Some girls do

Chapter 11: Chaewon

The last thing I expect to see as I step forward to be crowned second runner-up in the Miss Tulip event is Kazuha friggin' Nakamura sitting in the third row of this rapidly overheating pop-up tent thing the town dug up from somewhere. She gives me a little smile and wave, and I nearly stumble as I collect my roses and sash, because what the hell, Kazuha?

It was weird enough that she followed me into the bathroom last night, but this is next level. What is she doing? Is this some kind of revenge for last weekend? Is she gonna serve me papers in front of this whole audience? I mean, I googled her. I know her parents are willing to sue anything that moves.

Shit, I thought it was bad enough she's been hanging out with my neighbor Sunoo, which means I'm inevitably going to run into her going next door someday. I never thought I'd have to worry about her popping up here too.

My fake smile falters for half a second, and I fight the urge to lick the Vaseline off my teeth. I flick my eyes to Mom instead, trying to ground myself in her presence. She's standing up now, her fingers stuck into the corners of her mouth, pulling her lips up like an extra-deranged version of the Joker. I smile bigger, letting my perfectly bleached teeth have their moment in the spotlight, my red lipstick pulled tight as I clutch my roses.

The host keeps going, deeming Kim Minjeong first runner-up and crowning Hong Eunchae the new Miss Tulip, and I stay frozen, staring blankly at the back of the tent, making my mother proud. Beside me Minjeong takes my hand and squeezes. Pageant speak for help me not lose it.

I let myself, for one second, remember when it was Kazuha's hand in mine, and then I stuff it back down. She's not here for any good reason. There won't be any more hand-holding. There can't be.

"Dammit," Minjeong says, the second we leave the stage. "I thought I had this one."

Minjeong and I have been doing pageants together since we were babies. In another life, one where my mom wasn't inherently suspicious of everything and everyone, we'd probably be best friends.

As it stands now, we're more like very polite coworkers.

"Sorry, Winter," I say as we head to the dressing area. "I thought you had it too."

She shrugs and disappears into a blur of taffeta and crying girls, and I head straight for the corner where I stashed my stuff earlier. If I can get out of the changing room and into my car as soon as possible, I'll minimize the risk of both my mother coming backstage and melting down (a frequent and embarrassing occurrence) and having to find out whatever horrible reason Kazuha has for being here. (Which has to be bad. Because, why else?)

I get changed as quickly as possible and grab my kit, pushing past a dozen or so girls. I give Eunchae a quick congratulatory hug, wiping her obligatory happy tears off my cheek, and yank open the curtain separating us from the rest of the tent. Then I lift an emergency flap and duck out the back.

"Hey," Kazuha says the second I'm outside. And shit, we're alone here. Behind the tent. Where no one goes. How did she . . . ?

"Just get it over with," I say, holding out my hand. I've never actually been served with papers before, but I imagine alone behind a tent works just as well as standing in my driveway.

Kazuha scrunches up her face. "Okay."

She slaps something into my hand, but it's definitely not paper. It's my lucky eyeliner, the only real splurge that's just mine. They don't even sell it at Walmart; I have to order it straight from Sephora. I was freaking out all morning looking for it.

"Where'd you find this?"

"You left it at the diner yesterday."

"And you came all the way here just to give it back?" I tilt my head. "Why?"