you?" she said, with a concerned sigh.
“ Ro, I’m okay. Maybe I’m just hungry," I said, and waved to Joaquim, who was waiting by his truck. He smiled and waved back.
“ Nellie’s not feeling well, so we can’t hang out too long at the mall," Ro told him, and I shot her a grateful smile. She knew I wouldn’t feel like myself until I talked to Channing.
“ Aw, that’s too bad," Joaquim said, stroking my hair. “ Well, if you girls know where to get your dresses, then we shouldn’t take long”.
“ I think we should head straight for Alice Fashions, right, Nellie? The dresses there are pretty and don’t cost too much," Ro suggested.
“ Nellie, I just want you to know I’ll pay for your dress," Joaquim offered. “ I don’t want you to worry about the cost”.
I felt my face grow hot…Joaquim was so nice! I knew he worked with his father at the fishery, and he was saving all of his money to be able to pay for community college. It wasn’t easy for him to spend money frivolously.
“ Joaquim, you don’t have to," I began to say but he cut me off.
“ No, Nellie, I’m serious. I’m really glad you agreed to come to the Winter Dance with me, when you could have gone with any guy you wanted," he said. “ You’re the prettiest and nicest girl in school, Nellie. Most guys would kill to go out with you. I’m flattered you chose to go with me”.
Ro grinned from ear to ear at Joaquim's words, but all I could do was smile weakly at him. If he only knew how not nice of a person I could be… for the last three months, I’d been nothing but a liar and a cheater…
“ Joaquim, pare isso! Stop it!" Ro laughed. “ You’re going to give her a big head!”
“ It’s all true," Joaquim said, pushing a strand of hair away from my face. It was like he couldn’t stop touching me.
“ Thank you so much, Joaquim. I feel the same way”, I mumbled.
Tommy appeared at that moment, and the subject changed, much to my relief.
“ So, Nellie, I heard an A-guy came up to you in the lunchroom. What was that about?" Tommy asked. A-guy was what Cove kids called the boys from Ardsley Park, like Channing. Emanuela and Ana Beatriz had wasted no time in telling everyone about Channing approaching me in the lunchroom.
“ It was no big deal. You know Channing Sutton? One of the twins from A Park? He was just asking Nellie about a paper they need to work on," Ro jumped in with an explanation.
“ Oh," Tommy said, nodding his head. “ I thought maybe he was trying to ask you out or something”.
“ Why would a rich A guy like that ask out a Portuguese girl?" Joaquim scoffed.
I pursed my lips together, and looked out the car window.
“ I’ll tell you why. Because they think Cove girls are easy, that’s why," Tommy said. “ A guys are always trying to hit on Cove girls, because they think they can impress them with their money and their flashy cars”.
“ Eh, who cares anyway?" Ro said, but Tommy was on a roll.
“ It makes me sick how some Cove girls actually go out with those guys, and actually take them seriously. Like Lucia Braga? Remember her? She dumped her fiance to start dating one of those A-guys? And what happened? She got pregnant and he dumped her like a hot potato," Tommy said, scornfully.
“ I remember her, she went to school with my brother. They say the guy even refused to admit the baby was his. Lucia had to move all the way to Boston because her parents couldn’t help her, you know they retired from the cannery early and all they had was a small pension," Joaquim added, shaking his head.
“ Well, I can’t say I feel bad for her. Any Portuguese girl dumb enough to fall for one of those Ardsley guys gets what she deserves," Tommy said, his voice hard.
“ Can we talk about something else? Channing Sutton wasn’t asking me out. Ro already told you. He just wanted to talk about a paper for a class we have," I snapped. I couldn’t stand it anymore. What did they know? Had they ever even
“ Ro, I’m okay. Maybe I’m just hungry," I said, and waved to Joaquim, who was waiting by his truck. He smiled and waved back.
“ Nellie’s not feeling well, so we can’t hang out too long at the mall," Ro told him, and I shot her a grateful smile. She knew I wouldn’t feel like myself until I talked to Channing.
“ Aw, that’s too bad," Joaquim said, stroking my hair. “ Well, if you girls know where to get your dresses, then we shouldn’t take long”.
“ I think we should head straight for Alice Fashions, right, Nellie? The dresses there are pretty and don’t cost too much," Ro suggested.
“ Nellie, I just want you to know I’ll pay for your dress," Joaquim offered. “ I don’t want you to worry about the cost”.
I felt my face grow hot…Joaquim was so nice! I knew he worked with his father at the fishery, and he was saving all of his money to be able to pay for community college. It wasn’t easy for him to spend money frivolously.
“ Joaquim, you don’t have to," I began to say but he cut me off.
“ No, Nellie, I’m serious. I’m really glad you agreed to come to the Winter Dance with me, when you could have gone with any guy you wanted," he said. “ You’re the prettiest and nicest girl in school, Nellie. Most guys would kill to go out with you. I’m flattered you chose to go with me”.
Ro grinned from ear to ear at Joaquim's words, but all I could do was smile weakly at him. If he only knew how not nice of a person I could be… for the last three months, I’d been nothing but a liar and a cheater…
“ Joaquim, pare isso! Stop it!" Ro laughed. “ You’re going to give her a big head!”
“ It’s all true," Joaquim said, pushing a strand of hair away from my face. It was like he couldn’t stop touching me.
“ Thank you so much, Joaquim. I feel the same way”, I mumbled.
Tommy appeared at that moment, and the subject changed, much to my relief.
“ So, Nellie, I heard an A-guy came up to you in the lunchroom. What was that about?" Tommy asked. A-guy was what Cove kids called the boys from Ardsley Park, like Channing. Emanuela and Ana Beatriz had wasted no time in telling everyone about Channing approaching me in the lunchroom.
“ It was no big deal. You know Channing Sutton? One of the twins from A Park? He was just asking Nellie about a paper they need to work on," Ro jumped in with an explanation.
“ Oh," Tommy said, nodding his head. “ I thought maybe he was trying to ask you out or something”.
“ Why would a rich A guy like that ask out a Portuguese girl?" Joaquim scoffed.
I pursed my lips together, and looked out the car window.
“ I’ll tell you why. Because they think Cove girls are easy, that’s why," Tommy said. “ A guys are always trying to hit on Cove girls, because they think they can impress them with their money and their flashy cars”.
“ Eh, who cares anyway?" Ro said, but Tommy was on a roll.
“ It makes me sick how some Cove girls actually go out with those guys, and actually take them seriously. Like Lucia Braga? Remember her? She dumped her fiance to start dating one of those A-guys? And what happened? She got pregnant and he dumped her like a hot potato," Tommy said, scornfully.
“ I remember her, she went to school with my brother. They say the guy even refused to admit the baby was his. Lucia had to move all the way to Boston because her parents couldn’t help her, you know they retired from the cannery early and all they had was a small pension," Joaquim added, shaking his head.
“ Well, I can’t say I feel bad for her. Any Portuguese girl dumb enough to fall for one of those Ardsley guys gets what she deserves," Tommy said, his voice hard.
“ Can we talk about something else? Channing Sutton wasn’t asking me out. Ro already told you. He just wanted to talk about a paper for a class we have," I snapped. I couldn’t stand it anymore. What did they know? Had they ever even
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