Nia
It’s Friday. And it’s summer.
Elias
Maybe you should go anyway. I saw your last report card.
Before Nia could hurl another insult at him, he quickly typed out another text.
Elias
While we’re talking, if you were on a date, would you answer if someone called?
Nia
Only if it was an emergency. Why? Are you striking out right now?
He cringed at the fact that he was asking his thirteen-year-old sister for dating advice—not that this was a date—but this was something he had never been good at. He’d had his first girlfriendin fifth grade, Xiomara Ruiz, and she had always accused him of yelling at her, despite him speaking in what he thought was his respectable inside voice. Now that he thought about it, the issue was probably him not using his respectable inside words.
Elias
You gonna give me any advice? And don’t tell me to be myself.
Nia
Be someone else, then. What did they do to have you so pressed?
Elias thought a moment.
Elias
Do you remember that picture someone drew of me that we found at the park that one time? He’s the one who drew it.
Nia
You’re kidding. You stared at that thing for weeks.
Elias
I know. Even though he left out my most charming feature.
Nia
Your dimples? They’re not that charming.
Nia
And you probably weren’t smiling, dummy.
A drop of water suddenly hit Elias’s cheek. He wiped his mouth to make sure he hadn’t spit, but then another drop fell, and then another. Looking up, he realized the drops had come from the sky and were quickly turning into a drizzle. It didn’t take long for the situation to devolve into a downpour, drenching him.
He took cover at a table nearby, hopping on top of it to get as much protection under its umbrella as possible. The diamond pattern dug into his knee as he propped himself up to scan for Dakarai.
He tried calling Dakarai but got a busy signal. He tried again, and the call immediately dropped.
Elias grew anxious, afraid he wouldn’t be able to find Dakarai when he came out of the bathroom. The umbrella, designed for shade and not rain, bowed and buckled under the weight, spilling curtains of water all around him, further obscuring his view. The people rushing for cover were indistinct dark shapes moving through the thick gray mist, as the café lights offered only a blurred glow.
He strained to keep an eye out for Dakarai, but it was getting even more difficult.
