“No worries, Yamilet! This job is pretty simple. It’s really just checking my emails and bookkeeping for me, so you should be able to handle it just fine with your current experience. Let’s do a few days of a trial period. If you’re a good fit, we’ll make it a long-term position.”
“Yay! I mean, thanks so much, Mrs. Taylor!”
She laughs. “You can call me Emma. Do you have a computer and Wi-Fi?”
“My laptop is pretty old, but it works. We have Wi-Fi.” She doesn’t need to know I share the laptop with Cesar and my mom. It’ll work for now.
“Perfect. Let’s start with weekends. I won’t need more than about fifteen hours a week. Are you good with that? Can you start this Saturday?”
“I can do that. Thanks so much!” I have to hold back a squeal.
“See you then!”
“Perfect!” I can help Mom after school and work for Emma on weekends. I’ll cram in homework on the light rail and while I wait for Cesar to get out of detention when he has it.
I’m so excited there’s no way I can sleep tonight, so I keep making friendship bracelets. Before I get much done, my phone buzzes, and a selfie of Bo lights up the screen. She must have stolen my phone at some point and taken that picture, because I definitely didn’t take it. She’s sticking out her tongue with her eyes shut. I laugh and pick up the phone, holding it between my neck and shoulder so I have my hands free to weave.
“I can’t believe you’re gonna work for my mom,” she says before I get a chance to speak.
“Hey, I needed a job, and no one else was calling me back!” It’s an empty excuse. Working for Emma would have been my top choice.
“Well, if you decide to quit, you better not make it weird. You should still come over and stuff.” It’s nice talking on the phone, because I can blush or smile or whatever and she’ll have no idea.
“It’ll definitely be weird, but I’ll still come over.”
“You better. I already miss you. This house feels so empty now.”
“I miss you too,” I admit, since I didn’t say it back the last time. I kind of wish I could have been the first to say it, but Bo keeps beating me to the punch. There’s some background music on the line that I can’t make out. It almost sounds like . . . “What are you listening to?”
“Selena.” She says it like the word isn’t Cupid’s arrow shooting me right in the heart. “I was waiting for you to notice. I’ve been listening to her a lot since you left. I totally get why you’re obsessed.”
“I’m so proud,” I say, making my voice choke up. She laughs.
“Well, I have to do some homework. I’ll see you later!”
“See you later,” I say, trying not to sound disappointed. I could talk to her all night. Instead I keep my hands busy for hours. When the house goes dark, I rely on my phone flashlight since I don’t want to wake anyone up by turning on the light. When the battery dies, my eyes adjust, and I work through heavy hands and heavy eyes through the night.
“Why are you still awake?” I don’t realize it’s the middle of the night until Cesar comes into the living room and calls me out for still working.
“Lost track of time, I guess.” I yawn and finish up the last couple of beads on the necklace I’m making. Cesar sits down next to me.
“Why are you still awake?” I ask.
“Same reason as always.”
“What’s that?” I tilt my head, hands still moving on their own despite my sore fingers. I guess I knew he didn’t sleep well, since he falls asleep in class so much, but I kind of assumed it was the extra homework or something keeping him up.