Chapter Forty-One: Bảo

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE BẢO

I’m not sure how long I stay seated in the classroom, but the period bell ringing makes me stand. I don’t feel like myself as I walk out, the teacher looking curiously after me.

Linh doesn’t want us.

Somehow I make it to another classroom, and only when Việt arrives do I realize it’s Forensic Science today. He offers a packet of Orbit gum. When I don’t take it, that somehow draws his concern. He waves his hand and I’m forced to look at him, really look at him.

“What’s with you?”

I might have spoken in sentence fragments. Or rambled on and on. Or shouted. Not so sure, but Việt listens the whole time. Today our teacher’s routine lateness is to our advantage, and our classmates are clumped together to one side, watching a YouTube video or something that makes them snicker now and again.

“Do you think she means it?” I ask.

Việt chews his gum slowly. He plays with the corner of his worksheet, which was filled out—reminding me that I left mine at home. Great.

It’s not like I haven’t been rejected before. It’s not like I haven’t disappointed my parents in some ways—and will continue to do so—for a lifetime. But I guess it fucking sucks when I hear it from Linh.

I thought she saw something in me. And I wanted to believe in whatever she saw. I thought we would figure out the truth of us together.

Mr. Lynch enters the room, hungover by the looks of his mussed hair and wrinkled polo. He yawns a “Good morning” while the other students snicker knowingly. I don’t care about that.

I put my head down, feeling just exhausted.

I don’t care about anything.