Read Online The Wonder Bread Summer by Jessica Anya Blau - Free Book Online Page B

boy-crazy, she had never imagined that it would happen to Kathy, too. Kathy seemed too smart for love. Like she could see how fleeting it was, how irrational these crushes were, how they came on with the force of a tidal wave that, as had happened with Marc, could leave you as damaged as a seaside shantytown.
    “Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re in love.” Allie wished she were in love. With someone new. Someone who loved her back.
    “Wait, let me call him and see if you can come to dinner with us. I know he wanted to bring one of his clients along, so maybe a fourth would be good.”
    “I don’t know. I’ve had a pretty crazy day and I just drove all the way down here—I probably smell.” Allie raised her arm above her head, leaned in, and sniffed.
    “You’ve never smelled a day in your life,” Kathy said. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Our first double date together. Give me the number where you’re at and I’ll call you right back.”
    It seemed like she was waiting for hours. Allie watched people come in and out of the gas station. She picked up the phone and listened for the dial tone to make sure it was working. She watched more people.
    When Kathy finally did call back, Allie picked up the receiver before the first ring had finished. “Hey!”
    “Okay, so Bud has this new client and the guy is single and Bud said you should definitely join us for dinner. This guy’s really cool. Plus he’s someone of quality.”
    “Quality,” Allie said. Wai Po talked about people of quality. In third grade, when Allie was hanging out with Alice Woo, Wai Po approved, saying Alice was VERY HIGH QUALITY. NO BARGAIN MEAT THERE. “Okay. Sure. How old is this guy? Is he Bud’s age?” Allie was starting to feel hopeful. Maybe true love would follow what Allie now saw as one of the most regretful days of her life.
    “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. He’s a movie producer. I think.”
    “Cool! How great would it be to go out with a Hollywood producer!” Allie could feel nerves jiggling on the ends of her limbs. A date! With a real, live, grown-up movie producer! She hadn’t been on an actual date since Marc.
    “Listen, we’re supposed to be there now, so swing by and pick me up and we’ll go together.”
    K athy’s apartment was less than two blocks from the gas station. Allie wanted to run in and see it, poke through Kathy’s drawers, see what kind of food she had in the fridge, but they were in a rush, according to Kathy. They had to be on time.
    Allie pulled away from the curb and followed Kathy’s directions.
    “Whose car is this?” Kathy said, and she looked around as if there was something more to see than just seats in the back.
    “My friend Beth’s.”
    “Why does it say CALL GIRL on the license plate? Beth’s kinda giving people the wrong message, don’t you think?”
    “It says CAL GIRL. CAL. As in Berkeley.”
    “Are you sure there aren’t two Ls on there?” Kathy seemed so confident that Allie wanted to pull the car over and look at the plate herself.
    “It says CAL,” Allie said.
    Kathy pulled on her seat belt. She was the only person Allie knew who regularly wore a seat belt. “I’m really happy to see you,” Kathy said, and she put an arm around Allie and hugged her in a half-touching way. Kathy had never been that affectionate in high school. Not like Beth, who liked to crawl into Allie’s bed and wrap her legs around Allie to warm up.
    “You’re my only friend in L.A.,” Allie said. “There’s no one else to write letters to.”
    Kathy smiled. She was the only person who knew about the fifteen-page letters Allie used to send Penny only to get back almost-formal postcards from places like Budapest or Zagreb, where people were still passionate about Mighty Zamboni.
    “So why are you here? I thought you had to work in Berkeley all summer.” Kathy opened her window and adjusted the rearview mirror.
    “My job was in Oakland, not Berkeley.”
    “Turn right here. What’s