I almost called out to him, but I let it go. Ema didn’t reply either. She just lowered her head and started picking at her food.

“He’s full of it, you know.”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t blame her. I got it. I more than got it. I didn’t fully trust him either, and I had only been subjected to his bullying for a few weeks. Ema had dealt with it most of her life.

At the same time, he had come to us. He had made the first move. I hated the idea of merely rejecting him back. It felt wrong. It felt like something they would do, not us.

Ema put down her fork. “We should look into Troy’s drug test.”

“Really?”

Ema nodded. “So we can prove once and for all that he’s a lying bully.”

CHAPTER 18

After school I received a group text from Spoon. It was addressed to Rachel, Ema, and me.

Got something. Stop by tonight?

We all texted back that we would.

I got to the locker room early, changed, and found my way to the basket in the corner. I was the first one there and I enjoyed five minutes of solitude. The next guy out of the locker room was a junior named Danny Brown. As I saw him grab a basketball and stroll onto the court, I stopped dribbling and waited for the customary stony glare.

Only I didn’t get one.

More than that, instead of heading toward the center basket, Danny Brown started making his way toward me.

“Hey, Mickey,” he said.

“Uh, hey, Danny.”

No one had ever introduced us. We had never exchanged words before. But that was how it was. Other guys came out, and again, to my astonishment, they made their way toward my corner basket. Danny grabbed the rebound and threw it out to me. We ran passing and shooting drills. People said hello to me. They slapped me five. They asked how I was liking the new school. They asked about some of my classes. They warned me about teachers to stay away from and offered me study guides that would be helpful.

One guy, a senior named Eric Bachmann, asked me if I needed a ride home after practice.

For the first time in my life, I felt I was part of a team.

I know that sounds like nothing in comparison to what was going on around me. Ema had a missing boyfriend. I had a dead father and a mom in rehab, and this crazy Luther guy was probably after me. But right now, for just a minute or two, I let myself revel in this wonderful camaraderie that came so easily to others.