“Do you just memorize cheesy pickup lines from rappers or something?”

He grins at me and puts the car into gear. “I’m just saying, you’re looking fine.”

I close my eyes for a second. Deep breaths, Kiki. Stay calm. “Anyway, I don’t think things are working out between us.”

Jonas doesn’t even spare me a glance as he joins the traffic.

“Did you hear me, Jonas? I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

He gives me a look.

“What?” I feel strangely defensive. Jonas just has that effect on me.

“I don’t think you’ve given us a fair chance. I’ve been nothing but nice to you. I even invited you to my yacht!”

Oh lord. I resist the almost overwhelming urge to roll my eyes. Can this dude be any more obnoxious? I mean, seriously, his big plea to show his sincerity is the fact that he let my peasant ass on his ridiculous yacht? It’s a fight to keep my voice even as I respond. “Well, I really appreciate that, Jonas, but I just don’t feel any chemistry between us, do you?” Before he can answer, I quickly add, “And there are so many better candidates than me who are just dying to date you.”

Jonas groans. “Yeah, that’s exactly the problem. They’re dying to get with me. Do you know how tiresome that is?”

Poor little rich boy,I want to snap, but by some superhuman effort, I manage to keep my mouth shut.

“The last girl I dated had about as much personality as Siri.” He snorts, turning the wheel and going around a corner. “I would be, like, ‘Where do you wanna go for dinner?’ and she’d be, like, ‘I want to go wherever you want to go.’ I’d ask, ‘What do you wanna do on Saturday?’ and she’d go, ‘Whatever you want to do.’ ” He rolls his eyes.

I sigh. “Okay, that does sound tiring. But you realize it was probably because she liked you so much that she wanted to please you?”

“Yeah, but it’s boring. They’re all like that.”

I bristle at that. “Yes, yes, all girls are the same. There is no space for individualism in your misogynistic perception of the female species.” I should stop talking; none of this is going to get through to him.

“No, it’s just that the ones I keep dating seem to only want to be with me because of my money or my family name.”

“Yeah, because that’s all you offer!” I snap.

Jonas’s mouth parts slightly, but he doesn’t say anything. He looks stunned.

“I’m not saying that that’s all you have to offer—” Well, to be fair, I don’t know that he does have anything else to offer. “But, like, for example, even with us, you were just all about showing off your wealth. Like you so proudly pointed out just now, you took me on your yacht. You feel that the only thing you have to offer is wealth, so you can’t blame your exes for being attracted to you for your wealth. Why don’t you offer them something else? Good conversation. Banter. Ask them about themselves, show some interest in them instead of yourself.”

There’s a moment of choked silence. I can practically hear my words being digested by Jonas. Maybe I was too harsh. But then again, maybe that was exactly what he needed to hear to drop me as a girlfriend.

Then he sighs. “See? That’s what I like about you. You’re so intuitive. And you tell it to me like it is.” He smiles ruefully at me. “Come on, the Spring Dance isn’t that far off. If by then you haven’t developed feelings for me, we’re done. That was the deal, right?”

I release my breath in a long, heavy sigh. The Spring Dance is this Saturday. Jonas is right that it isn’t far off, though in this moment it feels like an eternity. On one hand, I’m sad because, of course, a small part of me had been secretly hoping that Liam would ask me. Not that there was any chance of that ever happening, but try telling that to the stubborn little thing called hope. On the other hand, that means I only have six days left as Jonas’s girlfriend. I can just about manage that. Having an end date in sight is such a relief that I nod quickly. “Okay,” I say before he can change his mind. “Deal.”

“But you have to promise to keep an open mind,” Jonas continues. “You’ve gotta actually give me a chance for this whole thing to work.”

The idea of giving Jonas an actual chance is unthinkable. I don’t even know what that would be like. I’m about to just nod and go along with it, but then I think, maybe he deserves the truth. “You were tormenting me from the very first day I got here and dared to disagree with you. I honestly don’t know how to ‘keep an open mind’ with you.”

Jonas sighs. “Doesn’t the fact that I’m no longer teasing you count for anything? And I told you, I only teased you because I like you.”

I keep quiet then. I don’t see the point in prolonging the discussion. Best thing I can do is go along with it for the rest of the week. Be as pliant and boring as I can be and call it quits right after the Spring Dance.

Of course, as soon as we get to school, it hits me just how hard another week as Jonas’s girlfriend is. We’re walking with each other, with Jonas right in my personal space. It signals to everyone that we’re an item. He even insists on carrying my laptop bag, which is a dead giveaway. Eyes brush over us, take in my bright teal laptop bag slung over one shoulder, and stop, widening. Whispers fly like wind rushing through the trees. I have no idea what to do with my hands, so I white-knuckle it from the entrance of the vast school all the way to class.

Liam glances up when I walk through the doorway, his eyebrows lifting, but Jonas is right behind me, and when he sees Jonas, the light in Liam’s eyes wanes a little. My stomach flips. God, I want so badly to tell Liam the truth. I can’t stop sneaking glances at him as Jonas makes a show of handing me my laptop bag and saying loudly, for the benefit of others, “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

I manage a curt nod before hurrying to my desk, reminding myself to be grateful that Xingfa has such strict rules surrounding dating. No touching allowed on school premises. So Jonas is limited to loudly proclaiming to everyone that we’re going to have lunch together. I should be thankful for every small blessing, really.

“Hey,” I say softly to Liam after I settle into my seat. Should I ask him how his Sunday went? Maybe ask him what he’s reading? I sneak a glance without moving my head but can’t quite see the book title.

“Hey.” Liam straightens up and tugs lightly at the collar of his uniform. He clears his throat. “Do anything fun over the weekend?”

I have to bite my cheeks to keep from grinning wide. “Well, you know. Tried to murder a fish. Failed.”

A smile appears, and god, how is it possible for a guy to be this cute?

“Well, you know, those small fish, they’re known for being deadly.”

“Oh yeah.” I nod solemnly. “Very deadly. It wasn’t small, really. It was big and strong. A real monster.”

“Uh-huh, exactly.” Liam grins at me, and it’s so sweet and sincere that I almost blurt out everything to him.

Is he going to bring up that incredible moment we had on the yacht? Where I was so sure that he was about to kiss me? But for the next few seconds, we just smile at each other expectantly, the moment growing more and more awkward until I clear my throat. “Anyway, how was the rest of your weekend?”

He shrugs. “It was fine. I spent Sunday with my dad. We watched a movie. Sat in Velvet Class.”

“Oh, fancy. Velvet Class is the one with beds instead of seats, right?” I nod solemnly at him. “Yeah, definitely the place to go with your dad.”

Liam bursts out laughing. “We had no idea the cinema would have beds instead of seats! I mean, what the hell? And when we bought the tickets, they didn’t even bother telling us. My dad and I ended up perched on opposite sides of the bed. I had one leg hanging off the side.”

By now, we’re both laughing like mad. “To be fair, the ticket person was probably quietly judging you guys for being weird,” I say.

“Thanks for that insight. Very helpful.”

I give a mock bow. “I try.”

I love the banter I have with Liam, but I’m also smarting at the thought that this is the only kind of conversation I can have with him in person. Only surface-level stuff and nothing more. I can’t talk to him about all the stuff with his mom, his going to see a therapist, or anything meaningful like that. I can’t even talk to him about our real hobby, Warfront Heroes. So I guess that’s that. I’m just going to have to be patient and wait until Jonas and I are officially over before sorting out the mess with Liam.

When Mr. Tan walks in and tells us to go into our respective groups, things become even more awkward. The first thing Jonas says once we’re settled into our groups is “Look at that, two happy couples working together on a bomb-ass project.”

Liam, Peishan, and I glance at each other. I have no idea what’s going through Peishan’s head, but she looks as uncomfortable as I feel, which makes me feel even more shitty, because none of this is her fault. She has a crush on Liam, and she doesn’t know that I have one on him as well and—and—god this is all a mess.

Liam clears his throat. “Uh, anyway. I really like the direction our project is headed.” He gives me a quick smile, and though it lasts for about a second, it conveys so much.

It takes a moment for me to recall where we left off in our last meeting, and when I do, my spirits lift. Because last group meeting, we outvoted Jonas and settled on a game set in outer space. The main character crash-lands on an alien planet and has to scavenge for parts to try to rebuild a working spaceship. It’s basically a gathering/engineering game with a female main character who’s fully covered in a spacesuit, no in-your-face boobs or butt. Jonas whined that it was boring and had no clear target audience, but Peishan made a case that, actually, farming/gathering games are a huge subgenre, and the engineering aspect would make it popular among parents.

We spend the hour coming up with the game’s poster and overall logistics, and I’m surprised to find Jonas actually participating instead of sitting back and sulking. He still makes remarks like “Can the spacesuit be tighter?” and “What about having the main character be a guy so it would appeal to everyone?” but other than that, he’s not actively trying to impinge on our progress, so I’m taking this as a win.

By the time the period ends, I’m actually in high spirits. I believe in our game design. I’m proud of it. I can’t wait to share it with my classmates.

“Great job, everyone,” Liam says.

Peishan beams at him. I try not to grin as widely as she does. I feel like I’m intruding on a moment between the two of them. Jonas wiggles his eyebrows at me, and my smile disappears. God, Saturday cannot come fast enough.

We go to a local boutique that specializes in gowns. The whole store is luxe, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings, illuminating satiny gowns and soft chiffon dresses. Triss and Zoelle squeal and immediately start going through the racks. I linger behind, because even the sight of these beautiful dresses isn’t enough to take my mind off the fact that my date is—ugh—Jonas. I notice that Peishan isn’t diving in either. In fact, she’s looking at me and biting her lower lip. Uh-oh.

“Hey, Kiki,” she says.

I immediately start sweating. “Yeah?” Did that come out as easygoing as I hope it did?

“Um, I just wanted to apologize again for how I treated you when you first moved to Xingfa.” Her mouth presses into a thin line for a second. “I was kind of a bitch to you.”

“What? No, you weren’t.”

“Kind of. But you turned out to be pretty cool, and a great friend. And thanks to you, we came up with a project I actually like.”

“You mean you weren’t into Jonas’s big-boobed, gun-toting main character?” I joke.

Peishan laughs. “It was awful! But see, I questioned myself too much. I thought—well, I don’t play games. Jonas does. So he’d know better what the audience wants. But now I know to trust my instincts more. And I have you to thank for that. So. Thanks.”

I manage to choke out, “No worries.” Guilt and gratitude fight for space in my gut. On one hand, I’m so happy that we’re sharing this moment. On the other hand, I feel so freaking guilty, because we like the same guy and she doesn’t know it. I can’t deal with the guilt, so I break eye contact abruptly and take her hand, leading her to the nearest rack. I grab an emerald-green dress, almost at random, and say, “I think this would look amazing on you.” Fortunately, the dress turns out to actually be really great—a knee-length satin number in a rich shade of green that contrasts beautifully with Peishan’s creamy pale skin.

Peishan’s eyes widen. “Ooh, that is gorgeous.” She sighs happily. “I’m so excited. This is the first year my parents are actually letting me go. The past few years, they said I was too young to go to a dance with”—she lowers her voice dramatically—“boys.”

I place my hand over my heart in mock horror. “With boys! What next?”

“I know, right?” She laughs. “They’re always, like, ‘Next thing you know, you’re a pregnant teen and have made all of us lose face!’ I do love that they have so little faith in me.”

“I wouldn’t take it personally. They sound like every Chinese Indo parent I know.”

“Yeah.” She sighs. “Anyway, have you found a dress yet?”

I shrug. Now that I’m actually talking to Peishan, it feels slimy to want a pretty dress to charm Liam. “I’ll probably just borrow something from my mom.”

“Does she have an entire closet full of custom-made dresses that she wore once for a wedding and then never wore again?”

“Yes! Exactly.” Mami’s closet is bursting with beautiful, expensive gowns that she can never wear again because being seen in the same dress twice would make us lose face.

“Well, you’re going to look amazing, I’m sure,” Peishan says. “Jonas is going to die.”

“If only,” I mutter. Then I feel bad for being so evil. “I mean, figuratively.”

She laughs, then hesitates. “Um, what’s going on with that, by the way? I mean, I totally respect your dating choices, but how did you and Jonas get together?”

My breath releases in a hiss. Oh god, how do I explain this? I give her a stupid little smile and say, “It was just one of those things, haha.” Lord, do I ever hate this situation that I’m in.

Luckily, Peishan just nods and moves on. “Come on, I’m gonna try this on. You’ll have to tell me if it looks good or not.”

I smile weakly, feeling like the world’s biggest shit. Just three more days, I remind myself. Then, even if I can’t bring myself to tell Liam how I feel, I would at least shake off Jonas, which is definitely not nothing.