Page 9 of The Bad Boyfriend Curse
“Like, what kind of stuff?” I ask. I remember that kid yelling out “vodka” as one of Noah’s favorite things.Of coursethe curse would draw me to trouble.
“Like, there’s this lady,” Sadie says. “I think she used to be a teacher, but now she works at Donut Den. She has a two-year-old, and I heard that Noah is the kid’s father.”
“Sadie, don’t spread gossip you don’t know is true,” Liv says. “He would have been like… fifteen when the kid was born? You could get that woman into a lot of trouble.”
“If it’s true, then sheshouldbe in trouble,” Sadie says.
Liv turns to look at me for a moment, then turns back at the road. “I don’t believe it. People say the little kid looks like Noah, but the lady is Asian. Of course her kid looks half-Asian.”
I bite my lip. To me it sounds like racism is fueling thisrumor. I actually feel bad for Noah. He was a bit of a flirt, but these stories about him and his family feel like they’re just nasty, unsubstantiated rumors. And while his kindness to me doesn’t necessarily make him a “good” person, I don’t know Noah or his story well enough to feel comfortable talking about him like this.
“Either way, don’t trust Noah,” Sadie says. “I mean, the dirt about his brother is definitely true. So Noah’s probably done illegal stuff too.”
My brows knit together.I’vedone illegal stuff. That’s why I’m in CROP. I wasn’t selling drugs or anything, but I can’t assume that Noah was either. He didn’t steal from me like that Kennedy girl—in fact, he got me my earbuds back. I can’t imagine him selling drugs to kids. Or getting anadultpregnant when he was fifteen. And that would be theadult’sfault anyway, not Noah’s.
And… now I’ve been thinking about Noah Jacobs altogether too much today. “No need to warn me,” I say. “I’m not planning to spend more time than I have to with any of those kids.” I wince, belatedly realizing that my statement sounds super classist. “I mean… because none of them seemed to like me, and one of them even stole my earbuds. I got them back, though.”
When we get downtown, Liv parks on the street in front of the café. I get a better look at Liv when she gets out of her car. She’s tall and is wearing black overall shorts with an orange T-shirt. She’s pretty. She and Sadie make a cute couple.
The Brewberry Café is adorable. It would fit in well in Toronto, with its concrete floors, pale pink walls, woodfurniture, and plants in wicker baskets everywhere. It has the regular café stuff like coffees and teas but also has boba tea and some tasty-looking pastries. It reminds me a lot of the café in Chinatown where Keeley, Adanna, and I always hang out. After we order our drinks, we join Sadie and Liv’s friends, who are sitting in this little couch area at the back of the café.
“This is my cousin Meera!” Sadie says. “She’s going to be in Cherrybridge all summer!”
I tilt my head, thinking about her intro. I guess she’s right. Wearecousins now. Stepcousins.
The four kids on the couches are smiling. Sadie introduces them to me: James, Reagan, Kaitlyn, and Quinn. They’re all white except Reagan, who looks East Asian. Reagan and James are practically sitting on each other, so I assume they’re a couple. The whole group is all dressed similarly, kind of preppy and in light colors. Kaitlyn even has a pink headband on just like the one I’m wearing. They ask me what grade I’m in and where I live in the city. But soon they change the topic to sports. Kaitlyn, Reagan, and Liv are apparently on the same soccer team.
“I’m so not sporty,” Sadie tells me.
Liv laughs. “Golf is a sport, babe. You were in the National Youth Champion Tournament last year. That makes you an athlete.”
“I’m with Sadie,” Quinn says. His voice is deep, nasally, and kind of posh. “Golf isn’t a sport; it’s a way of life. Do you play, Meera?”
I shake my head. “Um… no. Golf isexpensive.” And where the heck would I playgolfof all things? I live in a city.
James frowns. “I’m sure there are grants at the club for disadvantaged—”
Reagan taps his arm to make him stop talking, and it works.
I swallow hard. We weren’t wealthy, but we weren’tdisadvantaged, either. So far I’m not fitting in with Sadie’s friends any more than I fit in with the CROP kids. Only difference is that the CROP kids didn’t like me because they thought I was rich, and these kids don’t like me because they think I am, or was, poor.
“I don’t play either,” Reagan says. She at least seems like she’s trying to make me feel better, but I’m not feeling bad about never having played golf. “What are you into? For, like, hobbies and stuff?”
“Mostly art. I have a photography blog,” I say. “I go to a specialty arts-focused high school. But it’s not really a hobby, since I want to be an architect, and I mostly take pictures of buildings.”
Quinn seems interested in my photography and asks some questions, but the conversation soon goes back to sports and school. When Reagan mentions that Sadie isn’t at her school anymore, I ask how many high schools there are in Cherrybridge. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised there’s more than one.
“Four,” Kaitlyn says. “Cherrybridge High; Pineview Secondary; Father Frances, the Catholic school; and Randell Academy, which goes from elementary to high school. Reagan, James, and I go to Randell.”
“Randell is a private school,” Quinn explains, flashing me a wry smile. “Very posh. Think about all your stereotypes of a rich-kid private school, and that’s exactly it. All of us werethere as kids, but Liv, Sadie, and I switched to Pineview two years ago.”
I almost laugh because Quinnisa stereotype of a rich kid. He’s even got the Abercrombie model look. But I hold my tongue. “Why did you guys leave it?” I ask Sadie and Liv.
“So many reasons!” Sadie rolls her eyes. “But mostly because people were weird after I came out. The kids are…mostlyfine. But the teachers are a bunch of ancient conservative dinosaurs. My parents don’t care that I’m gay, but I had to beg my mom and dad to let me transfer to Pineview with Liv and Quinn. My father went to Randell. So did Uncle Jason.”
Liv nods. “It sucked being one of the only Black kids there. I wasn’t about to try to be the only queer Black kid.”
“Yeah, I can imagine that wouldn’t be fun. Is the school you’re at now better?”
