Page 31 of Rules for Rule Breaking
Everything was happening too quickly.
Winter lost the grip on her phone, and it fell with an unceremonious smack on her face. She threw it to the side and drew the covers over her head.
Bobby Bae
12. WE WILL NOT BE COMPLETELY MISERABLE TO BE AROUND
Bobby lay on the couch in his room, trying to ignore his own stench. He wanted desperately to shower, but Winter had beaten him to it.
He decided to pass the time by texting Kai.
Bobby:Hey. Miss me yet?
Bobby sat with his legs crossed at the edge of the couch as he waited for Kai to text him back. It didn’t take very long. He was probably working his shift at the bookstore, and there wasn’t really much to do in the evenings.
Kai:Let me guess. You and Winter are best friends now and need help picking out matching necklaces?
Bobby:How did you know?
Winter had despised Bobby from the moment they met. He never entirely understood why, but after knowing her for almost a decade, it was clear a friendship between them would have never worked.They were way too different. And now, after today, she’d probably never speak to him again.
Kai:So I guess you haven’t told Winter you’re trying to learn Korean yet.
Bobby:No. And I’m not going to. We talked about this.
Kai:
Kai:wE TaLkEd AbOuT tHiS.
Bobby:Please don’t mock me. I’ve had kind of a shit day.
Kai:Lmao, it’s all love here, bro. You went to Jacqueline’s school, right? How you holding up?
Bobby’s lower lip quivered without his permission.
Bobby:I’m fine.
He knew Kai wouldn’t buy it.I’m finewas in the language of the unfine.
Kai chose to let it go, much to Bobby’s relief, and changed the subject. They continued texting back and forth about a graphic novel Kai had written and was in the process of illustrating. He based a character on Bobby, which Bobby took issue with because hewould never authorize the use of his likeness on a character named Milquetoast. At least he was a superhero, but his Kryptonite was debilitating lactose intolerance.
Eventually, they had to stick a pin in their negotiations because Kai had to get back to work. Bobby was left to his own thoughts again. He heard Winter vacate the bathroom, and he tried to will himself to get up but failed. Instead, he leaned back and turned on the TV.
Winter Park
13. WE WILL STAY OUT OF EACH OTHER’S BUSINESS
Winter went out onto the balcony with a cup of tea and some cookies she’d bought from a vending machine down the hall. The sun had not completely set, so the sky was a deep purple and orange. Normally she would wait for nighttime to sit outside with her tea so she could watch the stars, but she needed some peace and quiet now. Bobby was locked in his room, watching some soapy teen drama. She was going to suggest they get dinner early, but before she knocked, she heard the unmistakable sound of a whimper. The walls in the hotel were like paper, albeit not Bobby’s fancy sugarcane paper.
Winter dipped one of the hard tea biscuits into her mug and wiggled it around until it was the perfect softness. She was a tea aficionado, and under any other circumstance, the black tea that’s offered for free in a hotel would be beneath her, as would a vending machine cookie, but she was willing to make concessions. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Still, the one thing she was not willing to compromise on was the density of her cookie.
Despite being in her element, Winter found it hard to focus on anything but her phone. It was weighing on her as though she had a pocket full of lead. She took a few deep breaths, swallowed her pride, and tried calling Emmy again.
“Hey, you called me two times in a row. Everything okay?” Emmy asked.
In all the time Winter had known Emmy, it had never been this difficult to talk to her about anything.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Winter replied. “I just missed you.”
