway?” Min mumbled.

  Koi saved me from having to answer.

  “Our groom-to-be has something special planned for his lady love”—he threw Min-Hee a wink—”but first, I’ve got another surprise.”

  What? I turned to Sadie, who shrugged. She didn’t know what was going on either. We looked back to the stage, and Koi continued.

  “Since this is The Singing Fish, and we support ballsy behavior in its many forms, I’ll now hand the mic over to a friend of mine.” Koi smiled as a familiar figure joined him onstage. I stared. “Ash, you ready, man?”

  “Sure.” He shrugged, but his shoulders were tense. Ash’s hair was a little more messy than usual, his lips struggling to hold that easy grin. In all honesty, he looked ready to bolt. What the heck was he doing up there?

  Koi slapped him on the back. “This, my lovelies, is a man in search of forgiveness. Ash lied to his lady—who I know for a fact is still pissed—and he’s up here tonight to prove just how sorry he is.”

  “What a sap,” Nara muttered, but Min-Hee shushed her.

  “He’s decided to throw his pride right out the window, to make a complete ass out of himself to try and get her back.” Koi looked to Ash. “You sure about this?”

  “Yeah,” Ash said, and took a deep breath.

  Koi shook his head but stepped back, letting Ash take center stage.

  “Wow.” The spotlight popped on, catching him like a deer in headlights. “Didn’t know there’d be this many people,” he said and forced a laugh.

  All the women in the crowd—myself included—were hanging on every word.

  “Truth is I’m better at soccer than singing.” Ash cleared his throat, knuckles turning white as he gripped the microphone. “Snow, I hope you’ll forgive me—both for the lie and the singing.”

  “Awww,” Sadie breathed.

  “I knew I liked him,” Min said.

  I swallowed my shock. “Did he just—”

  “Dedicate a song to you? Yeah, he did.”

  “Oh.”

  The music started, and I recognized the song immediately. I’d listened to it with Ash several times—but until now, it had never included my name. Country, folk, whatever-you-call-it, was officially my new favorite genre.

  “You do realize they changed ‘Ho’ to ‘Snow,’ right?” Nara asked. “So, he’s basically calling you a—”

  We all shushed her this time.

  As Ash butchered Ho Hey, one of The Lumineers’ greatest hits, the simple guitar riff was sweeter than ever. He’d enlisted Koi and Jin-Ho as backup, but he was the one in the spotlight. I knew what it was like to be up there. I knew the guts it took to keep going.

  About midway through, the crowd started clapping along, despite the cracked notes. But Ash never loosened his grip.

  Seeing how uncomfortable he was, I couldn’t help but smile.

  I couldn’t believe he was doing this.

  For me, I mentally added. I couldn’t believe he was doing this for me.

  CHAPTER 16: ASH

  I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

  Honestly, what the hell was I thinking?

  I’d never had a problem performing for a crowd before, but this wasn’t anything like soccer. For one, in a game, there was a great divide between the fans and the players. Here, there was none. I could see every face as they closed in around the stage. For two, I couldn’t sing for shit. And three, if I was this uptight in a game, there’s no way my team would win because I’d screw up every play.

  Kind of like I was screwing up this song.

  Nope, I thought. Nothing like playing in front of a packed stadium—except for the “packed” part. Holy mother, there were a lot of people.

  But I could do this. I had to, for Snow.

  When the last chorus finally—finally—came to an end, I couldn’t let go of the mic. Koi had to help pry it from my hand. I was pretty sure I’d made permanent indentations with my fingers, but hell. Singing was hard. Yeah, people were applauding, but I was pretty sure it was out of politeness—or because it was over.

  Koi confirmed this when he said, “Very nice. Your voice sucks, but you’ve got a set of major league size balls. Mad respect.”

  “Thanks,” I said back.

  “Good luck with the Snow Queen.” He lifted his chin. “She’s over there. I’ve got another act coming up after this song, so you better make it quick.”

  I nodded and stepped from the stage. Relief, pure and simple. The movies made this grand gesture stuff seem a lot easier than it actually was. Guess that was the point. If it was easy, I thought, making my way through the crowd to Snow’s table, if it was less terrifying, it wouldn’t have half the impact.

  I didn’t think Snow knew she was blushing, but she was.

  And smiling. At me.

  That smile made me want to hop back up on stage and sing her another, terrified or not.

  I stopped in front of the all-girl table, aware of the others, but not taking my eyes off Snow. She crossed her arms and fought back her smile.

  “So,” I said, “what’d you think?”

  She shrugged. “It was alright.”

  “Alright?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Just alright?” I couldn’t contain my disbelief. A second ago, she’d been smiling at me like I’d roped the moon. “I know the vocals sucked, but don’t I at least get points for song choice and originality?”

  “Originality.” Snow titled her head. “How is singing a sappy ballad original?”

  “How is...sappy?” Swoon-worthy, my ass. If I’d just done all that for nothing, I was never talking to Spitz again. I ran a hand through my hair, a nervous tick I’d picked up in the last hour. “Dang, ninja girl, give me some credit. I put your name in the chorus if you didn’t notice.”

  Her lips twitched. “I noticed.”

  “You did?”

  “I did,” she said, and there was that smile again. “
Thank you.”

  The words weren’t even necessary; the look on her face was enough.

  “Thank you,” I repeated absently—then thought, she was right. I was a total sap.

  Sadie elbowed me. “Nice one, Ash Cornelius. I’m proud of you.”

  Forcing my eyes away from Snow, I nodded. “Thanks, Sadie.” Why was she even here?

  “Far as I-screwed-up-please-forgive-me apologies go, it wasn’t bad.”

  Min-Hee spoke up then. “Not bad? I thought it was beautiful.”

  “I thought it was sickening,” Nara grumbled next to her.

  “Too bad this next act’s going to blow you right out of the water,” Sadie said, patting me on the shoulder. “Good try, though.”

  “Next act?” I asked.

  Right then, the song that was playing ended, and Koi started talking again.

  “And if one lovesick Romeo wasn’t enough, we actually have two,” he said, gesturing to the crowd. “Anyone who knows Park Bae will tell you he’s not always the most sensitive guy. He’s kinda big and mean-looking. To be honest, he is one scary mother, you feel me?”

  Snow laughed with the rest of the crowd as Min-Hee glared.

  “It’s not funny,” she said.

  “Come on, it’s kind of funny,” Snow said.

  “That’s my fiancée he’s talking about. Bae Bae is going to kick his ass for this.”

  “Calm down, Min.” My ninja girl was greatly amused about something. “Let him finish.”

  “He’s actually the scariest-looking dude I’ve ever met,” Koi added, “which is probably how he got all of us to agree to do this.” Koi shook his head. “Bae totally jacked this idea off of YouTube. He’d do anything for Min-Hee. So, if my fellow Academy members will join me on the dance floor...”

  Snow and Sadie got up.

  “What’s going on?” Min-Hee asked.

  “You’ll see,” Snow said, stepping away from the table. “Just so you know, this really was Bae Bae’s idea—and if you laugh, I’m never talking to you again.”

  A bunch of guys from The Academy flooded the area in front of the stage, each of them wearing a tux. Snow and Sadie were the only girls out there. I had no idea what was about to go down, but Snow’s nervous smile and Sadie’s earlier remark had me curious.