The girl closest to Nick squinted hard and said, “You’ve got really huge glasses.”

“And you’re a very observant young woman,” Nick replied.

“Why do you wear them?”

“To keep insects out of my eyes at high speeds.”

She blinked.

“So I can see,” Nick said.

The girl leaned closer and studied the soft brown orbs that floated behind the lenses. “How big are your eyes?” she asked.

“They’re the size of Frisbees,” Nick said. “The glasses make them look smaller.”

She still didn’t change expressions, but some of the others laughed.

Nick lifted his glasses and showed the girl his eyes, then gave her a wink.

“You’ve got pretty eyes,” she said.

“Thanks. I wish I could say the same for you, but I’m afraid you’re just a big blur right now.” He turned to the rest of the group and said, “What are you guys waiting for? It’s lousy pizza anyway—it won’t taste any better cold.”

They were on the pizza like jackals on a gazelle.

Nick listened to the group as they talked; his eyes darted behind his glasses like a pair of rebounding basketballs. These kids were like a collection of insects to Nick, each with its own rituals and pairing behavior. The girl on his right was holding hands with the boy next to her, but she kept looking at a taller boy across the table. The shorter boy beside her kept clinging to the girl’s hand, but it was too late—a more suitable potential mate had already caught her attention. The boy directly across from Nick kept his arms folded with his fists tucked behind his biceps to make them appear larger than they really were, exaggerating his size and status. One girl wore more makeup than all the others combined; she kept touching it up with a pocket mirror, seeking to distinguish herself from the drabber females in the colony.

But the focus of Nick’s attention was the boy seated to his left. He was the largest in the group, with a tousle of brown hair and a splatter of pimples across his fair skin. He was athletic and obviously proud of it—he wore a wool letter jacket with leather sleeves, even though the temperature outside was well over eighty degrees. He spoke with more volume and more self-assurance than the others, and other members of the group quickly deferred to him. This boy was the dominant male in the colony; he was the one Nick was looking for.

Nick turned and looked at him. “How’s the fall look for you guys? Tough schedule?”

“We’re gonna kick butt this year,” the boy said. “We’ve got our whole front line and half the backfield returning.”

“Who’s your big rival?”

“Front Royal,” the boy growled, and the whole group sneered with contempt. “We’re gonna kill them this year.”