Hey, Jose!

Chapter 4: Metaphysical Moments

She dances like she owns the cafeteria. And when Shinto dances everyone is mesmerized. Joseph tries to look away, but every time he turns his gaze his head feels like it's going to fall off. So he stares as Shinto shakes her ass and waves her arms. He becomes happy.

A blue demon appears and dances with her. His hair is slicked to the side and his eyes are diamonds. He is beautiful. The demon has been sculpted by a horny Michelangelo. Joseph swallows a quiver as he watches the duo grind each other. Her arms are around his neck and his blue hands squeeze her ass.

"You don't like anything on local radio," Local Natives sing. "So you fumble around 'til you land on NPR and listen to the world news."

Joseph wakes up and turns off his alarm. He quickly gets out of bed and into the shower. He roughly shampoos his hair as if to rid his brain of Shinto. He turns up the heat hoping to burn the memory of her arrogance and her beauty. She isn't beautiful like Tasi. Shinto is like those girls in the magazines...she is colorful and attractive, but like those girls are only two-dimensional.

He gets out and dries himself. While getting dressed he worries about seeing Shinto today. Joseph fears once he gets on the bus she'll see his quivery gaze and use it against him. After getting ready he runs next door before Pedro leaves.

Pedro and Joseph had been friends back in middle school until Joseph fell in love with Steinbeck and Pedro started to put on makeup. Neither boy is upset about the drifted relationship. It had just been about playing Mario and watching anime. It is nothing compared to what he and Tasi has.

Joseph makes his way to his neighbor's yard and sees Pedro walking out. "Comosta biyatch," Pedro says as he buttons up his G.W. uniform blouse. "What the fuck are you doing on my yard?"

Joseph sighs at the early morning insult and replies, "Can I ride with you to school? I cannot take the bus today."

Pedro giggles into a manicured hand then says, "Why? You finally realized that the bus is a scoop mobile?"

"Don't call the Chuukese scoops," Joseph replies. He has no idea what Chamorros mean by calling Chuukese people scoops, but he knows that it's cruel. "I need to avoid Shinto."

"Shinto 'Cumslut- Supreme-Party-Girl' Santos?" Pedro asks. "Say no more fam. I got you."

They get into Pedro's four year old green Scion. Inside smells of Chanel No. 5 and Tiger Balm. "Sorry for the old lady smell," Pedro says. "My grandma and her homegirls used my ride for their G.N.O."

"It's cool," Joseph replies.

Pedro plugs his iPhone into the aux and plays Akon's "Don't Matter." "Just jamming our old favs like old times." He reverses out of his driveway and into the street.

"Ummm I was never a fan of Akon's music."

Pedro stops the car. "You want me to drop you off at the scoop stop?"

"No, please. You're music is awesome."

The ride to G.W. is filled with Pedro's middle school playlist and his tales of summer parties. "That Shinto is a super hoe," Pedro claims. "She goes from 0 to 100 bitch real quick. At one party she pushed a girl off a roof. Then Shinto kissed that girl's boyfriend! The nerve of that hoe."

"Well, yesterday she wanted me to pretend to be her boyfriend."

"Ha! You! You're too lame for her animal heart. You're too virgin for her loose pussy."

"Uhh, thanks?"

They park and part ways. Joseph walks to the drama room. Tasi isn't there yet, but he sees his friend Derik drawing a dinosaur on the chalkboard. "Yo, Derik!" Joseph greets.

The short Palauan turns his head and waves. "Hey, Jose!" he jokes. Yesterday Derik was across the cafeteria during the Shinto incident, so he's in tune with Joseph's spite.

"Eww don't go there! I just had the weirdest dream about her last night," Joseph spills. He didn't realize what he'd just said before it is too late. Derik drops the chalk and throws his head back in laughter. The door opens and the drama teacher, Siñot Taitingfong, enters with a Winchell's bag. "What's so funny?" the fat man asks.

"Joseph had a sex dream about Shinto!" Derik bursts.

"No I didn't!" Joseph says. "Our clothes were on the entire dream. And I didn't even wake up with a mess; therefore, it wasn't a sex dream."

Tasi and some of their friends come in. "What are you guys talking about?" asks their sophomore friend Wilbert.

"About how Siñot bought donut holes and isn't sharing!" Joseph lies.

The kids turn their attention to the teacher and demand he give them some donut holes. The subject of Shinto is dropped. And Joseph is able to avoid the star of his nightmare. She is out of sight and out of mind for him for almost the whole day. His first class is Guam History and he's happy to have it with the quirky Siñora Espinosa. Although his second class of the day is physics, Joseph knows it'll be his favorite because Tasi is his seatmate. The day seems so perfect, until third period.

After lunch he makes his way to his last and least favorite subject—math. He walks in and sees the teacher writing on the chalkboard. He is a tall, haole man with brown hair slicked to the side. His rolled up sleeves reveal colorful tattooed arms. Although he seems like a harmless white man, last night he was a blue demon in Joseph's dreams.