“But we aren’t going to fuck in this scene!” he protests.
I look up. Noi’s sitting ramrod straight on his bed with the teddy bear I gave him when he was a kid clutched in his lap. He has such a serious look on his face, I want to smile.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jess says. “They just know that when youdofuck, Sud’s the one who’ll be doing the fucking, and you’ll be the fuckee.”
Turning to Jess, I say, “Would you mind your own business, please?” before getting up and going to sit beside Noi on the bed. “Some fans just categorize the main characters like that,” I tell him. “It’s a holdover from Japanese manga or something.” I gesture at his script. “What do you think of the scene?”
“It’s pretty good, I guess,” Noi says. “I don’t know much about this stuff, though.”
“Think you can memorize it by Monday?”
Noi nods.
“Good, because Bekki wants us to have a rehearsal that night. She wants to block out the scenes—you know, figure out where everyone should stand and stuff. “
“Let’s run though it right now,” Noi surprises me by saying. “Just a read-through.”
“Okay,” I say, opening my script back up.
It doesn’t take us long, and when we’re finished, we do it again.
“Shit, Mee Noi! Did you see the Best Boys page?” I look up to see Jess staring at his computer screen.
“No, because I don’t go looking for pictures of cute boys,” Noi says, and I laugh.
I pull up the university’s Best Boys page on my phone. It’s a website where the admins post candid photos of the university’s most popular guys. The latest pictures come up first, and the third one is a picture of me and Noi at the student center, taken when I lifted him in the air after he agreed to do the scene with me. I’m smiling up at him and he’s smiling down at me, and the caption reads,Sud and Mee Noi. Best friends or more?
“Damn.” Noi grabs the phone from Jess and stares at it.
“Your ears are red,” I say, flicking the one closest to me.
Noi bats me away. “Cut it out! Are you believing this?”
“Ha! Now, you’re on the Best Boys page,” I tease.
“Ugh, go away. I don’t want to look at your face again tonight,” Noi says, throwing his teddy bear at me.
“Fine, fine. I’m leaving,” I grab my bag and script. “And I’m taking Fuzzy with me.” I wave the bear in the air as I head for the door.
“Sud,” Noi whines.
Grinning, I toss it to him before leaving the room.
Chapter Three: Mee Noi
After Sud leaves, Jess announces he’s going to take a shower.
Alone, I examine the picture on the Best Boys website. It really does make it look like Sud and I could be boyfriends. A funny feeling that I can’t name grows in my chest at the thought.
I want to read the comments, but I’m scared. What if they ask what Sud’s doing with someone boring like me?
Putting down my phone, I pick up the script, but I can’t concentrate. I need to see the comments on the Best Boys page, even if they are mean.
The picture of me and Sud has over six hundred likes already and almost as many comments. Biting my lip, I force myself to look at the most recent one.
Apple2004:So cute! Are they dating?
Luv247:They’re friends. Sud was just goofing around.