Free Tagged by Mara Purnhagen Page A

“Are you going?” he asked Lan. She just shook her head no. I handed her the cappuccino and tried to think of a way to change the subject. Eli beat me to it.
    â€œSo thanks to the math whiz here, I passed my precalc test,” he said.
    â€œGood. Maybe you can get that car and I can stop driving you around everywhere,” Brady joked.
    â€œBut I just love having a chauffeur,” Eli said. Lan laughed and Brady smiled and we were all quiet for one awkward moment. Then a car pulled up to the window and Lan and Brady had to move back because there was so little room.
    â€œI’ll talk to you later, Kate,” said Lan as she left.
    Brady followed her out and, as I made change for a crumpled twenty-dollar bill, I saw through the window that they were both standing next to Lan’s car, talking.
    â€œThat’s a good sign,” I said softly.
    Eli leaned over me to get a look. “Good,” he said. Again, I caught the faint scent of his soap and something minty on his breath. I closed my eyes for just a second to breathe it in, then moved away.
    Our customer left and Eli pulled out his laptop while I went over to the sink. “I meant what I said earlier,” he commented while the computer warmed up.
    â€œWhat’s that?” I was rinsing off one of the long-handled spoons we used to stir steamed milk.
    â€œYou helped me pass that precalc test. Thanks.”
    â€œNo problem.” I was thinking about Lan and Brady. If they did start dating, it would probably mean double dates with Eli and Reva, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be coming along. I tried to think of some of the other eligible guys in their group, but no one with potential came to mind.
    â€œYou still following the graffiti story?” Eli asked.
    I sat down in a folding chair across from him and leaned back. “Not really. I guess I’ve been a little distracted by this party.”
    â€œOh. I didn’t think you wanted to go to that,” Eli said. He didn’t look up from his computer, but there was something inhis voice that bothered me. It sounded like he was disappointed, but I couldn’t imagine why.
    â€œI don’t. But Lan does.”
    â€œWould you go if she was going?”
    â€œProbably.”
    Eli finally looked up from the computer. “Why?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. Because it’s big. Because everyone will be there. Because it’s going to be on TV.”
    â€œHmm.”
    â€œWhat? Aren’t you going?” I was starting to get annoyed.
    â€œNope.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause it’s big. Because everyone will be there. Because it’s going to be on TV.”
    â€œVery funny,” I said. “So basically you’re above everyone who wants to go?”
    He smiled. “I didn’t say I was above everyone else.”
    I was suddenly irritated by Eli’s smile. It appeared smug. There was nothing wrong with wanting to attend a big party, even if you didn’t like the hostess. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be social and get along with people and have fun. Eli seemed to be hinting that there was.
    â€œIf you don’t want to go, then don’t go,” I said. “But you don’t have to make other people feel like they are inherently flawed and somehow inferior just because they want to see what all the fuss is about.”
    I got up and stormed to the back room. Eli had no right to criticize me. He could sit there and convince everyone he was a nonconformist, and that was fine. But he had no right to judge others. I shut the door and slumped against the wall nextto a metal shelf stacked with paper cups and tall bottles of flavored coffee syrup. The storeroom had that weird cardboard smell to it. I could hear Eli taking someone’s order and I didn’t feel the least bit guilty for making him work alone.
    After ten minutes, Eli knocked softly on the storeroom