“If my parents say yes,” I said.
“Just tell them it’s a school project,” he said. “See you later.”
“Plus tard,” I called to him as he started away.
He turned back to smile. To me, it looked as if his face actually radiated. I stood there watching him walk off and didn’t even realize that Chastity had come up beside me. She had followed us out of the cafeteria.
“He didn’t ask you out or anything, did he?” she demanded. “We have something to do Friday night.”
“We’ll do it on the weekend,” I said. “I promise.”
“He asked you out?”
I nodded, hoping she would be happy for me, but she turned away in a sulk and walked faster toward the classroom.
I felt sorry for her, but if this was the price I had to pay, then so be it.
I had never been as grateful for my mother having been born in Paris. Vive la France, I thought, and hurried after Chastity.
Some way, somehow, I’d get her to be happy for me, I thought, but when she discovered that Evan was walking me home from school, she was even more put out. It was as if we were still in grade school and she saw my wanting to be with a boy as something of a betrayal.
“Do you want to walk part of the way with us?” I asked her when Evan caught up with us at the end of the day.
“No. I have to do something first,” she said, and quickly walked off.
“She sounded upset,” he said.
“She’ll get over it,” I said.
He smiled. “I wrote out my cell number for you to call later, I hope with a oui, oui.”
I took the card and put it in my jeans pocket.
“I’m sure that with you, I’ll eat and sleep French,” he said.
“Sleep French?”
“I meant dream in French. Do you?”
“No,” I said, laughing.
“Let’s walk. Marchons? I just looked it up. How’s my pronunciation so far?”
I just smiled.
“Well, I won’t mind if it takes me longer than I had thought, as long as you’re my tutor.”
I held my smile, and we started for my home.
It occurred to me as we walked that I hadn’t thought about Roxy all day.
Was that good or bad?
I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before I found out.
5
I wasn’t confident that Papa would approve of my date, but I was hopeful. After all, Evan’s father was an important mayoral assistant. I was sure Papa probably knew who he was. He kept up with politics almost as much as he did with business. I told Mama before I asked Papa, of course. She had become my negotiator. I was glad she said she would present it to him at dinner.