“But why now? The school year will be over in a month. It doesn’t seem worth it to go through being a new boy for so little time when he’ll just have to start all over again at a new school in September.”
“He said his parents thought he should meet kids here, at a smaller school, even for a few weeks, so that he’ll know a few people when he starts junior high.”
“That’s crazy,” Blanca interjected. “Who’d want to be the new boy twice?” But she was already losing interest, her eyes on Casper, who was passing the ship holding a big red rubber ball. “Casper, you want to join us?”
Casper smiled at them; his easy grin, combined with his wavy shoulder-length blond hair and sky-blue eyes, made him by far the best-looking boy on the playground. “Can’t—we’re playing kickball. See you later.”
“I hope your team wins!”
Mimi glanced at Dee so they could roll their eyes at how stupid Blanca sounded. But Dee had her eyes fixed on the entrance. “I hope Osei didn’t get lost. Otherwise he’ll be too late to play kickball.”
Mimi grimaced. Everything Dee did and said would now be related back to the new boy; she would mention him whenever she could, eager to say his name aloud, savoring its special meaning while all around her remained ignorant of the effect. That too was part of the deliciousness, that it was a secret. Even Mimi had briefly fallen for it, using Ian’s name more than she normally would after their moment together by the flagpole.
Here came O now, passing the ship as if in slow motion, turning his head and smiling at Dee as if she were the only girl on the playground. Mimi had a strong sense of being excluded, like standing on the outside of a beautiful walled garden. It made her want to growl like a cat. I should try to be nice about him, she scolded herself. Dee’s my friend, even if she’s going to spend all her time with him now.
She looked over at the boys, swarming like bees around Ian and Casper in the corner of the playground. Kickball was one of the few games boys and girls played together, but there were unwritten rules about it that no one questioned. At morning recess only the boys played; in the afternoon girls could as well.
“I bet Ian will choose O for his team,” she offered. But saying Ian’s name now did not make her glow, as Dee clearly did saying the new boy’s. Mimi and Ian had only been going together for three days, but already she knew she should get out of it. Her stomach hurt when she thought about her plan to dump him at the end of the school day. He was one of those boys who never forgot if he was slighted, who would await his opportunity for revenge, even if it took years. She wasn’t sure now that she could break up with him. She might have to wait for him to get tired of her, and she had no idea how long that would take.
Only one good thing had come out of going with him. Mimi still revisited the sensation of flying around the flagpole at the end of the rope. Whatever else Ian made her feel now, at least he had given her that moment of freedom.
“Casper might choose Osei for his team instead,” Dee said.
“We’re not gonna sit here and watch the boys play, are we?” Blanca complained. “So boring! I’d rather watch the Double Dutch.” She hopped off the ship and headed toward the jump rope area. Blanca was always good at worming her way in; eventually she would get a turn. Mimi’s eyes followed her, tempted.
“Doesn’t O have the most beautifully shaped head?” Dee announced. “And his eyes—when he looks at you he’s really looking at you, you know?”
“I didn’t notice.” Actually Mimi had noticed. “Blanca told me you gave him Snoopy.”
“Yes, we swapped. He gave me a pink case with strawberries on it. It’s so sweet, you’d love it. And so generous of him.”
Mimi considered pointing out that trading was not necessarily that generous since he was getting something too, but thought the better of it. She started to get to her feet. Watching Double Dutch was definitely preferable to listening to Dee talking about the new boy.
“Don’t go.” Dee put her hand on Mimi’s arm. “I really think you’ll like O. When we had geography this morning we were filling out maps of the world with capital cities, and I got to do it with him. He did it so fast, and got them all right. Do you know he’s lived in Rome? And London. And Accra in Ghana, and now here. That’s four capitals he’s lived in! Plus New York.”
“Does he speak Italian?” Mimi was interested despite herself.
“I didn’t ask, but I will if you want. I’m so glad he’s here. I like him more than I’ve ever liked a boy before.”
“Dee, he’s black.” In her irritation Mimi was more blunt than she’d intended, but she wanted to shake up her friend—and punish her, a little, for abandoning her for a boy.
Dee snorted. “So?”
“So…doesn’t that matter to you?”
“Why should it matter?”
“Because he’s different from us. He stands out.” Mimi wasn’t sure why she was saying this; she wasn’t even sure she believed it. She was aware too that she sounded just like Blanca a few minutes before. But she persisted; she wanted to warn her friend of what she sensed lay ahead. “People will make fun of you. Going with a monkey, they’ll say. Not me, of course, but others.”
Dee stared at her. “Are you kidding me? That’s all you’ve got to say about him? You want to tell me he’s too different to go with?”
“No, I…Forget I said anything. I’m your best friend, I just want to make sure you don’t get hurt—not by him, but—”
“His name is Osei, Mimi. Why don’t you call him by his name?”
“OK, Osei. He seems nice enough. But you’re gonna get a lot of hassle if you go with him. And what would your mom say? She’d have a fit!”
Dee turned pale at the mention of her mother, then covered it with defiance. “I don’t care what other people think—or my mother. And I like him because he’s different.”
The boys had split into teams now and started playing kickball. Dee had her eyes on O, out in the field toward the back. “You know,” she added, “I could’ve said things about you going with Ian, but I didn’t.”
I probably deserved that, Mimi thought. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was just trying to help. Don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not. I could be, ’cause what you said could be offensive—to Osei as well as to me. But I know you didn’t mean it. Don’t worry, I can take care of myself.” Dee’s string of adult sentiments sounded unconvincing to Mimi, and condescending. But she merely nodded, relieved her friend wasn’t angry. Dee was too smitten to be.
As she turned to watch Ian roll the ball toward the first kicker, Mimi could feel the tension building in her head and her gut. Eventually it would have to be released.