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Park looked good in black It made him look like he was drawn in charcoal Thick, arched, black eyebrows Short, black lashes High, shining cheeks

‘Dear Park, I like you soshe didn’t like to think about, about Park, hat he could possibly see in her

Park

The pick-up kept dying

Park’s dad wasn’t saying anything, but Park kneas getting pissed

‘Try again,’ his dad said ‘Just listen to the engine, then shift’

That was an oversiine, depress the clutch, shift, gas, release, steer, check your nal your turn, look twice for motorcycles

…

The crappy part was that he was pretty sure he could do it if his dad wasn’t sitting there, fu it in his head just fine

It was like this at taekwando so new if his dad was the one teaching it

Clutch, shift, gas

The pick-up died

‘You’re thinking too much,’ his dad snapped

Which is what his dad always said When Park was a kid, he’d try to argue with hi taekwando ‘I can’t turn offto turn it off for you’

Clutch, shift, grind

‘Start it again … Now don’t think, just shift

… I said, don’t think’

The truck died again Park put his hands at ten and two and laid his head on the steering wheel, bracing hi frustration

‘Godda on this for a year

I taught your brother to drive in teeks’

If his mom were here, she would have called foul at this ‘You don’t do that,’ she’d say ‘Two boys Different’

And his dad would grit his teeth

‘I guess Josh doesn’t have any trouble not thinking,’ Park said

‘Call your brother stupid all you want,’ his dad said ‘He can drive a et to drive the Impala,’ Park muttered into the dash, ‘and it’s an automatic’

‘That isn’t the point,’ his dad half shouted If Park’s mom were here, she would have said,

‘Hey, o outside and yell at sky, you so angry’

What did it say about Park that he wished hishiht It’s probably what he was thinking now He was probably being so quiet because he was trying not to say it out loud

‘Try it again,’ his dad said

‘No, I’m done’

‘You’re done when I say you’re done’

‘No,’ Park said, ‘I’ain’

Park started the truck It died His dad slalove box

Park opened the truck door and juround His dad shouted his na They were only a couple miles from home

If his dad drove by hiot back to his neighborhood, at dusk, Park turned down Eleanor’s street instead of his own There were two little reddish-blond kids playing in her yard, even though it was kind of cold

He couldn’t see into the house Maybe if he stood here long enough, she’d look out thePark just wanted to see her face Her big brown eyes, her full pink lips Heron as drawing him – really wide and curvy Not psychotic, obviously … Park should never tell her this It definitely didn’t sound like a compliment

Eleanor didn’t look out theBut the kids were staring at him, so Park walked home

Saturdays were the worst

CHAPTER 17

Eleanor

Mondays were the best

Today, when she got on the bus, Park actually smiled at her Like, s down the aisle

Eleanor couldn’t bring herself to smile directly back at him, not in front of everybody But she couldn’t help but smile, so she smiled at the floor and looked up every few seconds to see whether he was still looking at her

He was

Tina was looking at her, too, but Eleanor ignored her

Park stood up when she got to their row, and as soon as she sat down, he took her hand and kissed it It happened so fast, she didn’t have time to die of ecstasy or embarrassainst his shoulder, against the sleeve of his black trench coat He squeezed her hand tight

‘I missed you,’ he whispered She felt tears in her eyes and turned to the

They didn’t say anything more all the way to school Park walked with Eleanor to her locker, and they both stood there quietly, leaning against the wall al The hall was practically empty

Then Park reached up and wrapped one of her red curls around his honey finger

‘Back to o

She was late to homeroom and didn’t hear Mr Sarpy tell her that she had an office pass He slaot a pass frolad she didn’t have him for a real class As she walked to the office, she trailed her fingertips along the brick wall and huiven her

She was so blissed out, she even sot to her office

‘Eleanor,’ she said, hugging her Mrs Dunne was big on hugging She’d hugged Eleanor the very first tiood,’ Mrs Dunne said

Eleanor looked down at her sweater (a very fatin 1968) and at her holey jeans God, how bad did she usually look? ‘Thanks, I guess’

‘I’ve been talking to your teachers,’ Mrs Dunne said ‘Did you know you’re getting As in aled She didn’t have cable or a phone, and she felt like she was living under-ground in her own house … There was plenty of time for homework

‘Well, you are,’ Mrs Dunne said ‘And I’lad there was a desk between the on

‘But that’s not why I called you down here

The reason you’re here is because I got a tele-phone call for you this , before school started A man called – he said that he was your dad – and that he was calling here because he didn’t have your home number …’

‘I don’t actually have a home number,’

Eleanor said