Half and Half Read Online Free PDF

of them started talking.
    “Hey, why aren't you dancing?” the boy asked.
    Ron grinned, looking a bit embarrassed. “The dancinglooks okay, but I don't know if I can manage all that hopping while wearing a skirt.”
    “It's not a skirt,” protested the boy. “It's a kilt.”
    “Skirt, kilt, what's the difference?” said Ron.
    “I know what's bothering you,” said the boy. “You're afraid people will think you're a sissy. Well, let me tell you …”
    I noticed that Grandpa had been listening to the exchange. Now he moved forward. “Come on, let's get back to the practice,” he said. “We don't have time to waste, and we have to do better in that last reel. Some of you were falling behind in your hops.”
    After another hour of practicing, we were really exhausted. Grandpa declared that we had practiced enough for the night, and we all flopped down on the floor and groaned with relief. I struggled up and helped Grandma serve juice and cookies to the dancers.
    I started talking to the girl I had bumped into earlier. “Hi, I'm Maggie Guthrie,” she said. “This is my first time with the Scottish dance troupe. How about you?” Maggie's ginger-colored curls now hung limp with sweat.
    “I'm Fiona Cheng,” I told her. “This is my first time, too.”
    Maggie took a cookie and looked curiously at me. “You're Chinese, aren't you? Do you know any Chinese dances?”
    “No, my dad hasn't taught me any Chinese dances,” I said lightly. “But I think Scottish dancing is more fun than any other kind. And I'm half Scottish too,” I couldn't help adding.
    Although I tried not to show it, I was bothered by her question. Normally I don't mind looking Chinese. But now I was very conscious that I didn't belong. I felt like a prune in a bowl of strawberries.
    I began to think it would help if I did dye my hair. It would make me fit in a little better with the rest of the troupe. And I was tired of feeling left out. I wanted to blend in for a change.

    At school on Thursday, I told Amanda I was thinking of dyeing my hair. She stared at me. “Do you really mean it?”
    “I'm dancing in my grandfather's troupe,” I told her.“All the other kids have red or auburn hair. One boy has light brown hair, but nobody has black hair like me.”
    “But what will your folks say?” asked Amanda.
    “I don't want them to know until it's all done,” I said. Before I lost my nerve, I quickly added, “I need your help, Amanda. Can I come over after school and dye my hair at your house?”
    Amanda gulped. “Okay. Maybe we can get Melissa to help. Like I told you, she's been thinking about dyeing her hair, but she still hasn't made up her mind to do it.” After a moment, she said, “Maybe seeing you do it will help her decide.”
    Before going to the Tanakas' after school, Amanda and I went to the nearest drugstore to buy some hair dye. I found so many different kinds of dyes that I had no idea what to get. “What color are you trying for?” asked Amanda. It was a good question. I just wanted something that wouldn't make me stick out in the dance troupe. “Well, maybe I should aim for Ron's hair color.”
    Mom's hair is a fiery red, but Ron's hair is closer to the color on the package labeled “chestnut.” So that was what I wound up buying.
    We found Melissa at home. As usual, she looked at me without much friendliness. But her expression changed when Amanda said, “Fiona wants to dye her hair red, Melissa. Can you help her with the dyeing?”
    Melissa broke into a smile. “Sure! Hey, when my mom sees how nice your hair looks, maybe she'll change her mind and let me dye mine.”
    We got to work. Actually, it was Melissa who did all the work, while Amanda stood around getting in everybody's way in the crowded bathroom. Melissa put on a pair of rubber gloves that came with the kit and squeezed the goo from the tube of dye. Underneath the strong perfume, I could tell there was another smell, something chemical. I didn't know