Chapter 1 

“I can’t believe he finally asked me out,” Kayla squealed.

Alessandra smiled as Kayla Huisӕ, better known as Kay and Alessandra’s best friend in the world bounced up and down on her toes.  John, the guy Kayla had been crazy about since their entry year in secondary school, had finally asked her out.

“I have been hinting for him to ask me out since Todd and I broke up,” Kayla sighed.

“He probably wanted to be respectful of Todd.  I mean they are kind of friends,” Alessandra smiled.

 Kayla had been bursting at the seams for the last hour as they made their way to the mall. Despite Aless’s continual questions, Kayla didn’t want to tell her until they reached the mall.  Now as they strolled around the mall, Kayla began to gush.  It was a beautiful fall day, so the girls enjoyed the warm air as it wafted down into the open spaces of the mall.  People bustled around them, picking up clothes, food, and other needed things.  Aless loved the mall.  It was one place that Aless could go and see so many different people with their Josӕng.  No two people ever had the exact same Josӕng.  Seeing other people’s Josӕng always gave her ideas for her own.

“So?  What does Todd have to do with John and me?” Kayla blinked at Aless confused.

Sighing Aless knew better than to try and explain it to Kay.  Kay didn’t care much about her ex’s feelings. 

“There is a reason they are an ex,” she would always tell Aless.

Pausing to let an older woman and her young daughter dart by, Aless tried not to visibly shake her head at Kay. 

“Never mind. Where does John want to take you for your date?”

“Well, that’s the thing…”

“What do you mean ‘that’s the thing.’ I don’t like when there is a thing, Kay.”

“He wants to take me to the movies, but he was hoping it could be a double date….”

“With who?”

“You and….”

Kay’s voice trailed off and Aless could not make out the name of the person she said, which meant it was someone bad.  Stopping in her tracks, Aless placed her hands on her hips and frowned at Kayla.  Sighing this time, Kayla knew that look.  Aless was not going to be played with today.

“Tyler,” Kay said flatly, already knowing the reaction.

“Tyler?  Tyler the guy who had been bugging me for a date all semester. No, I mean since he saw me at the beach in a bikini this summer, Tyler? The one who stared like a frog at my dolae tattoos? Tyler the Octopus?”

Kayla placed a pitiful expression on her face, but Alessandra wasn’t having any of it.  She vividly remembered the incident at the beach. After a fresh dive into the ocean, she had emerged to find Kayla talking to John and Tyler.  Upon seeing her in her bikini, Tyler’s eyes had almost popped out his head.  Since Aless had not been excepting any male company, she had chosen to wear her tanning bikini, which rode lower on her hips.  The lower cut of the swimsuit left her dolae exposed. All girls Alessandra’s age had dolaes. They were a sign that the girl had successfully reach her menstruation age. Most girls’ dolaes, which ran from the top of the hip bone down to the top of the bikini line, following the angle of the hip bones, were of vines and flowers for fertility and growth. They were beautiful, but there was not usually a lot of variation. Aless’s dolae was different.  

Her dolae had been designed by her deceased mother.  Sydney Yᴔsin, knowing that she was dying, had spent month creating the perfect dolae for her daughter. Aless’s father had given it her as her fourteenth birthday gift to show he acknowledged her beginning puberty. As a result, Aless’s dolae was very personal to her.  She knew most girls showed their dolae when at the beach and even in her regular bikini part of Aless’s dolae did show, but to have it fully exposed and gawked at made Alessandra upset.  Thinking about it, Aless laid her hand on her pelvic area, thinking of its beautiful design.

“Can you blame him?  Your tattoos are artwork. I wish I had gotten mine after you did. I would have borrowed your design,” Kay said jealously.

It was true.  Aless’s dolae was art.  The design was of delicate, intricate wind interwoven with gentle waves of water and lace-like stars. Kay’s dolae was also beautiful, but much bolder and more traditional. Each side of her hips bore wide crescent-shaped vines that overlapped and crossed with two large open orchids resting in the middle.  The detail was beautiful, but the tattoos were larger than most girls got and very attention-grabbing. Unmoved by her flattery, Alessandra stared hard at Kay. Switching tactics, Kayla spoke again quickly.

“Look, he and John are good friends and Tyler and John both really want to go out with us.”

“No.  I am not going out with Tyler.  I have been trying to avoid him since the First Sun month!”

“John says Tyler is a really nice guy, but that he just tries to compensate for his insecurities too much.”

“John says that because he doesn’t have a vagina that Tyler wants to get into.”

“Aless!”

Laughing loudly, Kayla smacked her friend on the arm.  It was true.  Tyler had a bad reputation for grabby hands and having a dog with a bone attitude about getting into a girl’s pants.  For some girls, it worked and for others it didn’t. Despite that, Tyler was a pretty popular guy.  Personally, Alessandra couldn’t stand that type of guy and she never dated someone from their school.  In fact, she had only had one boyfriend since secondary year. He had been from the private secondary school in their town and the relationship had only last three months. Honestly, Aless preferred to spend her time with Kayla and their other girlfriends. 

Actually, Alessandra preferred doing a lot of things other than spending her time with a boyfriend. Since the age of ten, Aless had trained in Pakido, an intense self-defense art, which her father had signed her up for after robbers had broken into their house while he was gone on a business trip. Aless had managed to escape unnoticed and got to the neighbors for help. The event had been very traumatic for Aless and she had cried whenever her father would leave the house.  So, to help Alessandra get over her fears, her father signed her up for Pakido, believing it would strengthen her confidence.  It had never occurred to him that he could just stay home with his young daughter.  Of course, such thoughts never occurred to Aaron Yᴔsin. After her mother died over ten years ago, Aaron threw himself into his work.  As a partner in some fortune five hundred company, he was always too busy to be home.  In fact, Alessandra hadn’t seen her father in about a month.  Yet he would call, leave notes, gifts, and money in lieu of his presence. 

Although at times lonely, his absence did allow Aless to enjoy her social life.  Most weekends she went out dancing, something Alessandra loved more than even Pakido. Luckily, Aless and Kayla knew a few clubs that didn’t mind looking the other way for pretty underaged girls, especially since Aless and Kayla would both be eighteen and of legal age in a few months.

“I know this is big favor I’m asking, Aless,” Kayla finally said seriously, “but I really want to go out with John.  I have since entry year.”

“I know,” Aless nodded somberly.

“I know Tyler is a creep, but if you could just manage one date with him for me…”

“Kay…”

“Please…”

Holding Alessandra’s gaze, Kayla knew she had won when Aless looked away and put her hands in her jean pockets.  That was her sign of submission.

“Fine.  One date. That’s it, Kay.  I am serious.  I do not want to hear you ask for another double date like this again.”

“I won’t!  I promise!”

Kay threw her arm around her best friend and smiled. Rolling her eyes, Alessandra laughed half-heartedly, knowing she was going to regret her decision.