Hey, Jose!

Chapter 3: After School Special Moments

Tasi and Joseph get off the bus at her stop and head toward her house. Guam is at its hottest at 3:15. There is not a tree large enough for shade in this small subdivision. Tasi and Joseph suck up the heat as they near her home. "One day down, about two hundred more to go!" Joseph sighs as he takes off his purple shirt. He really doesn't know how many days there are in a school year, but felt like filling the silence.

Tasi laughs. "I feel dumber just after one day! Well, at least we have poetry class this year."

"True, but you have it for third period and I have it for second..."

"Hopefully we'll have a class together tomorrow," she replies.

They enter her house. The living room is hot and stuffy. She quickly turns on the aircon while Joseph turns on the fan and takes off his undershirt. He hopes to turn her on with his geeky body, but tries to play it off naturally. "I'm having a hot flash!" Joseph exclaims as he sits in front of the fan.

Tasi giggles, "You are too young and too male to know what that feels like."

He puts his face onto the metal screen of the fan and makes robot noises. "And I am too robot to know what a hot flash is!"

The aircon quickly cools the room and Joseph turns off the fan. His exposed torso starts to make him bashful, so he puts on his undershirt.  "What was your favorite song to listen to this summer?" he asks as he sits beside her on the couch.

Tasi smiles. He always does his best to kill the silence. If it were any other guy she'd be annoyed, but Joseph is just being thoughtful. Tasi replies, "White Trash VHS by Coma Cinema."

"Ooh that's a good one!" he replies. "I found an acoustic version last week. Lemme play it for you." He brings out his iPad and googles the video.

They spend an hour watching videos of Coma Cinema and Elvis Depressedly. In the middle of their YouTube marathon, her mother comes home. "Tasi you need to vacuum and mop," her mom orders. "Joseph, please go home so she can do her chores."

The two teens sigh and get their tired bodies off the comfy couch. Joseph picks up his bag and says, "It was really nice just relaxing with you. It'd be awesome to do this every day."

Tasi smiles. "But then it wouldn't be special if we do this every day."

"True," he responds as he walks out. "See you tomorrow."

"Adios."

The sky is orange and the air isn't as hot. He passes by little kids playing on their bikes and old men raking. It is a simple neighborhood. But it isn't for him. He cannot wait to graduate and move to the states, so he can go on adventures. He wants to get lost in some city and forget this dull island. He fantasizes of smoky pubs and folk music when a raindrop lands on his forehead. He looks up and a cold downpour ruins his peaceful walk.

"Shit," he mutters. He quickly takes shelter in a bus stop at the corner of the road. He watches the rain splatter on the street. The sky is still a bright orange. A few kids ride their bikes through puddles. A group of teenage girls run into the bus stop and take shelter with Joseph.

"Oh my gosh, Shinto!" a skinny girl exclaims. "This fucking Guam weather is so damn bipolar!"

"Bipolar PMS weather!" Shinto agrees. "All day today it was hot as fuck and now it's wet! Good thing I didn't dye my hair yet or I'd be pissed." Joseph notices that she is carrying an Island Fresh grocery bag with hair dye in it.

"Do you bitches mind if I light one?" a short girl, named Shirley asks as she shakes a box of Marlboro's. Joseph remembers Shirley from middle school, because she once poured Chamorro Punch all over Tasi's poetry journal.

"I don't mind," Shinto says, "but ask Jose. He was here first." She gives him a sweet, yet indifferent gaze. She's observing him, but not in a flirty way. She's observing him to criticize him.

"Yo, Yoseph, I'm gonna smoke," Shirley says.

"Yeah sure whatever," he says.

The rain falls harder as Shinto and her friends chatter about raving. Within the next three minutes Joseph learns enough about raving to last him the rest of his life. The girls giggle about drugs and boys and "plurring." They go on about some DJ Snake and G-Eazy.

"Did you girls hear that fresh Logic/G-Eazy mashup on soundcloud?" Shirley asks.

"There's a new mashup!" Shinto squeals. "Play it!"

Shirley opens her purse and pulls out her iPhone and baseball sized Bluetooth speakers. She blasts the cheesiest beat mixed with anger and curse words. Joseph thinks his ears are going to fall off and he's ok with that, so he wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit they call music.

The girls shake their curves as if their money depends on it. They are lost in music and lust as they giggle and twirl. Shinto grabs her curvy friend, Maya, and crashes her lips onto Maya's mouth. Joseph watches as these hoes live with no care for the world. They live the life they want to live. They're happy and free. Joseph swallows a lump and turns his attention to the rain. The rain calms and Joseph gets up. As he walks out of the bus shelter, Shinto grabs his hand.

"Hey, Jose!" she says. "There's gonna be a rave this Friday. You gotta come and bring your girlfriend."

"She isn't my girlfriend," he mutters.

"Then make her your girlfriend!"

He walks in the soft rain and thinks about Shinto's boldness. She is so certain of things and he wonders how she is when things don't turn out the way she wants. But her boldness is something to admire. He wants to be strong like her. He needs to be strong like her. He is thoughtful yet miserable. Whenever he gets lost in thought he becomes miserable with himself. Although he has just met her, he can imagine her as the type that rarely thinks. She just acts. He pictures her careless actions getting her into trouble or emotionally compromised. But I don't know her...he realizes. He chooses to think about Ernest Rutherford's mustache and Submarina's sourdough bread and cat sweaters. But instead he thinks of his relationship with Tasi. Thinking about how much he likes her hurts him. He chooses to think about how slutty Shinto is because it's just easier rather than to think about his beautiful friend.