by Maurene Goo
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. Kill me now. There’s nothing on TV.”
“Oh man, then let’s switch it to ESPN. The X Games are coming on soon!” David exclaimed.
“Fine by me!” I said, happy to finally have some company. We carried all the Rock Band gear into my living room, where I had been camping out for the first couple days of my wonderful summer vacation.
“So, you’re allowed to have us over, right?” Liz asked, plopping down on the sofa.
“Yeah, I’m just not allowed to go anywhere. Ever,” I said dully.
Carrie waved her hand dismissively. “Whatever. Your parents never really ground you. They always feel bad eventually and cave after a couple weeks.”
“True. But this was the most pissed my mom’s ever been! My summer is going to be hell. I can’t believe I was dreading junior year. School seems like a freaking gift from the gods now.”
Liz’s phone beeped and she pulled it out to read a text. Her eyes flew up to look at me.
“Is that Matthew?” I asked.
Liz smiled uncomfortably. “Yeah.”
During the last couple weeks of school, Liz and Matthew had started talking and hanging out. It was still a little awkward between Liz and me because of it, but I was dealing with it. If Liz was into him then who was I to say anything? I really had no right to be upset about anything — it’s not like Matthew had ever liked me. And Liz had been really sensitive about it, asking me if it was okay. I felt stupid, giving her “permission” like some jilted older sister from a Jane Austen novel.
Now that summer had started, they were spending more and more time together. And I guess texting each other constantly, too. Oh well. I just hoped she didn’t start hanging out with his lame friends.
Plus, I had other concerns on my mind. Like Alex. Who I hadn’t heard a peep from, or even seen at school since the party. And David refused to bring him up again. Carrie, Liz, and I had spent hours speculating and reliving those valentines until I was seeing love letters whenever I closed my eyes. What kind of secret admirer admitted to their love and then just vanished? Was David making this up?
“I’m going to get us some ice cream,” I said, walking into the kitchen.
As I was reaching for my favorite seafoam-green bowls, David walked in. “Hey, can I have some water?” he asked.
“Of course. Help yourself.”
“Cool.” He opened the fridge for the pitcher of water.
As he poured himself a glass, something David had said earlier hit me. “Wait! Did you say you wanted to watch the X Games on TV?” It just occurred to me what day it was.
David nodded. “Yep.”
“You’re not going anymore?!” Clearly, I had to give up my ticket because I was grounded, but David had never mentioned not going himself.
“Nope.”
I stared at him. “What are you talking about? Did something happen to your ticket?”
“Nah. I just decided not to go after all,” he said, shrugging.
This was like a crackhead saying no thanks to crack. Who was this person?
“WHAT? How come?!” If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that David was blushing. “Weeeeell?” I pressed.
He cleared his throat and tried to answer nonchalantly. “Because. I didn’t want to go alone.”
I stared at him again. “But you could have given my ticket to someone else.”
He sighed. “Holly. Get over it. I’d just rather play Rock Band with you guys today.”
“Huh?”
“I think … it’s important.” And with that, he walked out of the kitchen.
I blinked once. Then twice. What was happening to my life? I went back into the living room with the bowls and spoons.
“Ice cream?” I asked. They all scrambled over to me, shoving each other to get to it first.
Well, some things don’t ever change, I guess.
Aw, the last Holly column of the school year. Wipe those tears away. (Tears of happiness for some of you.) I’ll see you all soon enough.
Don’t expect the typical cheesefest of reminiscing about what an awesome year it’s been. This year has not been the awesomest. While I’m grateful for this column and the joy it brings all of you, there were definitely some misadventures along the way.
Being hated by 80 percent of the school? GOOD TIMES!
Being accused of rigging the stupid Homecoming Court? AN HONOR!
Spending the holidays in Las Vegas? HEARTWARMING!
Almost getting arrested at a gross party in LA? PRICELESS!
But the upside to surviving this year? The anticipation of being a junior! No more being a second-class citizen. Instead, I’ll enter the upper echelon of lame high school society.
In order to get there, however, I’ll have to be tortured by an entire summer of SAT school and spend way too much time with my family.
It’s been an interesting year. This column has definitely taught me a thing or two:
Never insult the student government or they will try and get you expelled. Actually, scratch the “never” part. Because guess what, guys? You have always been and will always continue to be a bunch of humorless babies. I look forward to new battles next year.
Sometimes you’re the only one who thinks you’re funny.
The Homecoming Court IS a dumb tradition.
Sometimes people are more than who they seem to be at school. They might surprise you, for the better.
Korean people are not alone in celebrating Christmas in the desert. People of all colors with bad taste do it, too.
Teenage couples take offense when you belittle their feelings. Boo hoo.
A drama-free life is totally underrated. It’s only when you have drama that you appreciate being boring.
So here’s hoping for a decent year of surviving AP classes, enjoying off-campus lunch, and acting stupid with friends.
Because, really, they’re the only ones worth it all in the end. Do you think you’re going to remember a dumb high school party thirty years from now? No, you’ll remember shooting lemonade out of your nose when your best friend accidentally farted on you.
Congrats to the class of 2013. Good luck in all your future endeavors, whether they be college, unexpected pregnancies, or managing the Fashion Valley Banana Republic.
Until September,
Thank you to so many people who have supported this book from its inception many years ago: Amy Kim Kibuishi for her wholehearted recommendation to our agent and her buoying support ever since. Kazu Kibuishi for letting me work in his inspiring studio. Kean Soo for his manly crush-worthy handwriting. Ginee Seo for helping me so early in the process. The Explosion staff from the years 1997–1999 — dorkiest/coolest journalism kids ever. To some of my favorite people and earliest readers who have always encouraged me to write — the inspiration for the friendships in this book: Natalie Afshar, Katherine Ahn, Chris Ban, Maya Elson, Emma Goo, Katee and Lily Kazeminy, Jennifer Li, Erica Pak, and Jill Russell.
Thanks to my agent, Judy Hansen, for her faith in me and her relentless hard work on behalf of me and many of my friends. Crazy thanks to my editor, Cassandra Pelham, who is younger but so much wiser than me.
To all my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who were integral to my childhood but never really as annoying as Holly’s family. To Kristi and Tony Appelhans, for reading and caring. To my sister, Christine, who suffered under my teenage years and somehow never killed me. To my parents, for enabling my lifelong reading obsession and always supporting my decisions even when they made me very poor.
And finally … to my husband, Chris Appelhans, who inspires me to be better. Who sat next to me as I wrote the first line of this novel and who yells at me to get off iChat when I’m supposed to be writing. Who is the most talented and best human I have ever met. Thank you.
Maurene Goo was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she navigated her childhood by practicing extreme bossy lord-dom over her many cousins. She studied comm
unication at the University of California, San Diego, and received a master’s degree in publishing and writing at Emerson College. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a very old cat. You can visit her online at www.maurenegoo.com.
Copyright © 2013 by Maurene Goo
Model in sunglasses photo © hifashion, used under license from Shutterstock.com
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goo, Maurene.
Since you asked / Maurene Goo. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim, the copyeditor for her San Diego high school’s newspaper, accidentally submits a piece ripping everyone to shreds and suddenly finds herself the center of unwanted attention — but when the teacher in charge of the paper asks her to write a regular column her troubles really start.
ISBN 978-0-545-44821-5
1. Korean American teenagers — Juvenile fiction. 2. Student newspapers and periodicals — Juvenile fiction. 3. Journalism, School — Juvenile fiction. 4. High schools — Juvenile fiction. 5. Popularity — Juvenile fiction. 6. San Diego (Calif.) — Juvenile fiction. [1. Korean Americans — Fiction. 2. Newspapers — Fiction. 3. Journalism — Fiction. 4. High schools — Fiction. 5. Schools — Fiction. 6. Popularity — Fiction. 7. San Diego (Calif.) — Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.G596Sin 2013
813.6 — dc23
2012034891
First edition, July 2013
Jacket photography © Nicole Kucera / Flickr / Getty Images
Jacket design by Natalie C. Sousa
e-ISBN 978-0-545-63175-4
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.