Somebody in the crowd caught Dad’s attention while he was still on the phone. Snapping his fingers, he grabbed me and pointed.
It was Leo.
Dad mouthed the word,Go.
With a sigh, I reluctantly made my way through the crowd and over to Leo.
It wasn’t Leo I had a problem with. Actually, I don’t have anything against Leo at all. He’s one of my only friends who actually knows me and can somewhat relate to me …
No, it was the other thing that bothered me.
The concept.
Thearrangement.
I don’t know when, precisely, it started. I know that it felt like it wasouridea at first, because I can vividly recall Leo and I playing as little kids, and innocently discussing how our lives would be when were husband and wife someday—is that a normal thing for little kids to talk about? I’m honestly asking because I don’t know. Nothing about my life has been normal.
As I got older, though, I began to realize it wasn’t just us talking about it. Our parents talked about our future marriage, too, and seemed personally invested in it happening.
That,I’m pretty sure, isn’t normal.
But when you’re told who your future husband will be from an early enough age, I guess arranged marriage isn’t such a scary thing. It helps when he grows up to be a tall, dashingly handsome young man, and all the other girls pine for him, too. And when he’s your first crush, first kiss, first love, first almost everything?Well, it feels less like “arranged marriage” and more like “fate.”
But the thing is, we’re not kids anymore. And we’renotin love anymore, either. And I’ve started to think that somebody put this idea in our heads from the very beginning.
All I can wonder now is … when doIget a say in any of this?
I sidled next to Leo, who was deeply engaged in conversation with a group of powerful-looking men.
He turned, surprised to see me. “Oh! Tavi! You’re here!”
Fully aware that important people were watching us, I offered a warm and radiant smile. “Hi, Leo!”
He pressed a kiss to my cheek, and we embraced in a swift, affectionate hug. Without missing a beat, Leo smoothly transitioned into introductions. “Allow me to introduce my lovely companion, Ottavia Capuano. If I seem surprised to see her, it’s because I honestly didn’t think she’d make it tonight. Just today, Ottavia completed her third year at Stanford, where she’s pursuing her passion for theater.”
The group responded with impressed murmurs.
“Oh, Leo!” Ever the supportive ‘companion,’ I hooked my arm through his. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
One of the men remarked,“A passion for theater, you say? You must feel right at home among us snakes!”
Raucous laughter filled the air.
If you only knew,I thought, my polite laughter joining the chorus.
3
Year-end Bender
Dakota
The scorching midday sun hung high in a cloudless blue sky when the party started to hit its stride. All the Vegas Sin boys and girls had a buzz going, laughing, talking, and vibing to the upbeat music. Some of the guys horsed around in the shallow end of the pool, whooping and shouting as they played a heated game of pool basketball. In the sparking blue water of the deep end, a group of girls paddled around on colorful rafts and excitedly discussed their summer plans.
I found relief from the heat on one of the many poolside loungers, chilling in the shade of the overhead umbrella. I sipped an ice-cold can of coke, enjoying the day along with all the other guys and girls lounging next to me—when suddenly, a burly voice boomed,
“Cannonball!”
Those of us sitting by the poolside collectively cringed when we looked up and sawTankrunning to the edge of the pool. Some tried to get up and run, some tried to shield themselves, but it was far too late—the enormous power forward was already airborne, his knees tucked against his chest. All two hundred and fifty pounds of Tank cannonballed into the waterwith a thunderous splash, unleashing a forceful deluge of water that drenched everyone in its path. The raft girls shrieked as the churning waters opened its voracious maw, mercilessly swallowing them whole.
