If you have not seen In the Heights yet, go see it. Now. It is the single greatest musial on Broadway and has the greatest cast ever. Well, except for Shrek but that's only because they have John Tartaglia. But we can argue about that some other time. Right now YOU HAVE TO GO SEE IN THE HEIGHTS!!! (Then PM me so we can talk about how incredible it is.)
Nina looked at the colored notecards in front of her, triple-checking that they were separated into their color-coded piles. Smiling, she straightened the study guide, fingers lingering for a second on the staple holding the three pages together.
A knock at the door signaled for her to answer it, and Usnavi's smiling – but nervous – face greeted her.
"Hey Usnavi," she said cheerfully, stepping slightly to the side so he could come in.
"How's it going?" Usnavi asked, tugging at the scarf he had wrapped around his neck. Nina recognized the scarf as the one Abuela Claudia had crocheted for him two Christmases ago. She had made it in Usnavi's favorite color: red. She herself has one up in her room, where she kept it hanging on a bedpost when she wasn't wearing it.
"I finished the notecards," she told Usnavi as she took his coat and scarf and laid them carefully on a chair. "Study guides always help me too, so I typed one up for you. You can take it home and fill it in to make sure you remember everything." Usnavi sat down on the sofa and looked at the flashcards, eyes widening. He picked up the study guide next and flipped through it.
"Damn," he muttered as Nina sat down beside him. He turned towards her, eyes now wide with gratitude. "I would never have thought of this."
Nina shrugged, pointing to the notecards and saying, "I color-coded them according to time period." Usnavi replaced the study guide and picked up the pile of blue cards, '1900's' written on the top in Nina's careful hand.
"When did you find time to do all this?" Usnavi asked, running his thumb along the cards. Nina just shrugged again, smiling.
"I might have borrowed Lincoln's notes to make it a little easier," she admitted, giggling. "But I didn't tell him why, don't worry." Usnavi had told her ahead of time that he didn't want to ask Lincoln for help; he was too busy tutoring Benny, in any case.
"Thanks," Usnavi's voice seemed to melt with relief. Nina knew that Usnavi didn't want to offend Lincoln, and asking his younger sister for help studying for a history mid-term they both had to take probably would. Not many tenth grade boys would ask a seventh grader for help.
The two spent at least an hour and a half studying, cutting short when Lincoln and Benny arrived (Usnavi nearly jumped through the ceiling while Nina kept her head and neatly tucked the flashcards and study guide under the table).
Usnavi left with Benny after Lincoln gave the latter a couple tips on cramming. Nina slipped the study guide and flashcards into Usnavi's coat pockets, feeling quite pleased with her sneakiness. When Usnavi called later that night with questions, she practically knocked the phone out of Lincoln's hand to answer first.
She couldn't help but feel incredibly proud of Usnavi when he showed her his 98% a week later. The astounded looks on Benny and Lincoln's faces were just added bonuses.
((Academic))