don’t mind, but Gia and I were totally outnumbered by boys.”
Sienna smiles and goes around the group getting hugs. She spends an extra amount of time with Ricky. She needs to stop tripping with that. Didn’t she say she had a boyfriend anyway?
“Let’s go before it gets too late,” Rashad says.
We all follow Rashad’s lead to the subway terminal. Gwen totally exaggerated. There is absolutely nothing scary about this so far. I’m still not one hundred percent convinced, so I’m holding my purse extra tightly. I wish I had put down Melody’s giant leopard-skin monstrosity and gotten my backpack.
Rashad sits next to me on the subway car. Ricky pretends not to care and sits chatting with his roommates. Melody and Sienna catch up on gossip about people I don’t know yet.
“So is Ricky cool with us sitting hugged up like this?” Rashad whispers.
“We are not hugged up, boy. Stop playing.”
Rashad leans back in his seat. “The best friends with secret crushes on one another spend their first summer alone in the big city.”
“Ha-ha. You trying to write a story?”
Rashad grins. “I am here for the creative-writing program, Princess. That’s what I do.”
“Well, your story is fiction.”
“I don’t know, Gia, Ricky seemed to be throwing a lot of shade in my direction earlier.”
“He’s not throwing any now,” I protest.
“That’s a male-ego thing. He can’t let me know he’s pressed. But he is very threatened because he thinks I’m interested in you.”
Dang! Why can’t I wipe this stupid grin off my face? And why doesn’t he stop flirting?
“Well, are you?” I ask.
“Am I what?”
“Interested?”
Rashad laughs out loud. “Why don’t we just let the summer write the story. This is our stop.”
Are you kidding me? Let the summer write the story? Wow on top of wow. This dude really is a writer because nobody talks like this in real life. I mean, for real.
We get off the train, and immediately, I see a difference. The subway station at this stop is darker, and some of the people milling around are beyond special. I feel myself step just a little closer to Rashad. Oooh, wait a minute. How is it that I didn’t notice his muscular arms before? Nice!
Rashad says, “Listen, when we get to street level, everybody stay together. We don’t want Ricky or Gia to get separated or lost on their first time out.”
Okay, sidebar. Isn’t it great how Rashad is totally taking control of the situation? I wish you could see how irritated Ricky looks. Not that I want him to be irritated, but he needs to step his game up: Rashad’s swagger is eclipsing Ricky’s.
Melody loops an arm through mine. “I won’t lose her,” she says. “Come on.”
Oh, my goodness! They told me Times Square was awesome, but they so did not tell me it was like this!
Everything is lit up, there are a ton of people walking around like it’s the middle of the day, and it’s loud like we’re at the flyest house party ever.
“This is too for real, Ricky!” I squeal.
Ricky shouts, “I know, right! Times Square, baby!”
I untangle myself from Melody and grab Ricky’s jacket. How awesome is it that I’m sharing this experience with my best friend?
“Kevin would so love this, Ricky. Take some pictures.”
“Tourist alert,” Xavier says with a giggle.
Ricky and I totally ignore Xavier teasing us about looking like tourists. Whatever! We are tourists.
I point up the street at a brightly decorated storefront. “There’s a souvenir shop! Let’s stop—I want to get a T-shirt.”
“First rule of shopping on the streets of NYC,” Rashad says. “Never buy from the first store you see. I guarantee you’ll see the same shirts up the street for cheaper.”
“Whatever! This is cheap. Two for ten dollars! Let’s get one each, Ricky.”
Melody interjects. “Even though I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything on that table, I’m gonna have to agree with Rashad.”
I look to Ricky for his
Sienna smiles and goes around the group getting hugs. She spends an extra amount of time with Ricky. She needs to stop tripping with that. Didn’t she say she had a boyfriend anyway?
“Let’s go before it gets too late,” Rashad says.
We all follow Rashad’s lead to the subway terminal. Gwen totally exaggerated. There is absolutely nothing scary about this so far. I’m still not one hundred percent convinced, so I’m holding my purse extra tightly. I wish I had put down Melody’s giant leopard-skin monstrosity and gotten my backpack.
Rashad sits next to me on the subway car. Ricky pretends not to care and sits chatting with his roommates. Melody and Sienna catch up on gossip about people I don’t know yet.
“So is Ricky cool with us sitting hugged up like this?” Rashad whispers.
“We are not hugged up, boy. Stop playing.”
Rashad leans back in his seat. “The best friends with secret crushes on one another spend their first summer alone in the big city.”
“Ha-ha. You trying to write a story?”
Rashad grins. “I am here for the creative-writing program, Princess. That’s what I do.”
“Well, your story is fiction.”
“I don’t know, Gia, Ricky seemed to be throwing a lot of shade in my direction earlier.”
“He’s not throwing any now,” I protest.
“That’s a male-ego thing. He can’t let me know he’s pressed. But he is very threatened because he thinks I’m interested in you.”
Dang! Why can’t I wipe this stupid grin off my face? And why doesn’t he stop flirting?
“Well, are you?” I ask.
“Am I what?”
“Interested?”
Rashad laughs out loud. “Why don’t we just let the summer write the story. This is our stop.”
Are you kidding me? Let the summer write the story? Wow on top of wow. This dude really is a writer because nobody talks like this in real life. I mean, for real.
We get off the train, and immediately, I see a difference. The subway station at this stop is darker, and some of the people milling around are beyond special. I feel myself step just a little closer to Rashad. Oooh, wait a minute. How is it that I didn’t notice his muscular arms before? Nice!
Rashad says, “Listen, when we get to street level, everybody stay together. We don’t want Ricky or Gia to get separated or lost on their first time out.”
Okay, sidebar. Isn’t it great how Rashad is totally taking control of the situation? I wish you could see how irritated Ricky looks. Not that I want him to be irritated, but he needs to step his game up: Rashad’s swagger is eclipsing Ricky’s.
Melody loops an arm through mine. “I won’t lose her,” she says. “Come on.”
Oh, my goodness! They told me Times Square was awesome, but they so did not tell me it was like this!
Everything is lit up, there are a ton of people walking around like it’s the middle of the day, and it’s loud like we’re at the flyest house party ever.
“This is too for real, Ricky!” I squeal.
Ricky shouts, “I know, right! Times Square, baby!”
I untangle myself from Melody and grab Ricky’s jacket. How awesome is it that I’m sharing this experience with my best friend?
“Kevin would so love this, Ricky. Take some pictures.”
“Tourist alert,” Xavier says with a giggle.
Ricky and I totally ignore Xavier teasing us about looking like tourists. Whatever! We are tourists.
I point up the street at a brightly decorated storefront. “There’s a souvenir shop! Let’s stop—I want to get a T-shirt.”
“First rule of shopping on the streets of NYC,” Rashad says. “Never buy from the first store you see. I guarantee you’ll see the same shirts up the street for cheaper.”
“Whatever! This is cheap. Two for ten dollars! Let’s get one each, Ricky.”
Melody interjects. “Even though I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything on that table, I’m gonna have to agree with Rashad.”
I look to Ricky for his
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