Free A Girl Like Gracie by Scarlett Haven Page A

That’s
it. It’s definitely not a
date.”
    “ Fine, fine,” he says. “But someday,
when we really are dating, we will look back at this moment as our
first date.”
    “ Nope,” I say. “If I ever date you, I
wouldn’t want your father’s fifth wedding to be our first date.
That’s just wrong. I won’t consider any outing with you our first
date until you confess.”
    “ You’re going to make me do that?” he
asks.
    “ Of course,” I say. “But don’t do it,
cause I would say no.”
    “ Why?”
    “ Because I don’t even know you,” I
answer.
    “ Do you at least think I’m cute?” he
asks.
    I laugh at the forwardness of his question.
“I like your hair like that. I also like your eyes. Guys in Korea
only have brown eyes, so it’s weird seeing people with green eyes.
They’re amazing.”
    He grins way too big at my comment. “Amazing
eyes and good hair. I like that.” He glances to me, then back at
the road. “Do you want to know what I like about you?”
    “ You like the fact that I can eat with
chopsticks better than anybody else you know?” I say, just
joking.
    “ Well, that is true. And I do like
that you’re not just American. You’re Korean. And you embrace that
about yourself, even if other people think it’s weird. I also like
how cute you are. It’s not just the way you look, though I do like
that, but it’s the way you talk, the way you dress, the way you
act, even the way you correct our math teacher, even though he
hates you for it. You’re smart. And you never apologize for being
who you are. I like that.”
    “ I’m proud to be a weirdo,” I
say.
    Noah laughs.
    And I’m glad I could distract him from the
awful day he’s had. Maybe, just maybe, I made it not so bad.

Monday, August 29
    Fried chicken.
     
    On Monday morning, when Jace, Alfie and I go
to get in Alfie’s car, I look longingly at my car that is sitting
in the garage. Since the day I got it, it’s just been sitting
there, waiting for me to get my license. I have just over five
months before then, and I’m really sad that it’s taking so
long.
    Claire took me out driving yesterday. She
let me drive her car, which made me nervous. I think her car is
really expensive and I was scared to death I was doing to crash it.
Thankfully I didn’t. But it was a stressful trip, that’s for
sure.
    “ Why don’t you ever drive?” I ask
Jace, once we’re in Alfie’s car.
    Jace’s driver drives him over every morning
and drops him off in a limo. If I were him, I’d take the limo to
school. It would be awesome to have your own personal limo. I think
Dad has one, but we hardly ever use it.
    “ When I was little, I was with my mom
and a drunk driver ran a stoplight and hit our car. My mom died
instantly, and I was in the hospital for about six months. Five of
those months, I was in a coma. They wasn’t sure if I would ever
wake up,” he says. “I have my license, but my dad won’t let me
drive. I’m taking these professional driving courses. Until I
finish that, I won’t be driving. Which means, I won’t be driving
until the summer after we graduate high school.”
    “ Wow,” I say. “I’m sorry about your
mom.”
    “ I was five at the time of the
accident and I don’t remember anything that happened before,” he
says. “I didn’t even know my own father when I woke up. So don’t
feel bad. I don’t miss her. I mean, I’m curious about her, but
that’s it.”
    I couldn’t imagine not knowing my mom. She’s
been a good mom. She’s a great cook. When Alfie and I were kids,
she always cooked for us. When we moved to Korea, things were
different because she was working so hard, but Sunday was our
‘family day’, so she’d always cook me my favorites and I’d have
left overs all week.
    Even when she was working, I could see the
things she did for me. Like I’d come home from school around eleven
at night, and my bedroom would be clean, or my favorite dessert
would be sitting on my bed for me.