Page 11 of Rules for Rule Breaking
He stashed his notebook in the console and pulled out of the park in time for it to close. He drove a few more blocks to Winter’s house. They both knew Winter’s parents would be watching from the window, so he got out and opened Winter’s door for her. He then waved at the house, and once Winter was safely inside, he drove off.
Bobby Bae
4. WE WILL NOT TALK ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIPS
Bobby was distracted as he drove home. Something Winter had said had resonated with him. It wasn’t anything to do with breaking rules; he knew he never had and probably never would. Doing anything wrong even for a second gave him severe anxiety. When he was seven, his mom had a pair of ornate vases she’d brought from Korea. Bobby accidentally knocked one over and cracked it. He turned the crack toward the wall so no one could see it, and it was like that for approximately two hours before Bobby snitched on himself. His mother was so impressed with his honesty that he didn’t get in trouble and was instead rewarded with a new skin for whatever game he was playing at the time. He had been chasing that high ever since.
The thing that was bothering him was what Winter had said about Jacqueline Charlotte Turner.
Bobby called Jacqueline over Bluetooth. She didn’t answer the first time. Or the second time. She answered on the third try. “Sorry, Bae. I’m hanging out at Carly Bishop’s house. What’s up?” she said.
He rolled his eyes. She knew that he knew that she and Carly Bishop weren’t friends. The only reason anyone ever went to Carly Bishop’s house was because her parents never noticed when bottles went missing from their extensive collection of liquor.
Bobby cleared his throat. “I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”
“Uh... sure, you can pick me up now.”
“Okay, I’m nearby. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
The Bluetooth disconnected, and Bobby smiled to himself. Being able to prove Winter wrong put him in a good mood, although the drive to Carly Bishop’s house threatened to ruin it. He didn’t much believe in the supernatural, but if werewolves existed, he’d bet any future scholarship money that they lived along the dark, twisty roads it took to get to her house. The crickets screeched into the night, giving the summer its melody, and the yellow light of the streetlamps exposed thousands of swarming gnats.
When he finally pulled up to the dimly lit house, Jacqueline was standing outside trying to figure out how to put her crossbody bag over her head without letting go of her phone. Her usually kempt ash-blonde hair was suffering from whatever she’d put it through that night as it hung in several different curl patterns around her face.
Bobby put the car in park and ran around to open her door, but Jacqueline had already gotten in. He pretended like he was playing a game of chicken and ran right back around to the driver’s seat, jumping in smoothly and refastening his seat belt in one continuous motion. He leaned over to give Jacqueline a kiss, but she turned her head.
“I’ve been drinking,” she said simply. Her voice wasn’t as commanding and robust as usual, and her eyes were half-closed. “Actually, no. Motion to strike. I had three drinks.”
Bobby reached over her into the glove box and retrieved a spare contact lens case and solution. She popped out her contacts as Bobby drove off.
“Did you have fun?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Do you want to find somewhere to look at the stars? It’s a nice night tonight.”
Jacqueline leaned her head against the window. “It’s cloudy, don’t you think? And you’re slouching, Bae.”
Bobby stiffened. “Ice cream, then?”
“May I remind you that you’re lactose intolerant?”
“Italian ice?”
“I’m tired, Bobby. Would you be angry with me if I asked you to take me home?”
So what makes you think you’re dating?Winter’s judgmental voice filled Bobby’s ears. He could imagine what her smug face would look like if she were there. Bobby chewed on the inside of his cheek. Imagining her while he was already agitated wound him up further, and he was afraid he’d say something to Jacqueline he’d regret. He debated simply asking what was wrong, but if he did that, she might actually tell him.
Bobby sighed in defeat and silently took Jacqueline home. When they arrived, he didn’t get out of the car. He didn’t open her door. He didn’t even try to kiss her good night. Jacqueline didn’t seem to mind. She grabbed her things and left, blowing a kiss at Bobby before she slammed the front door behind her. Through the windows, he watched each room light up and go dark as Jacqueline made her way through the house to her bedroom.
“I should have walked her to her door,” Bobby muttered to himself.
The palms of his hands tingled, and he gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to distract himself from the sensation. Heat crept up his body and into his face, and he suddenly felt stifled by his own clothing. He yanked his tucked-in shirt from his waistband and cranked the air conditioner to its highest setting. With his eyes closed, he took in several deep breaths until he felt well enough to drive.
When Bobby got home, his parents were already asleep, so he quietly snuck into his room and gently closed the door behind him. If he slammed it too hard, it made all the medals and trophies he had on his walls rattle. He didn’t want to wake his parents, who worked in... maybe finance or some kind of consulting? Bobby wasn’t absolutely sure what his parents did for money, and it was embarrassing to ask at this point, but he did know they woke up very early. At the very least he knew his mother worked around lawyers but wasn’t one herself.
In the bathroom he stared long and hard at his reflection in the mirror. He hadn’t had a panic attack in several years, but he remembered that when he was younger, sometimes he almost wouldn’t recognize his own face afterward. He would whisper his name over and over while looking in the mirror until he knew himself again.
Bobby lathered his face with cleanser, then violently scrubbed it off, eager to get back to his reflection. “Bae Dae-seong, Bae Dae-seong, Bae Dae-seong. Robert Dae-seong Bae Jr.,” he muttered, before slapping toner onto his face and finishing the rest of his before-bed routine. All the while, his phone stared at him from the bathroom counter.
