“What is it, sweetheart?” she asks, putting a bright bookmark in her book and lowering her reading glasses.

“I have to pay Coach Marcus the uniform fee tomorrow, and I don’t have enough to cover it,” I say, embarrassed. I don’t know what else to do, though. I’m afraid if I don’t give him the fee, he’ll bench me until Ma and Frankie get here and I can pay.

“Oh, Elijah, why didn’t you just ask me? Of course, you can borrow. I’ll settle it up with your ma when she gets here. You wipe that worry off your face now,” she says, standing up.

She disappears down the hall, and I hear her rummaging around somewhere. She returns with three folded twenty-dollar bills, handing them to me.

“Thank you. I’m sorry I had to ask. I’ll make sure I tell Ma that I borrowed, and maybe she can send it in the mail, and you won’t have to wait for her to get here to pay you back.”

“Oh, hush now,” Ms. Birdie says. “I can wait until she’s here. Don’t you worry about that. You just keep doing what you’re doing on that field and we’re going to have us a season, aren’t we?” She laughs.

“Thank you,” I tell her again, tucking the money into my pocket.

“Don’t you keep worrying about it. Focus on that o-line.” She winks.

Julian is still in the bathroom, so I go to my room and text Frankie.

I have never eaten so much in my life

Frankie answers with a vomit face emoji. Ooh! We had soup from a can. Tell me every single detail.

I explain the dishes with as many adjectives as I can while Frankie texts me back drooling emojis and hearts.

Coley misses you. She keeps asking for Uncalijah to read Knuffle Bunny and her pigeon books, she texts.

The school library has a few of those books on the shelves. What if I record myself reading one or two and then you can show her on your phone? I answer.

That would be perfect! She’ll be so excited! Frankie texts back.

I don’t tell her that I broke the news about Coley to Julian. I don’t think she’ll stay mad about it forever or anything; I just need to think of a way to tell her gently. When I hear Julian finish in the bathroom, I tell Frankie good night and text her a picture of me blowing a kiss. She texts one back.

Once I finish washing my face and brushing my teeth, I notice that Julian’s door is already shut and lie down on my bed. I have just leaned over and clicked the lamp off when there’s a soft knock on the door. So soft that I’m not sure I even heard it correctly the first time.