Page 18 of Next Time Will Be Our Turn
“I’m in block A. What about you?” She said it so casually, as though we didn’t just discover the best news in the world.
“Block D.”
“Cool. Oh, hey, is that a badminton racket?”
I looked down at my shoulder, where my forgotten racket bag was hanging. “Oh. Yeah. I just came back from the school’s badminton club.”
“Nice. I won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
I was exhausted, but I was also wired from everything that had happened tonight. Nothing like this ever happened in Indonesia. First of all, nineteen-year-old guys never popped up and asked me to watch their games, and big sister figures never appeared to drive me home, and lastly, I definitely never ran into anyone cool at my housing complex. But Ellery was probably eager to leave, so I said, “Yeah. Good night.”
“See you around, neighbor!”
I looked back over my shoulder as I walked off, but she was strolling away coolly, without looking back, so I felt stupid for looking. You know what? I like to replay that moment in my head sometimes, and I like to think that she looked back too, only at a different moment, both of us missing the other one glancing back. Story of our lives.
The very next afternoon, as I was doing my homework, my phone pinged with a text.
Ellery:What’re you up to?
Magnolia:Just finishing up some schoolwork. You?
Ellery:Wanna go for a walk once you’re done?
Magnolia:Ok.
Ellery:Text me when you’re ready.
Magnolia:I will.
After that, there was no freaking chance in hell I was going to be able to focus on homework. I jumped up from the desk and rummaged through my closet, looking for an outfit that was cute yet effortless. You might think the fact that I was devoting so much effort into looking nice for Ellery should’ve been a clue that I was into her as more than just a friend, but nope. Girls dress up to impress other girls far more than they do boys. Because when you dress up for a boy, it’s really a fifty-fifty chance whether he’ll notice, but girls notice everything. They’ll tell you they love your new hairstyle and the color of your lipstick and your new skirt. Girls notice the outfits; boys only notice what’s underneath.
In the end, I went for a hoodie paired with jean shorts. I tied up my hair into a ponytail and swiped on some lip balm and blush. Total girl next door. Because that was literally what I was. The thought made me chuckle. It didn’t take much to amuse me.
On my way out, Iris, who was having a late lunch / early dinner, glanced up and said, “Where are you going?”
“A walk.”
She wrinkled her nose, like the concept of a walk was alien to her. “To where?”
“Just around the neighborhood.”
She stared at me for a second, then rolled her eyes. “No one walks in LA.”
“Okay. Um. See you.” As I walked out of the apartment, I fleetingly wished that Winnie were my big sister instead of Iris, and it was such a traitorous thought that I immediately chastised myself for thinking it. I spotted Ellery’s figure leaning against a tree next to the side gate, and all thoughts of Iris flew out of my head.
“Hey,” Ellery said.
I tried not to look too eager. “Hi.”
She opened the side gate and gestured for me to go through first. It was a small gesture, but you must understand that in Indonesia, opening doors for friends wasn’t really a thing. So, yeah, I noticed stuff like that. Tiny details that piled up like little feathers, unnoticeable at first, until suddenly I was covered with them.
“So, how are you finding it here?”
“Pretty good.”
“Your classes?”
Again, I felt that Ellery effect fizzing under my skin, making me feel invincible. You know, I think it was her facial expression. I remember when I first readPeter Pan, the mom, Mrs.Darling, had a special, unseen kiss hidden in her mouth. The kiss symbolized the remnant of Mrs.Darling’s childhood wonderment. Everybody could see it, but nobody could get it out of her. It was just there. At the end of the story, Peter Pan got that special kiss and flew away with it. It was like that with Ellery, except instead of a kiss, it was a smile. Whenever she looked at me, I could just about spot this hidden smile just behind her lips, and it made me want to tease it out of her. So I said, “Pfft, too easy.”
