Page 95 of Rules for Rule Breaking
Three meant they were close to breaking their biggest rule yet.
Two seconds meant he hadn’t breathed in eight whole seconds.
One.
Emmy fired a confetti gun from somewhere behind the stage, and the metallic bits flitted to the ground around them. Some of theseniors sent corks flying, frothy bubbles spewing out of the bottles into the air.
Zero.
It felt like New Year’s Eve, so Bobby did the only thing he could think to do—he kissed Winter in front of his friends, family, and about thirty-five elderly strangers. They whooped and hollered as the two embraced each other.
Kai spun the bingo cage and selected the last ball. “Give it up for Winter Park and Bobby Bae! The last number is... G fifty-eight!” Kai said, and everyone went quiet. “Come on, someone has to have bingo by now.”
Bobby glared at Winter. The way she shrugged and looked back at him with smug indifference was maddening.
“Bingo!” Halmeoni yelled, brandishing her hands in the air.
Kai and Emmy ran up to Halmeoni and informed her that she’d won the pot of almost ten thousand dollars.
“You mad?” Winter asked with a devilish grin.
Bobby bit his lip. “Can I take you home?”
“You’re not sick of being in the car with me?”
“I’ll find the strength to manage.”
Winter Park
47. WE REALLY, SERIOUSLY, WILL NOT BE FRIENDS
Winter was picking her fingernails and biting her lips raw. All she wanted was for everyone to stop kissing her on the cheeks and shaking her hand and telling her how much fun they had. She only wanted them to leave and for all the confetti to clean itself up and all the chairs and tables to put themselves away.
Eventually, it was only Bobby, Winter, Emmy, Kai, and Halmeoni.
“Thank you, Halmeoni, for putting this together,” Winter said, throwing her arms around her grandmother.
Bobby bowed low. “I’m grateful.”
“Geumanhae!” Halmeoni said, dismissively waving her hand. “Flatter me when I’m dead.”
Emmy stepped from behind Halmeoni. “I will never get used to this,” she said, motioning to Bobby and Winter. She hugged them both and walked Halmeoni home but not before making plans to hang out with Winter the next morning before she left for Germany.
Kai was the last holdout.
“This was dope,” Kai said as he looked wistfully at the stage.
“I’ll call you later, man,” Bobby replied, giving Kai a sharp pat on the back.
“Have fun in Nards-sack, Winter!” Kai shouted with a wave as he disappeared through the glass doors. Bobby clenched his jaw.
Finally, Bobby and Winter were alone.
Winter stood by the large windows, looking at the full moon. It was like a hole puncher had been taken to the sky. Bobby came up next to her.
“Did you know the moon only shows us one face?” Winter said.
“And yet it’s never less beautiful,” he replied, and kissed her on the shoulder. “Ready to get out of here?”
