Cole walks in. “So, I was thinking,” he says before he sees me. And then after, “Rex!” and gives me a giant hug. I don’t think a hug has ever been more on time.

“Not now, Cole,” Carli says, and sits up on the bed, face scrunched up.

Cole turns to me. “Did Carli tell you that we may be going to your—”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Carli screams, and stands up. “Out! Get out! Now!”

Hurt welling up in his eyes, he turns to walk out.

“What’s going on in here?” their mom asks, appearing in the doorway behind him.

No one speaks. Everyone’s looking at Carli. Her fists are balled up, her jaw is clenched, and her nostrils are flared like she wants to give us all a serious beatdown.

Part of me wants to go to her, hug her, and make her relax. But the other part, the part that’s been working overtime my whole life to hold myself together, demands that I stay back.

That’s All She Wrote

CARLI

Monday after school and I’m at basketball practice, where I’m supposed to be learning new defensive plays. But I can’t stop running the scene of Rex leaving my room through my head. How he looked at me like he didn’t know me. How I looked back at him, with all the anger I felt about my parents’ divorce, their custody battle, basketball, my life. How Mom put her hand on his back and said, “I’ll walk you out,” and I let her, without even telling him good-bye.

“Jordan, if Shannon gets the ball at the top of the left key, go and help Carli trap her,” Coach says, and points to the left corner of the free-throw line. Jordan walks down to the corner from right outside the three-point line, smacking on gum.

I haven’t told Jordan about the breakup. Rex and I haven’t officially said we were over, but what we had definitely feels broken. No more rise-and-shine texts from him every morning. No more staying up late talking to him on the phone every night. No contact at all since he left my house on Friday.

“Carli, get your head out of the clouds and come up here to trap!” Coach yells. The whole team’s eyes widen in surprise. Jordan’s mouth is literally hanging open.

Coach never yells at me. Everybody else, yes, but never me.

“Shannon cost us the championship last year, and I’ll be damned if I let her take it away from us again this year,” Coach continues.