The Fold Read Free

been almost three months since Gina had sworn off junk food, and to Joyce’s surprise, Gina had held firm, already losing five pounds, but none of it from her face, which was where she had hoped it would disappear.After being called Moon Pie by one of her mom’s friends, Gina couldn’t stop obsessing about her large cheeks. Joyce thought Gina’s soft, round face made her look cute. Gina thought it made her look like a Japanese cartoon character. Sometimes, if Joyce was in a bad mood, Gina would pull a baseball cap over her hair and point into the distance saying with a bad Japanese accent, “Look! It’s Godzilla!”
    Joyce and Gina had been best friends ever since Gina’s mom came to work at the Korean restaurant that Joyce’s family owned. Gina was short for Eugenia, a name Gina hated as much as Joyce hated her name, but at least Gina got a cool nickname out of the deal, whereas there was nothing Joyce could do to shorten her name to something respectable. Joy was about it, but it made Joyce worry that someone would break out singing a Christmas carol. For one week in the fourth grade, she had tried to get everyone to call her Joey, but then Jimmy Lee started saying it with a deep mafia accent, drawing out the
e
, and Joyce gave up being Joeeeeeey.
    “A new swimsuit,” Gina said.
    “What?” Joyce stood up to throw away her candy bar wrapper.
    “Fifty bucks would buy you a new swimsuit for the summer.”Gina grimaced and finally forced down a bite of yogurt.
    “I don’t need a new swimsuit. I need a yearbook.” Joyce remained standing. “Are you coming or not?”
    Gina looked down at her yogurt. With a sigh, she stood up and dumped the container in the trash. “Come on, stalker, let’s go to the bookstore. I need a granola bar anyway.”
    They walked to a large building at the far end of the quad that housed the student government offices and the bookstore/snack shop that the organization ran for fund-raising. Gina and Joyce pushed their way past a sea of natural and artificial blond hair. The store was always packed, even though most of the people weren’t there to buy anything. At least not anything legal. It was just a place to go. A place to meet. A place to be seen.
    Gina went to the side of the store where they sold snacks, and Joyce pushed her way past the bodies to the back register and stood in line. All along the walls there were framed pictures of past student government officers. Joyce tried not to glance up at the picture of Helen, the first and only Asian American female president of Orangedale. Even though Helen had graduated over a year ago, Joyce was reminded of Helen’slegacy at every display case that housed medals and plaques.
    Joyce turned her back on the picture of Helen as she waited for her turn in line and scanned the heads, looking for anyone dark haired. Anyone tall and dark haired with reportedly beautiful brown-green eyes.
    “Hey, move up, it’s your turn,” a heavily muscled guy in a white T-shirt said.
    Joyce turned back in line and stepped forward.
    “I need a yearbook,” she said.
    The student behind the counter turned around and reached into a full box and pulled out a silver and blue yearbook.
    “Fifty,” he said drumming his fingers on the counter.
    Joyce reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten. She looked over her shoulder for Gina, who was still standing in front of the snack display.
    “Gina,” Joyce called, “I need the money.”
    The muscle guy started to complain loudly. “Jesus Christ, would you get moving?”
    Joyce started feeling anxious and yelled louder. “GINA!”
    Gina waved her finger for one more second.
    “Jesus, you Oriental bitches move as slow as you drive,” muscle guy muttered.
    Joyce pretended not to hear and fidgeted with her hair, tucking it back behind her ears.
    Gina finally tapped her shoulder and handed her one five and two twenty-dollar bills and a granola bar packet.
    “Took you long enough,” muscle guy said.
    Gina