“Yeah.” Liam shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, I like my school. And it’s a pretty good deal we have. Plus, I’ll be leaving for college after next year.”

His dad nodded. He looked like he was going to cry. “Wow. That’s soon.”

“Uh-huh,” Liam said.

His dad leaned down to scratch the dog between the shoulder blades. “Never mind. It’s not important.” The dog didn’t move.

Liam went inside to take a shower. His dad stayed outside. After his shower he’d texted Shy, but she couldn’t talk because she could hear the parents of the kid she was babysitting coming home. Liam passed out pretty soon after that.

Now his parents were avoiding each other without admitting they were avoiding each other. It was like sharing an apartment with roommates who never spoke.

His dad was a morning person. He usually woke up first and put on music and fixed breakfast and danced around nerdily while Liam’s mom stared at him and drank her coffee before stumbling off to work. This morning and every other morning that week, his dad left late, after his mom, without making breakfast or any noise at all except the front door slamming behind him.

Liam stared at the sunspots on the wall and enjoyed the silence. Then he picked up his phone and texted Shy.

Hi.

She texted back right away.

wtf mr streko hates me now—went to his office to get chocolate b4 2nd period like always and he said I’m not a vending machine and shut the door in my face. wat a cunt.

We don’t use that word here, like ever

not sure i even want to be on his cunty table tennis team

Hey are you free later or are you babysitting again?

those people are weird. i got a surprise for us—meet me after school?

They walked from school to the playground on Congress Street. Shy sat on a bench and pulled off her gray fleece jacket. She wore a black jumpsuit with the name MARK sewn in green script on the chest pocket. Her long, thin legs looked less gawky beneath the loose, thick material.

“Nice to meet you, Mark.” Liam held out his hand.

Shy gave him the finger. “Hey, look at the sun.”

The days were getting shorter. Already the sun was sinking and the sky had begun to pinken.

“Pretty,” Liam said.

Shy handed him a chocolate-chip cookie. “Eat that. I’m already almost finished with mine.”

Liam shoved the whole thing in his mouth. “Did you make them?” he asked as he chewed.

Shy laughed. Her blond hair was pinkening too. “No, I took them out of the fridge at the people’s house where I babysat. The kid told me not to touch them. I’ve been hiding them in our freezer ever since. They’re pot cookies. Smell.”