The van rolled slowly by the curb and came to a stop in front of her house.

Skyla must have forgotten something.

Marianne walked away from the window.

She picked up her phone.

Unable to stop herself, she texted the Ermines:

you guys got this! vi—go for it and enjoy it! let it be fun, right? dan—this is the moment—get on that buzzer and you can WIN! you’re smarter than everyone! nina—take a breath! say bye bye to the scary thoughts! it’s all good! skyla—just pretend you’re with me in my room doing flash cards. that’s all it is.

Vi responded: im at the door.

Marianne rushed back to the window and saw that the van was still there, the door wide open.

“Huh?” Marianne said aloud.

The doorbell rang.

She heard her parents answer it. Her dad yelled, “Mar! It’s for you!”

As she walked down the stairs, the sight of Vi greeted her. Her thick hair was pulled back into a large, tight bun. She wore black pants and a white T-shirt with some kind of graphic on it. And she checked her phone two times before Marianne even made it to the bottom of the staircase.

When Marianne greeted her, Vi handed her a piece of cloth.

Lifting it up, Marianne saw a cartoon ermine on the front with ETHERIDGE under it. The back read BLUME.

“I tried to think, ‘What would Marianne do to prepare us for Championships?’ and I figured you’d make some corny shirts.”

Before Marianne could respond, Vi turned to Marianne’s dad.

“Hi, Ethan.” She pulled a slip of paper out of her hand. “Could you sign this, please?”

Her dad slid his glasses down to read it and then glanced back up at Vi. He pulled a pen out of his back pocket and signed. “There ya go.”

“Thanks,” Vi said. “Okay, get in.” She turned around toward the van.

“What?” Marianne looked from her dad to Vi and back again.

“Permission slip. Come on, you’re coming with us,” Vi commanded.

“Huh?”

“Norah!” Vi spoke loudly over Marianne’s shoulder. “Tell Marianne to grab a couple of snacks, but we’ll have lunch in Lansing! Throw the shirt on,” she directed Marianne. “Simple psychological strategy,” she explained. “You’re not there and it’s bad for morale.”

Her parents peered out the door at the van and turned back to their daughter.

“What are you waiting for?” her dad asked. “You heard the girl. Get your stuff together!”

Her mom leapt up to grab some things for Marianne and started stuffing them in a tote bag. “We’ll drive over later with Jason and Luis. We’ll see you there!”

Marianne took the bag in her arms, still frozen by the surprise of it all, but Vi clutched her arm and pulled her toward the car.

While they were still on the path to her house, Marianne turned to Vi. “Thanks.”

Vi practically tossed her inside.

The Ermines greeted her with cheers.

“Welcome back, Coach!” Dan said, patting her back.