Footsteps

"So where's this mystery boy?" Hebe asked, scraping her chair against the floor as she pulled it up to the table. She pulled her lunch from the brown-paper sack. A vanilla yogurt and an apple.

"He wasn't in homeroom this morning," GuiGui said unhappily. Her lunch was spread out in front of her. A ham sandwich, a bag of potato chips, a container of chocolate pudding, and a Coke.

Hebe must think I'm a total pig, she thought miserably. But if all I had for lunch was yogurt and an apple, I'd be starving all afternoon!

"Want some of this yogurt?" Hebe asked. "I can never finish a whole container."

"No, thanks," GuiGui replied, taking a bite of her sandwich to keep herself from punching Hebe.

Hebe absently reached across the table and took a handful of GuiGui's potato chips. "So tell me about Wang Zi," she said, her eyes on the double doors across the lunchroom.

"He's real shy," GuiGui told her. "And cute. His cheeks blush bright pink all the time."

"Cute," Hebe repeated, not really paying attention.

"Who are you looking for?" GuiGui asked impatiently. She took a long drink from her can of Coke.

"Chun," Hebe said, reaching for more of GuiGui's potato chips. "He and I made up last night."

"That's great," GuiGui said enthusiastically. "Maybe the four of us can do something this weekend."

"Uh-huh." Hebe nodded without really hearing. "Hey--- what happened to Wang Zi when I showed up at your house Saturday night? Why the disappearing act?"

GuiGui wasn't sure how to answer. She hesitated, then told Hebe all about how it had been a first date for both of them, how Wang Zi had wanted to keep it a secret, their special night.

"Weird" was Hebe's reply. Then she jumped up from her seat, having spotted Chun at the doorway, and ran to greet him.

GuiGui chewed on her sandwich, staring without focusing at Hebe's uneaten yogurt and thinking about Wang Zi. She wondered why he wasn't in homeroom. MAybe he was sick. Maybe he couldn't be able to meet her after work.

She was eager to see him, to talk to him. She was dying to tell him that she had talk to a real FBI agent. She was dying to tell him about YaLun, about how YaLun was dangerous and was wanted by the FBI, and how she had almost had her first date with YaLun instead of with him.

Wang Zi would like the story, she knew. He'd find it as interesting as she did.

She and Wang Zi were a lot alike.

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That night the restaurant got crowded at dinnertime. GuiGui had trouble concentrating on her customers. She kept staring up at the neon clock, wondering if Wang Zi would show up at seven.

"Pick up!" Ernie called from the kitchen. He slammed his hand against the metal counter where he had set out the food plates. "GuiGui, you deaf or something?"

"Sorry." GuiGui hurried to pick up the plates.

"You're acting weird tonight," Ernie rasped, working a toothpick between his teeth. "You in love or something?"

GuiGui laughed. She could feel her face grow hot. She glanced back at the clock. Only six-thirty.

As she headed back to the counter, carrying an armload of dirty plates, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

YaLun!

GuiGui shrieked, and the plates fell out of her arms and clattered to the floor.

She spun around to see a middle-aged man with a shocked expression on his face. No YaLun.

"Oh, sorry, miss," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to ask for the ketchup."

GuiGui uttered a loud sigh of relief. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scream. I just---"

The man bent down with her and started to pick up pieces of the broken dishes.

"No," GuiGui insisted. "Please. I'll take care of it. Really. IT's my job."

She finally persuaded him to return to his booth. Then she picked up the biggest pieces of china, swept up the rest, along with the spilled food, and dumped everything in the trash.

The half hour before closing seemed the longest half hour of her life. From his place behind the smoking grill in the kitchen, Ernie kept teasing her about being in love, cackling to himself, grinning at her and winking, which made the time seem even longer.

Calm down, GuiGui. Calm down. She repeated the words over and over, but they didn't seem to help.

By ten after seven the restaurant had cleared out. GuiGui turned the lights down, almost to off, and emptied the cash register.

"Wang Zi, where are you?" she asked out loud, carrying the night's receipts to the small, one-drawer desk in the back.

Maybe he's sick, she thought. MAybe that's why he wasn't in school today.

She decided to call him as soon as she got home.

IF he didn't show up at the restaurant.

She started to count the money, thought about Wang Zi, lost her place, had to start again.

The grill, she saw, hadn't been cleaned or turned off. It hissed softly in the background. The only other sound was the loud hum of the big refrigerator against the wall, and the steady drip, drip, drip of water from the faucet into the stainless-steel sink filled with dirty dishes.

Where's Ernie? GuiGui wondered.

He must be out back, all the way down the alley, emptying the trash.

GuiGui lost count again.

Okay, one more time, she told herself.

Then she heard the front door open.

The bell on the door jangled softly.

She tensed.

Normally she locked the door before emptying the cash register. But tonight she had left the door unlocked in case Wang Zi showed up.

The door closed quietly.

Footsteps out front. Coming closer.

Single footsteps. Just one person.

"Wang Zi?" she called in a tiny voice not loud enough to reach beyond the kitchen.

The footsteps stopped.

"Wang Zi?" she repeated, a little louder.

More footsteps, scraping against the soft tile floor.

"Wang Zi, is that you?"

Why didn't he answer her?

Suddenly frightened, she wadded up the stack of bills and shoved them into the desk drawer, quickly slamming the drawer shut.

She jumped to her feet, her heart thudding in her chest.

Where was Ernie? He was probably having smoke by the dumpster. Why was he always missing when she was in danger?

"Wang Zi, I'll be right out!" she called.

She bent her head and peered through the kitchen window into the darkened restaurant. She couldn't see anyone.

"Wang Zi?"

It had to be Wang Zi.

Please let it be wang Zi.