The Book of the Pearl by Carrie Asai

Author:Carrie Asai
Language: eng, eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 2003-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

“Let me get it,” I said, picking up the check. Cheryl looked up at me for a second, then shrugged.

“Well,that’s a change,” she said sarcastically.

I felt tears coming to my eyes again. It wasn’t like Cheryl to be so cruel. She knew I couldn’t help it when I was broke. Or maybe she didn’t know—after all, there was so much I hadn’t told her, and maybe she really did think that I’d quit Life Bytes just out of laziness or boredom.

“Cheryl,” I said quietly, “I know I owe you rent, but I have that money now. I can give it to you when we get home.”

“Whatever,” Cheryl said, and strode out of the restaurant. I paid the check and followed her outside. Before coming to L.A., I’d never thought about money once in my whole life. The money was always there. Sure, there were things my father wouldn’t let me buy, but that had nothing to do with the cost—it was all about what he found “appropriate.” I’d never thought about what it took to stay afloat out in the real world. And now that I knew the Kogo money wasn’t clean, I felt even guiltier about the lavish life I had lived—and the fact that it hadn’t prepared me to support myself. I vowed I would never take a loan from anyone again, no matter what happened. I would make my own way if it killed me.

Neither of us said a word on the cab ride home, and Cheryl went into her bedroom and slammed the door as soon as we were in the house.

I felt empty inside. I pushed away a vision of the dirty motel room I’d imagined earlier.

I’d figure it all out tomorrow. There had to be some way to make it right.

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