Lily Xiao Speaks Out by Nicole Chen

Author:Nicole Chen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2024-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

19

THE REST OF THE WEEK is pretty event-free. We meet for our second ESL Homework Club session on Thursday, and Vivian asks about how and when to use subjective tense. Yoona, Marcos, and I do our best to explain it to everyone, but I can tell from their confused looks that we’re not doing a great job.

Meanwhile, I keep practicing chords on my DIY guitar while Vivian taps out rhythms with her chopsticks-turned-drumsticks when she’s not working on her essay. I add Smashing Pumpkins and Pandora’s Box to my mix of grunge bands on repeat, and they go well with Pearl Jam’s brooding intensity. Smashing Pumpkins is dreamy and wistful, but also hard sounding and raw like the other grunge bands. Meanwhile, every time I listen to Pandora’s Box, it fires me up with its punkish energy and powerful lyrics.

On Friday, our women’s suffrage group presentation goes well, even though Logan stumbles through his section and I have to rescue him by presenting the parts he missed. Ms. King gives me extra credit for saving the project, which is nice.

Over the weekend, Vivian’s still head-down working on her English lit essay and can’t hang out at all. After I finish my assignments, I burn through a bunch of TV show episodes that I’d taped over the last few weeks, watching one after the other without stopping. On Sunday afternoon, I call Vivian to check in on her.

“Want me to take a look at your essay, biǎo mèi?” I ask after Uncle hands Vivian the phone.

“No,” Vivian replies. “I should do it myself. Other kids don’t have someone check their work before turning it in, do they?”

“I don’t think so, but you’re special.” Plus, the stakes are high.

“Bié dān xīn, I got it, biǎo jiě,” she reassures me.

On Monday, Vivian turns in her essay. When Principal Klein does her weekly broadcast over the intercom system, she reminds us that progress grades will be sent home this week. Then, during morning recess, I’m taking a sip at the drinking fountain when two kids come up to me.

“Um, you’re Lily Xiao, right?” the girl with silky, straight black hair and a purple backpack asks me hesitantly. I notice that she says her Rs in an unfamiliar way, like she’s rolling them around on her tongue.

“Yeah, that’s me,” I say, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

“I’m Sofia, and this is Juan.” She points to the boy next to her. He’s got a super short crewcut and keeps shuffling his sneakered feet back and forth. “We heard from Carlos that you are helping some kids with English after school.”

Wow, word travels fast around here.

“Yeah, I’m trying, at least,” I reply. “We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Power Records.”

“Can we join? We are both from El Salvador and some assignments are hard for us.”

“Of course!” I nod. “The more the merrier.” And our little ESL Homework Club grows by two more people on Tuesday.

At lunch on Thursday, when Vivian and I open Ah-ma’s biàn dangs, we discover two heaping portions of má yóu jī with rice.

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