“No, no! It sounds really interesting.” I take a deep breath. “I’d love to go.”
He brightens immediately. “Great! I’ll figure out when the exhibit starts.”
Evan grins, and I can’t help but return it. Suddenly feeling shy, I clear my throat.
“What about you? Did you do anything to celebrate your birthday?”
He nods. “We normally take a family vacation during winter break.”
Something about that nags at me, but I can’t figure out why. I hear a gasp and turn to find Mom frozen to the spot, a plate of fried eggplant sitting precariously in her hands.
“Did you say…winter?”
Evan frowns. “Um, yes?”
“Sounds lovely,” Mom replies, though her voice is an octave higher than normal. “Michelle, we need your help in the kitchen.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now,” she says, smiling tightly.
“Okay…”
I stand and follow her back to the kitchen. Once we’re hidden from view, Mom turns and hisses at me.
“I don’t want you spending any more time with Evan.”
I stare at her. “What? Why?”
Dad pokes his head out from behind the refrigerator door. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Go back to cooking,” Mom commands before turning her attention back to me. “Don’t you remember who Auntie Xin warned you about?”
Everything suddenly clicks into place, and I groan loudly.
“Mom, just because she mentioned a winter horse doesn’t mean she was talking about Evan.”
“No, it has to be him,” she insists stubbornly. “There’s no one else that fits her reading, and I won’t give him the chance to break your heart.”
“Mom, wait!”
Before I can stop her, she stomps back out into the dining room. I rush behind her as she walks up to a startled Evan.
“I’m sorry, Evan. I’m afraid something’s come up,” Mom lies. “We’ll have to postpone dinner to another night.”
Evan looks at me questioningly, but I avert my gaze. I know better than to contradict her right now. Though he says nothing at first, Evan eventually nods and stands.
“Of course, I totally understand.” He peers at me. “I’ll text you later?”
“Actually, Michelle’s going to be pretty busy with finals soon,” Mom interjects. “I’d appreciate it if you don’t bother her while she’s studying.”
His mouth falls open. “I don’t under—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll pack the food up for you,” she continues, undeterred. “I wouldn’t want you to go home hungry.”
With that, she clamps a hand onto my wrist and drags me with her. I manage to throw a single, desperate glance back before we disappear through the swinging metal doors. With one eye pinned on me, Mom packs the food into to-go containers before taking it up to the front. I turn to Dad, but he shrugs helplessly.
“You know how your mom gets about those readings. There’s no stopping her.”
Out of options, all I can do is watch as Mom shuffles Evan out the door and out of my life.
—
To make sure I don’t defy her wishes, Mom takes my phone away the minute I get home. Thankfully, she leaves my laptop for school, but she forces me to use it out in the living room. She even hires one of the old staff to work at the restaurant so she can stay home with me. Despite this, I’m able to secretly message Evan through Twitter and apologize for Mom’s behavior.
Was it something I said? Or did?
No, I type back. You didn’t do anything wrong. Things are just a little…complicated right now.
For several minutes, all that appears at the bottom of the chat are three little dots. Then, a single question appears.
Do you still want to go to the museum with me?
Hours later, I still don’t have a good answer for him. Tucked into my favorite armchair, I’m pretending to work on the essay part of my English final. In reality, I’m asking Pri for advice about what to do. I know leaving Evan on read for so long wasn’t fair, but this isn’t an easy decision to make. If I sneak out of the house and Mom finds out, I’ll be grounded for life.
A notification appears on my screen. It’s a message from Pri.
Pick a day and I’ll cover for you. Tell your mom we’re meeting up at the museum to work on our art final.
I minimize the tab as soon as Mom walks past. The minute she walks down the hall, however, I open up Twitter again. Keeping one eye on the doorway, I type a quick reply.
I owe you, girl.
Yup, she sends back. You owe me big.
Firstborn child?
You know it.
I chuckle. Done.
The next message I send is to Evan.
Is it too late to say yes?
I hold my breath as I stare at the screen. Fifteen long minutes later, I have his answer. It makes me smile.
Depends. Is tomorrow too soon?
One hurdle down. One very big one to go.
After practicing my speech several times in my head, I find Mom in the laundry room.
“Mom? Can I meet up with Pri tomorrow so we can work on our art final?”
She eyes me with immediate suspicion. “Why can’t she just come here?”
“We’re supposed to pick a famous painting and write an essay analyzing it,” I answer. “The one we picked out is on display at the Museum of Fine Art.”
“Why today? Why can’t you go later this week?”
“The project is due by Friday, and tomorrow is the only day Pri can go. Plus, the museum has free admission as long as we reserve a spot.”
I’ve said the magic word. Free.
“Okay, but you need to be home by dinner,” Mom says. “I don’t want you going anywhere else either. Understood?”
“Perfectly.”
The next afternoon, I don my mask and take the car to the Museum of Fine Art. I pull into the parking garage and head up to the lobby, where Pri is waiting. We snap a quick picture to send to Mom, and then she hugs me tight.
“Have fun.”
While she heads home, I cut through Hermann Park to reach the Museum of Natural Science. Usually, the museum district is packed full of visitors enjoying the nice weather and free admission. Today, there’s only the occasional family
