Maybe this is a sign, Theo thought as he walked home, pushing the lawn mower past houses with odd brick facades. Operation Dead Presidents hadn’t been going as he planned anyway. He needed two thousand dollars to get the Civic repaired and repainted. He’d initially thought the plan was flawless. His dad would put up seven hundred, and Theo would bank the remaining thirteen hundred. But after a month, he’d only raised five hundred bucks. He had five weeks left before school started. At this rate, by that time, he’d have a little over one thousand dollars. He would definitely have to raise his base rate. He could tell everyone it was because of gas. Gas prices and taxes seemed to touch a special nerve with adults.

Theo entered the house through the garage door, kicking off his soiled shoes before entering the kitchen. A stack of mail awaited him on the counter: the most recent Fader magazine, his AP exam scores, a financial aid letter from Clemson. The envelope for the financial aid letter had been opened.

Theo removed the letter and scanned it. One of his scholarships had been canceled due to criminal charges being brought against a major donor, so sixteen thousand dollars would have to come out of pocket until the shortfall could be fixed. “Jesus,” Theo said aloud. Disoriented, he grabbed the Fader and the AP exam scores and slinked up the stairs toward his bedroom.

Sixteen thousand. Six-ten thousands. One hundred sixty hundreds. Shadowing him as he dressed for bed, the sum bounced around Theo’s mind, its very precision somehow making it harder to fathom. Theo turned on his bed lamp then flopped onto the bed, exhaustion coursing through his body. Despite his fatigue, lying in bed only made him feel more restless.

Theo grabbed the Fader from his nightstand. A portrait of some band he’d never heard of was plastered on the cover. The odd trio sullenly stared back at him. Theo closely examined the haircut of who he assumed to be the lead singer. She had a blond bob with shaved sides and streaks of cinnamon red. “I’m guessing either electropop or folk house,” Theo joked aloud.

Theo dropped the magazine on the floor and grabbed his phone, opening his YouTube app and searching for the music of the mystery band. Theo laughed as soon as he heard the bubbly synths and cheery lyrics of the band’s lead single, “Born to Dance.”

“The bob don’t lie,” Theo said to himself, closing the app with a victorious smile. Instinctively, his fingers scrolled to his text messaging app. Kai had been silent for nearly a month. Theo knew what it meant, but he still found himself primed to talk to her as if it had only been hours since they’d last spoke. He stared at their message history, his thumb unmoving. The phone’s LED display stared back then blinked off.