Page 75 of XOXO

These are good questions and I think seriously before answering. “I want to wear something I wouldn’t normally wear but is still me.”

“Hmm,” she looks at me contemplatively. “What about this?” Moving away from her rack, which holds most of her show-stopping outfits, she reaches into her closet and pulls out a little black dress. Except that it’s not black, but a very rich dark brown. “Try it?”

I strip down to my undies and Angela squeals, though she’s seen me naked. Gi Taek covers his face with his comic book. I step into the dress and pull the little cap sleeves over my shoulders. It has an attached choker, which I hook closed, and a sweetheart neckline. Finished, I move toward Sori’s floor-length mirror, but she stops me.

“Put these on first so you can have the full effect.” She pulls out a pair of knee-high boots.

I put them on in the entranceway so that I don’t damage thefloor of the room. Gi Taek and Angela get off the bed to join Sori in crowding around me as I look at myself in the mirror for the first time.

“Wow,” I say, and really that’s all there is to say. The dress fits snugly over my shoulders and chest, flaring slightly out at the waist. The boots accentuate my long legs. “Are you sure I don’t look overdressed?”

“You look hot, Jenny. And you should be overdressed. You’re on a date. You’re with a cute boy. Everyone should know it.”

“Not really,” Gi Taek says. “One clear picture sent toBulletinof the two of you out together, looking all couple-y, and it’s game over.”

“I’mthe one with experience in secretly dating a boy from XOXO,” Sori says, “and I can say that you’ll be safe with Jaewoo. He’s the responsible one. I’m sure he’s taking you somewhere he’s already scoped out.”

I feel a shiver of excitement go down my spine at the thought of spending so much time with Jaewoo. I’m nervous, not just about the date, but also about whether we can even have a real date without the fear of discovery, but I push those thoughts to the back of my head because Iwantto go on this date, and I want to wearthis dress.

“You look great, Jenny,” Angela says, and I smile at her through the mirror.

Gi Taek sighs. “What time is your date anyway?”

“Jaewoo says he’s going to pick me up outside the dorms at two.”

I’m taken aback by the look of shock on all their faces.

“What? Is that weird?”

Sori yells, “We only have a half hour to do your hair and makeup!”

I’m outside at the curb at two o’clock sharp.

At 2:05, Jaewoo hasn’t appeared, so I walk down to the corner of the street to see if he’s coming from that direction. I know he doesn’t have Nathaniel’s phone on him because he said he wouldn’t, so I can’t even text him.

Then a minute later, a sleek, blue car pulls up next to me, with Jaewoo in the driver’s seat. Before he can get out, I open the door and slip inside.

I feel a warm glow as I see how he’s drinking in the sight of me. “You look great.”

“Thanks! I have questions though.”

“Yeah, sorry I was late. There was traffic—”

“First of all, you can drive? And second,you have a car?”

He laughs. “Yes and yes. I got my license early this year. I usually keep my car parked in the garage of our dorms, but I have to drive it now and then to keep the engine fresh.”

He eases away from the curb. He’s not as dressed up as I am, wearing a hoodie and black jeans, but he’s definitely put in some effort. There’s gel in his hair and he’s wearing a pair of stud earrings that are a deep red that sort of match my dress, which is completely coincidental but pleases me nonetheless.

“You want to play some music?” he asks. “You can sync up your phone to the car.”

“Sure.” I reach for my phone and open up Bluetooth. “I can play anything?”

“Knock yourself out.”

I scroll through my song choices. Something about this conversation gives me a sense of déjà vu.

“That night at the karaoke bar, when I was looking for a song for you to sing. An XOXO song was listed in the book, wasn’t it?”

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