CHAPTER 12: ASH
Snow’s lips were like magnets. They drew me in. I knew she hadn’t meant to kiss me, but whatever. Accident or not, I leaned forward, straining for more. I wasn’t about to let her get away.
For a second there, I’d thought the marathon idea was a big mistake. She hadn’t said anything. I’d felt like an ass. Then her eyes had gotten all teary, and I’d really felt like an ass. Now we were kissing—again. It was different but just as good as the first time. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of her.
As Snow leaned back, I held on like a champ.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed.
I couldn’t hold it in. The laughter welled up and out of my chest in a burst. My ninja girl was wide-eyed and apologizing for kissing me? It was too much.
“You said that the first time,” I said and shook my head. “Snow 2, Ash 0.”
She frowned, a line appearing between her brows.
“Don’t tell me you forgot?” I wanted to smooth that line with my lips but held back. Snow still looked a little spooked. “You’ve kissed me twice now. I need to catch up.”
“You don’t—”
“I’m all about equality, ninja girl.” I leaned in, wanting more.
“Stop.” She took a step back. “Ash, we can’t do this.”
“Why not?”
“It’s unprofessional.”
I grinned. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious,” she said and threw up her hands. “You’re my client, for God’s sake. This can’t happen.”
She looked so stern all of a sudden, as if her lips and mine hadn’t been dancing a second ago. Considering I’d been a pansy ass up until this moment, I was glad she’d made the first move (accidentally). But I was tired of pretending.
“Snow, I want to go out with you.”
I hadn’t thought her eyes could get any bigger, but at that, they did.
“By the way you keep kissing me, I’m guessing you want the same thing,” I said.
“I don’t keep kissing you,” she sputtered. “That last time was your fault. You turned into it.”
“And the first time?”
Snow crossed her arms, mouth tight. “Let’s not bring that up, okay? It’s done, finished. I am officially under your mother’s employment now.”
If she thought mentioning my mom would save her, she was wrong. “You’re not denying it. There’s something between us, Snow. You and I both know it. So, what’s the problem?”
“It’s unethical,” she said flatly.
I gaped at her. “You’re serious?”
Snow nodded. “Besides, we’ve only known each other like two weeks. How about we try just being friends?”
“Friends,” I said, mouth twisting around the word. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” she asked. “I have lots of guy friends at The Academy. It’d be just like me and Koi or Bae Bae.”
“Please, don’t lump me in with that asshat.”
“Ugh,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Who says I’m attracted to you anyway?”
I took a step forward. “Is that a challenge?”
“What? No.”
“It sounded like a challenge,” I said, lowering my voice and backing her into the wall. “Girls can’t resist the Stryker charm, ninja girl. I’d watch out if I were you.”
To my surprise, she laughed.
“I’m sorry,” she said between giggles, trying to get herself under control. “But you just looked so serious—”
“Snow-Soon! It’s time to go,” her mother called from downstairs.
“Ah, Snow,” I said and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. Her laughter cut off real quick.
“Snow-Soon?”
“Coming, Omma,” she answered.
“We’ll try it your way for now,” I said. “Just friends.”
“O-kay,” Snow said slowly, probably wondering what my angle was.
I smiled. If I had to pretend we were best buds, I would—for now. Screw ethics. She didn’t know who she was dealing with. Making her admit she wanted me just as much as I wanted her would be absolutely no problem. No problem at all.
* * *
“Wait a second,” Min-Hee paused a small smile on her lips. “You’re here to return a bowl?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Snow and her mom left it at our house.”
“But it’s just plastic,” she pointed out.
I shrugged. “Thought they might need it for something.”
Today was Saturday. No school and therefore no real reason to see Snow this early. But here I was at 9:00 a.m. in the Academy’s front lobby, carrying the box of DVDs and the now-empty kimchi bowl. I’d had to battle Dad for who got the last bite. I won. Returning the bowl had seemed like a good excuse.
Min-Hee didn’t think so.
“You’re kidding me, right?” she said. “A bowl? Really?”
Smith nodded. “I told him it was stupid. Ash, man, let’s get out of here before you embarrass yourself.”
I ignored that. Smith had acted like such an ass last night I still wasn’t talking to him.
“If you want to see Snow, just say so,” Min-Hee offered.
“Alright,” I said, since she was making it so easy. “I want to see Snow.”
Min-Hee smiled real big. “There. Now, was that so hard?”
“Is she here?” I asked. The gym looked packed, the Academy guys walking around in their gis. But I didn’t see Snow. “I saw all the cars outside. What’s going on?”
“Stunt reel.”
“Really? Sweet.”
“You have no idea.”
“Stryker.” Bae Bae came up behind her and threw a massive arm over her shoulders. He didn’t sound happy. “Why are you here?”
“I missed you,” I said and blew him an air kiss. The guy didn’t even crack a smile.
“He’s here to return Imo’s bowl,” Min-Hee said, grabbing it out of my hands.
Bae Bae’s face didn’t change. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, isn’t that nice?”
“Not really,” he said. “She come down yet?”
“Nope, still getting ready.”
“Well, she better hurry. Ahjumma’s in there ordering everyone around like a drill sergeant. I think she and the director are about to throw down. Snow can’t afford to be distracted right now.”
“You’re right,” Min-Hee said and threw me a wink. “Ash, maybe you could get her for us? She’s upstairs, second door on the right.”
Bae Bae shot her a look. “Min-Hee, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Of course, it is.” She kissed him smack on the lips. “I only come up with good ideas.” The big guy blushed. “Go on, Ash. We need to get started.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice.
Ignoring Smith’s muttered, “I’ll wait here,” I jogged up the stairs connected to the hallway, glad Min-Hee was on my side. When I got to the top, though, I slowed. I could hear Snow talking to someone.
“I want to do it,” she said. “I’m not scared or anything, but… I mean, what if they don’t like me? Directors can be really picky. The camera loved you, but I feel like an idiot. Plus, even if they did like me, could I really leave Omma and The Academy?”
I took a few steps closer to the door. It was open, light shining out into the hallway where I stood. There she was, sitting on her bed. I could only see her face from this angle. The rest of her was covered up by a large pink blanket wrapped around her shoulders. It had little black Hello Kitty ninjas all over it. My lips twitched, fighting back a smile.
“The business would go under. You know it’s true,” she sighed. “Plus, now there’s Ash to consider.”
I couldn’t see whoever she was talking to, must’ve been on the other side of the door.
“With all those threats, he could get hurt.” She shook her head. “I can’t let that happen. Ash is a good guy. You would like him. I think—”
Leaning in, I held my breath. It was wrong to listen, but this was too good to pass up.
“I think…he’s got a hot car. I can’t wait to ride in it again.”
Huh?
“He’s okay to look at, I guess,” she continued. “Great eyes, nice hair, but the body could use a little work. His abs aren’t nearly as tight as yours.”
I choked on air.
She grinned at the unseen guy. “And he sucks at martial arts. You’d crush him for sure.”
Alright, that was it.
“Glad to see you think so much of me,” I said, gliding into the room.
“Why, Ash,” she said in mock surprise, “I had no idea you were out there.”
“Where’s your friend?” I asked, looking around. I couldn’t see the guy, but I knew he had to be here somewhere. “Hiding in your closet or something? I swear if he’s naked, I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”
“Naked,” Snow scoffed. “You must be cracked. There’s nobody here.”
I snorted. “I heard you talking to somebody, Snow. I’d love to meet the douche who you think has better abs than me.”
“Oh, him,” she said with a tilt of her head. “Bruce, this is the guy I was telling you about. I forgot to mention he’s also kind of an idiot.”
I followed her gaze and saw the Bruce Lee poster tacked to the other side of her door. Damn. She was right. He did have better abs, and I was an idiot. No wonder I hadn’t seen the guy. He was literally flat as a board.
“Ah,” I said, deflating.
“Didn’t like what you heard?” Snow’s eyes were burning, but I couldn’t tell if she wanted to laugh or kick me in the nuts. Probably both. “That’s what you get for being so nosey.”
“You’re right,” I mumbled. The Bruce in the poster glared back at me, muscles flexed in that eternal badass pose. “You talk to Mr. Lee often?”
She straightened up. “All the time. Why?”
“No reason.”
“What are you even doing here?”
“Came to see you,” I said, holding up the movies, finally taking in the rest of her room. “We never arranged a day for our marathon.”
“Oh,” she said. “Well, I’m kind of busy.”
I nodded. “Stunt reel, Min-Hee told me. She asked me to come up and get you.”
“Of course, she did,” Snow mumbled.
“Whoa,” I said, running my eyes over her walls. “That’s a lot of snow globes.”
“Um, yeah, well…”
I took another step inside. Out of my peripheral vision I saw her jump up, the blanket falling away. But her room was like stepping into another world. Little glass circles covered every surface, including the maze of shelves against her walls. It was a heck of a collection. She had everything from Christmas globes to Harry Potter to the Eiffel Tower. My personal favorite was the Spiderman I saw hanging out in the back.
Snow had her own shelf of movies, too. As I’d expected, it looked like she had every Bruce Lee film ever made. Those were on top. But the rest were…
“Chick flicks,” I grinned, running my fingers over the titles. 10 Things I Hate About You…The Breakfast Club…Clueless...Dirty Dancing. “God, Snow, you are such a girl.”
“Stop,” she said, sounding a little panicked. “Don’t look at those.”
“Too late,” I said. My hand stopped on Pride and Prejudice. “I never took you for a Jane Austen fan.”
She made a strangled noise.
“Ah, The Princess Bride.” I grabbed the DVD and held it up. “Now, this is a classic. I approve.”
“Please, don’t touch.”
Snow reached around me to put the movie back, and I noticed a familiar cd at one end.
“Ah, ninja girl…Taylor Swift?” I grinned. “The car rides have paid off. I knew I’d make a Swiftie out of you eventually.”
As I turned, my mind froze. It was the first time I was seeing her sans Hello Kitty blanket. My mouth dried up. It was physically impossible for me to speak.
“So, I like a few of her songs,” she said. “What’s the big deal?”
The big deal was the cat woman-ish suit she was wearing. Black and shiny, it fit her like a second skin. Her hands fisted at her sides like she was preparing for a fight. The scene was something straight out of an action movie—or my dreams.
The really good ones with R-ratings.
Snow narrowed her eyes. “Well?” she said, hands on hips. “Say something.”
I had to clear my throat twice. “Nice outfit.”
“It’s for the reel,” she said. “The director said I needed something dramatic, a real showstopper.”
“It is that,” I coughed. Shit, I had to get it together. “Made my brain shut down there for a second. You’re like Kate Beckinsale in Underworld.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are—only hotter.”
She shook her head, but I could still see the pink in her cheeks. “You really shouldn’t be up here. Friends don’t say that kind of stuff to each other.”
“‘Course they do,” I said, forcing myself to turn away. I didn’t want her throwing me out just yet. “Besides, me and my guys over at Chariot would’ve looked ridiculous in that outfit. But you pull it off.”
“And the girls?”
I shrugged, going over to her nightstand. “Can’t say I’ve had a lot of those.”
“Yeah, like I believe that.”
I threw a smile over my shoulder. “Most girls don’t want to be my friend.”
“Hmm,” she said noncommittally.
“Girlfriend, yes,” I said. “Girl-who-is-just-a-friend, not so much. You’re pretty much on your own in that category.”
She stayed silent while I examined each of the frames beside her bed. There were only three, but I took my time. The first photo was of her and her mom. Snow was just a baby, and Mrs. Lee looked much younger. There was a brightness in her eyes that I’d never seen before.
“With all the action downstairs,” I asked, “why are you hiding up here?”
“I’m not hiding,” she said.
“Sure looks that way.”
“I was talking to Bruce.”
“Yeah, I heard. Sounded like you were hiding.”
“Well, I’m not,” she said defensively.
“Alright,” I said, pointing to the frame closest to her bed. “Is this your dad?”
Snow nodded. “It was the last photo taken before he started treatments. He died when I was eight, pancreatic cancer.”
I knew that from Smith’s research. She’d recited the words quickly like it still hurt to say them. But the man in the photo was the picture of health. He had black hair, tan skin, and a smile on his face that looked a lot like Snow’s. The final photo was a candid shot of her, her mom and the other Academy members. Mrs. Lee’s eyes didn’t sparkle quite so bright in that picture.
“He looks like you,” I said.
“Really?” she asked. “Everyone says I look like Omma.”
“You do, but you look like him, too.”
“Thanks.”
“Did he write that?” I asked, noticing the words in the corner. In tight but readable cursive, it said: Live your life like Bruce.
“He did.” She smiled, gazing at the photo. “It was something he always said. You want to be happy in life, Snow? Live like Bruce. Defy the rules, and don’t let anything hold you back. We used to watch Bruce Lee movies every Sunday. Every single one until…”
“Sounds like a great guy,” I said after a moment. I couldn’t believe she’d just shared all that with me. She blinked, looking like she couldn’t believe it either. “I’d have loved to meet him.”
“Hey,” she said, “we should probably go.”
“Sure.”
We were silent on the walk down. In the lobby, Smith joined us, falling in behind me and Snow. The air in the gym was charged with excited energy. Every head turned when Snow entered. There was a moment of silence. Then Koi wolf-whistled, and Snow flipped him off.
“So,” I said, facing her, “when’s a good time to do the marathon? What about Monday after school?”
Snow shook her head. “Can’t. I teach classes from four to nine.”
“Okay, Tuesday?”
“I teach then, too. How about Wednesday?”
“I train Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights at Finley’s,” I said. “I usually do Mondays, too, but I figured if you were free…”
She bit her lip. “Doing anything tomorrow?”
“Picking up Veronica from the shop—but then I promised Mom I’d go to this play she’s been talking about for months.”
“It’s alright,” Snow said. “We don’t have to do it.”
“No backing out now, ninja girl. You already agreed.”
“But—”
“We’ll figure something out,” I cut in.
No way was I giving up that easy. Spending time with Snow was integral to my plan, the Get Snow to Realize How Freakin’ Awesome We Could Be plan. I had to make her see how stupid this whole “just friends” thing was. How else was I supposed to get her to admit how she felt?
“Snow, could you tell your mom to stop giving my crew the evil eye?” a voice said from behind me. “She’s scaring Big Tim, and I think Little Tim is hiding in the bathroom. He’s been in there a while.”
Snow groaned. “Not again.”
“And holy smokes! I knew you’d look great, but wow. You are rocking the cat suit.”
Holy smokes? There was only one person I knew who still used that phrase, and I hadn’t seen her in months. Not since I’d switched schools. For that matter, my back was to her, so I wasn’t seeing her now.
“Thanks, Sadie.”
“Who’s your friend?”
Before Snow could answer, I shook my head.
“Now, Sadie Elizabeth, is that any way to greet your first love?” I said.
I pivoted and came face-to-face with the one girl I’d known since birth. Sadie was like a baby sister: slightly annoying, too smart for her own good. She loved to tease me, too, but right then her mouth fell open in shock. That wild blonde hair of hers seemed to float around her head.
I lifted a brow. “I’m crushed you didn’t recognize me.”
“Ash Cornelius Stryker,” Sadie said and flew into my arms. “Jeez, I haven’t seen you in forever.”
Spinning her around, I laughed. “You could’ve asked Mom to come over.”
“So could you.” As I set her down, she punched me in the shoulder. It felt like nothing. “But I guess you were too busy becoming a private school prep.”
“How do you know Snow?” I asked.
“She saved me—or I should say saved my purse—when this guy tried to mug me at the Sonic last year. My goodness, you should’ve seen her, Ash. Snow knocked the guy out with two hits. Right, left, and pow! Down for the count. Can you imagine?”
I could.
“I’ve been working on her reel ever since, pro-bono mostly. Plus, she’s helping me with a new project—but that’s classified.” Sadie raised a brow. “And how do you know Snow?”
“Well,” I said, glancing over, “it’s a long story. You want to tell it ninja girl, or should I?”
Snow shrugged, an odd look on her face. “I’m his bodyguard,” she said.
“Bodyguard?” Sadie gasped. “Is your dad still getting those letters?”
I nodded. “More every day.”
“Oh,” she said with a frown. “Evil political extremists. Well, tell him I said hi and to keep his head up.”
“I will.”
She nudged me in the ribs. “Bodyguard, huh? You weren’t looking at her like that a second ago.” Sadie laughed her loud, full-bodied laugh. “Snow, I’d be careful if I were you. This boy is a heck of a charmer.”
“I read somewhere that you never truly get over your first crush,” I said.
“What a load of crap.”
I chuckled at that, and caught Sadie’s arm when she went to punch me again. The girl just never learned. Using the hold Snow’d taught me, I locked her arm behind her back, preventing escape.
“Did you see that, Snow?” I said and gestured to the hold. “I am learning. A few more lessons, and I might graduate to non-suck status.”
“Yeah,” Snow muttered, mouth thinning as she looked between Sadie and me. “If you’re done flirting, can we get started already?”
Snow stomped over to Bae Bae and the others, her body stiff. She gave me a nice shoulder check as she passed, and I released Sadie in surprise. She couldn’t seem to stop sneaking glances at us every few seconds.
“Well, alright,” I said with a shit-eating grin.
“What’s up with her?” Sadie asked.
I shook my head. The look that’d flashed across Snow’s face was pretty clear. My ninja girl was jealous. A little jealousy never hurt anyone, I thought, looking at Sadie again. Hell, this might be just what I needed to make Snow see the light.