After a few hours, I manage to duck out of the party so I can meet Devonte. He offered to skip track practice to join the party. But I didn’t want to share him with a crowd. I wanted us to be alone. So, we go to his house, sit on the sofa, and watch Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, and he makes me hot chocolate. It’s a really chill and relaxed vibe, and exactly what I wanted after the party. Oh, and we make out—a lot. And when the movie is over, I hand him a small black ring box.

“This is kind of sudden, but yeah, I’ll marry you!”

I playfully roll my eyes. “Ha ha. Whatever. It’s not a ring.”

“What is it?”

“Open it, genius.”

He opens the box and finds a simple silver chain with a pendant of winged feet.

“It’s more than just a track-and-field symbol. Hermes, the Greek god it’s modeled after, could travel between worlds. There was no limit to where he could go. I feel the same way about you. No limits for you, at all. I want you to always remember that.”

He doesn’t say anything. I’m wondering if this was a terrible idea and he hates it.

“It’s okay if you don’t like it. I can take it back to the—”

He takes my face in his hand and gives me a long, lingering kiss.

I guess he does like his gift.

Later, I find my way back to my mom’s hospital room. The nurse looking after her is letting me spend the night because it’s my birthday. I enter my mom’s room and wedge myself between her and the bed rail. I recount my whole day to her.

“You should have been there! The guy was only going to donate two thousand bucks, but by the time I was done with him, he donated twice as much, and he said there might be room in his budget to hire three paid interns for the summer! Don’t worry, we already contacted all the kids in the summer program and told them about it. Oh, and also, there’s a tech company I think we should check out. We might be able to talk them into supporting our entire Black Girls Code program . . .”

I drone on about everything from Dell and Nai to the box of cupcakes I gave the nurse. I keep talking even as my eyelids get heavy. I whisper to her, “We had a deal: I won the hunt. I get my wish, Mom. And that’s my wish—for you to wake up.”

Sleep takes me. The next thing I know, the sun is up. I open my eyes and find my mother awake and softly smiling down at me.