Luz felt the wind in her face as she pedaled hard through the forest trail. Occasionally, a small tree branch would whip against her, but she paid it no mind. Luz stared behind her and saw Anne a short distance away, keeping pace with her. Anne had invited Luz to go biking and had shown her a new trail that she hadn't seen before. Luz enjoyed being out in nature. As much as she loved watching TV and playing video games, every now and then, it was important to go outside and connect with nature. The two kept biking and eventually came to a clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing was a small pond. Luz and Anne decided to stop and take a break by the pond. Anne walked up to the pond and grabbed a few stones that were by it, handing one to Luz.
"You ever tried skipping rocks?" she asked.
Luz responded by tossing her stone in the pond, managing to make it skip three times. Anne responded by throwing her stone and getting it to skip five times. The girls laughed at this and sat down in the grass, staring up at the sky, the clouds, and the trees. Around them, the sounds of birds, insects, and the forest itself hummed. The two girls relaxed, enjoying this quiet hideaway. Luz turned her attention to the trees and saw an owl on one of the branches. As she looked more closely, though, something about the owl seemed off. It was tiny, and its features were square, almost as if it were made of wood. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Luz could have sworn the owl was looking straight at her.
"Anne, check this out," said Luz, pointing to the owl.
"Huh?!" replied Anne.
"Look at that owl on that branch over there," said Luz. "Doesn't it look odd to you?"
Anne looked to where Luz was pointing and saw the owl. Though it was too far away for Anne to get a good look at it.
"I'm not sure what you think is strange," said Anne. "It looks like an ordinary owl to me, though it is adorably tiny." With that, the owl flew away from the branch it was on. It disappeared into the sky, almost as though it were aware it was being watched.
"That's weird," proclaimed Luz. "I feel as though it knew we were talking about it, and it flew away."
"I think you're reading too much into it, Luz," said Anne. "Oh, hey, check that out." Her attention turned to the pond, where a small frog had hopped onto the shore near the girls.
"Ah, look at the little guy. He's so…. Wait, that's a strange color for a frog, isn't it?" asked Luz. As the frog came closer, the girls were able to see that it was indeed a light pink color.
"Hmmm, I've never seen a frog that color," said Anne as she stared at it, getting as close as she dared.
"Careful, Anne, that might be a poison dart frog," advised Luz. "Though I wonder what one is doing here? They normally inhabit the rainforests of South America."
"Those poison frogs can't actually kill you, though, right?" asked Anne. "Don't they have to be eaten in order to poison you?"
"Well, the poison is secreted through their skin, so touching them could prove fatal," said Luz.
"Oh, yikes, I'll be careful then," said Anne. "Ughh, that reminds me, though. I've heard that next year we're going to have to dissect frogs in Biology."
"Oh, well, that could be interesting," said Luz. "Personally, I would have preferred to dissect a snake."
"Oh, an even creepier animal than a frog. You would enjoy dissecting things, wouldn't you, Luz?" said Anne, playfully teasing her. She turned her attention back to the frog.
"This guy's pretty cute, though," continued Anne, staring at the frog. "Must be pretty nice to be a poison frog and not have to worry about predators eating you. Or if they do, at least you know you'll take them down with you."
"I wonder how he got here, though?' pondered Luz. "Poison frogs aren't native to North America. I wonder if it was a pet that got away?" As she said that, the frog turned back towards the pond and hopped into the water, swimming away.
"Hmm, now I wonder if that frog was listening to us and ran away," said Anne to Luz.
"Maybe he ran away from that owl?" suggested Luz. "It is nice out here, though."
"Yeah, thanks for joining me, by the way. It's nice to get out every once in a while. Sasha wanted to hang out and go to that outdoor mall, but I'm broke right now," said Anne. "She seemed mad when I told her I couldn't go."
"Oh, why didn't you invite her to come with us?" asked Luz.
"I did, but she doesn't really like traipsing through the dirt," replied Anne. "Actually, now that I think about it, Sasha almost never wants to hang out when I suggest something."
Luz was a little worried upon hearing this and decided to probe further. "Hey, so you've known Sasha a really long time, right?"
"Oh, yeah, since kindergarten," replied Anne.
"Has she always been that way?" asked Luz.
"I mean, I guess. I never really thought about it before, but I try to cut her some slack. She—" Anne stopped herself.
"What is it?" asked Luz.
"Eh, I'm not sure I should be talking about this, though if you promise not to repeat this, I'll tell you," said Anne.
"Okay, sure," said Luz.
"I think Sasha is having a hard time with her father. She's never really said anything, but he's out of town a lot for business, so she almost never sees him. She's never talked about it, but one time when I was at a sleepover at her place, I overheard Sasha talking on the phone with him. She seemed pretty angry. I forget what they were talking about, but it got me thinking."
"Do you think that maybe you should talk to her about it?" asked Luz
"I don't want to admit that I was eavesdropping. Plus, you know, it's not really my business," said Anne. "And I mean, I don't want to say something that will upset Sasha. Otherwise, she might not want to be my friend anymore."
"Friendship shouldn't be like that, though," said Luz. "Maybe it was wrong of you to eavesdrop, but you shouldn't be afraid that Sasha would stop being your friend over that. You should be able to have an honest conversation about difficult subjects with your friends."
"You think so?" asked Anne, confused.
"I… Well, I can't say from experience, but I feel that's how it should be," said Luz.
"Hmm, well, I will think about that," said Anne.
"Well, in any case, we should probably get going," said Luz as she grabbed some water from her bike and drank. "That trail sure takes a lot out of you."
"Yeah, it does. Hey, Luz, are you hungry?" asked Anne.
"I'm feeling a bit peckish. I bet I'll be hungrier once we finish this trail," said Luz.
"Hmm, okay. If we head back the way we came, we can catch the Gold line. There's a stop on the Gold line that's close to my parents' restaurant. You haven't been there yet, have you?" asked Anne.
"No, I haven't," replied Luz, "but I don't know if my mom would let me. She was expecting me to take the Gold-line home."
"Can't hurt to ask," said Anne. "Here, I'll give you the address. Text your mom and see if she'd be willing to meet us there. If not, then that's fine, but you'll have to come sometime. You have to try our bomb Thai food."
"Okay, let's give it a shot," said Luz. With that, she texted her Mom and then got on her bike to head back down the trail. To Luz's surprise, her Mom agreed to meet her at the restaurant. It didn't take the girls long to get back down the trail, and soon the two of them were on the train heading to the Boonchuy restaurant. The outside of the restaurant looked rather small, but it had a quaint charm to it. There was a red awning in the front, as well as a neon sign that showed the name "Thai Go" in bright neon letters.
Anne opened the door, leading Luz inside. The restaurant was small but had a great many booths and a nice aesthetic about it. Anne called out to her mom as she entered.
"Mae chan xyu thi ni!" called Anne, "Chan pha pheuxn ma."
Mrs. Boonchuy came out from the back, looking at Anne and Luz.
"Oh, is this the new friend you've been talking about?" asked Mrs. Boonchuy as she looked at Luz.
"Hello, Mrs. Boonchuy," said Luz as respectfully as she could. "Anne said you have some delicious food here and invited me here for lunch."
"Yes, food here good. You two sit over there," she said, indicating a booth. As they sat, she brought them menus.
"So, do you have a really spicy dish here?" asked Luz.
"That food very spicy," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "Your California stomach may not be able to handle it."
"I've had my share of spicy food growing up," said Luz confidently as she looked over the menu. "Hmm, I think I'll try the Tom Yum Kung!"
Mrs. Boonchuy looked carefully at Luz before deciding to humor her. Anne also ordered her food as well as two Thai Iced Teas for her and Luz. Anne's mother returned with their food, setting a dish down in front of Luz.
"Enjoy, sweetie," she said with a small hint of slyness. Luz took a whiff of her soup, and it smelled delicious. She took a spoonful close to her mouth and blew on it. As she did, she noticed Anne sniggering.
"What, you think I can't handle this?" asked Luz.
"Okay, Luz," said Anne with a grin. "If you're so sure that you can handle this soup, would you mind if I posted your reaction to eating it online?" Anne got out her phone and pointed it at Luz, daring her to allow her to record her.
"Challenge accepted!" said Luz. "Make sure you get my good side."
Anne turned her camera on to record Luz. "Okay, Luz, say hi to all the people!"
Luz stared straight at the phone. "I'm Luz Noceda, and I am about to attempt the Tom Yum Kung challenge, which is something I just made up!" With that, Luz took a spoonful of the soup and ate it. The spiciness hit her right away, but it was tolerable. Luz continued eating the soup, but after her fifth spoonful, she started feeling the full effects of the soup and was suddenly breathing heavily and panting as she stopped eating and took a long swig of her Thai iced tea. Her face was fully flushed in a deep red, and her eyes were watering. All the while, Anne kept recording with a smug look on her face.
"Okay," Luz said as she regained her composure, "turns out the Tom Yum Kung challenge is a lot harder than anticipated. It's a good thing this tea has milk in it… and boba."
Anne couldn't help but laugh at this. "Luz, you're such a dork, but I say that with love." With that, she turned the camera toward herself. Well, it looks like this time the Tom Yum Kung challenge proved too much, but don't worry, folks. Luz will be back next week to try again."
"I will?!" said Luz in surprise.
"Well, yeah, you've gotta keep doing it until you win. Or until you get a thousand likes. Whichever comes first."
Both girls laughed at this as they continued eating their lunch (Luz going through 2 more Thai iced teas to help her finish her spicy soup), and just as they were finishing, the door to the restaurant opened and Luz's mother walked in.
"Hola, Mija!," she called. "Is this one of your new friends?" she asked, indicating Anne.
"Hello, Ms. Noceda," said Anne politely. "I'm Anne."
"Pleased to meet you, Anne," said Camilla. At that moment, Mrs. Boonchuy returned from the back and noticed Camilla.
"Camilla!" she said in surprise.
"Oh hey, I remember you! You're the owner of this place," said Camilla.
"Yes, I spoke with you that day about the school my daughter goes to," said Mrs. Boonchuy. At this, Luz and Anne stared at each other and then at their mothers.
"I remember you being the one who recommended that school. Wait, is this girl your daughter that you were talking about?" At this, Camilla looked at Luz, then at Anne, and one more time at Mrs. Boonchuy.
"Whoa, hold up!" exclaimed Anne. "You mean to tell me that you two knew each other?"
"Anne," said Luz, the realization dawning on her, "your mother was the one who told my mother about your school. That means she's the reason I'm even going to St. James, which means she's indirectly responsible for how I met you."
"Whaaaaaaa!" said Anne. "What a huge twist! This is like the last episode of season 2 of Suspicion Island."
"Huh, that is an amazing coincidence," said Camilla as she looked at Mrs. Boonchuy, who gave her a nod. "Hey, Luz, why don't you go wait for me in the car? Here are the keys."
"Anne, you can go too. You can say goodbye outside," said Mrs. Boonchuy.
The two girls left outside, leaving the two mothers together.
"Your daughter seems very nice," said Camilla.
"Yes, she is a bundle of energy. Sometimes, she is too much, but I see much of myself in her from when I was young," replied Anne's mother. "Your daughter has lot of energy too. I think that why they get along."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Luz has been something of a loner for most of her life and had trouble making friends, so I'm glad to see her hang out with Anne," said Camilla.
"You move here?" asked Mrs. Boonchuy.
"Excuse me?" asked Camilla, not quite understanding the question.
"You not from this country. You move from your home?" she asked again.
"Yes, I'm originally from the Dominican Republic. I grew up there and did my undergrad there. I moved to this country to go to vet school. I got certified here, and ma now a practicing veterinarian," explained Camilla.
"Yes, same with Anne," began Mrs. Boonchuy. "I from Thailand originally. Beautiful country, much to see, but hard to build a life. I move here for better opportunity for family. Anne born here, try to make good life for her."
"I understand completely. It's hard being an immigrant, adjusting to a new way of life, leaving behind family, and raising your children in a new environment," said Camilla.
"I see Anne take interest in American things, and that hard sometimes. Think she not have her culture, but don't know what to do," said Mrs. Boonchuy with a sigh.
"I think it's just as much a generational thing as it is an American one," said Camilla. "I mean, Luz likes those animated shows and that fantasy novel series, but they didn't have things like that when we were children. Who's to say we wouldn't have liked those things if they had been around when we were young?"
"Hmmm, sometimes hard to see your child take interest in different things than you," said Mrs. Boonchuy, "but you also want them to be their own person. That why you uplift your life and move to new country, so children can have better life than you had."
"The things we do for our children, right?" asked Camilla. Mrs. Boonchuy smiled at this as both she and Camilla looked out the window to where their children were talking and laughing with each other.
Anne had finished showing Luz the trailer for Suspicion Island, and she was intrigued.
"I don't know about Randy being suspicious, but he certainly is fine," said Luz mischievously.
"I know, right?" said Anne with a sly grin. "You'll have to watch it with me sometime."
"Yeah, that'd be great!" said Luz.
"Cool, can't wait!" said Anne. At that moment, she received a text. "Oh, it's Sasha. She says she lost her pencil case and wants mine. Guess I'll have to give it to her on Monday."
"Wait, why do you have to give her yours?" asked Luz, puzzled.
"Because that's what you do for your friend," said Anne. "You help them get the things they want."
"Maybe sometimes," said Luz hesitantly, "but friendship should be more than just that."
"It's just, you know, Sasha's really popular at school. I want to stay on her good side," said Anne. "If I don't help her out, then she might not want to be my friend anymore. Plus, Sasha looks out for me. Remember how I told you how I used to get bullied? Sasha's the one who stood up to the bullies and stopped them from picking on me."
"Oh, I see," said Luz, though in her mind she wasn't sure that Anne's assessment of friendship was entirely correct. This behavior was starting to sound a little unusual to Luz, who wanted to say something to Anne but wasn't quite sure how to say it.
"Oh, speaking of which, I heard a rumor. Is it true that you and Sasha made a carving in the girl's bathroom?" asked Anne.
"Yeah, that's true," said Luz under her breath.
"Oh, cool! Hey, from what I've heard, it's helped your reputation at school, so see? Sasha's looking out for you too," said Anne.
"I guess you do have a point," began Luz, "but Anne, just so you know, friends should be able to talk about things without worrying about what people will say. I want you to know that if you ever want to talk about something difficult, then please feel free to talk to me about it. I promise not to judge you."
"Oh, really?" asked Anne. "I mean, that's…" Anne trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say in response to that. At that moment, Luz's mother emerged from the restaurant and ushered Luz into the car. Anne and Luz exchanged a hug as they said goodbye. Anne watched as Luz and her mother drove off. As she did, she couldn't help but feel a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart about what Luz had told her. It was an odd feeling, but a welcome one nonetheless.