Page 38 of Rules for Rule Breaking
“I need to call one more moratorium.”
Winter groaned from deep in her throat. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What is it now?”
“Answer me one thing. Would you consider this a park?” he asked, motioning all around him.
“Please don’t be weird.”
Bobby bopped Winter on the forehead with his palm. “Just answer the question.”
She looked around and noted the bench and grass. Her jaw firmed. “I guess it’s sort of parklike.”
“Good,” he said, opening up a chess app on his phone. “Care for a game, Erik?”
Winter’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Prepare to get your ass beat, Charles.”
Bobby Bae
15. WE WILL NOT LAUGH AT EACH OTHER’S JOKES
Bobby looked up the closest beach, and they ended up in Annapolis with a view of the Bay Bridge stretching across the horizon. There were children giggling as they chased one another around the picnic tables and collapsed in the grass. There were families with matching T-shirts, out-of-towners slathered in sunscreen, and more than one ice-cream cone melting on the beach. The sand was warm, and Bobby could smell its earthiness mixing with the salty ocean. Winter was seemingly enjoying it, tilting her chin up so she could lavish in its aroma while drinking up the sun. But Bobby found the smell appalling as the water circled around his ankles.
“We didn’t think this through,” Bobby said, hiking up his pants so the water wouldn’t soak them. “We didn’t bring swimsuits.”
“I did,” Winter said, to which Bobby raised an eyebrow.
“Why aren’t you wearing it, then?”
“Solidarity?” Winter offered.
“You can wear a swimsuit in front of me, you know,” Bobby said, to which Winter shook her head. “Why do you have one anyway? Did you always know you’d be suckering me into going to the beach?”
“Of course not. My mother packed my bag.”
“You can stay dressed, but this is ridiculous. I feel like a wet dog.”
“Please keep your clothes on.”
Bobby ran back onto the sand and wiggled out of his jeans. Winter covered her eyes even though there was no way anyone could tell his boxer shorts weren’t a swimsuit. She pretended to gag as he removed his shirt as well, but her pleased expression was hard to hide. He smirked at her discomfort.
Although the sun was beating on his back and he didn’t typically enjoy the beach, he couldn’t help but feel at ease. It was still early, so not many people were surrounding them, and the blue-green ocean was calm. The waves were more so swirling around rather than crashing, and the seagulls were loudly contributing to the sounds of the ocean. Winter was walking around in the shallows, scooping up sand with the tops of her feet and then shaking it off. Maybe she was right: It was impossible to be sad at the beach.
Bobby opened up Winter’s bag, took out a package of gummy bears, and called to her.
“I’m not looking at you until you put on some clothes!” she yelled back, keeping her eyes firmly planted on the ocean.
“Okay, fine. I’m covered up,” he lied.
She looked over. “What the hell? Did you go into my bag?”
“Yeah... Catch!” Bobby threw a gummy bear right at Winter’s forehead. It fell into the water with a satisfyingbloop.
“What was that for?” She laughed, seemingly in earnest. Did this mean Winter Soon-hee Park enjoyed his company? Alert the presses.
“We’re supposed to be eating in the ocean. You can’t break the law if you don’t catch it.”
“Then why don’t you actually aim for my mouth this time?”
She parted her lips and waited. Bobby took a handful and threw them all, pelting her in the face.
