The bell rings. “I’ve got a class coming in, Julian. Don’t you have history this period? I don’t think Mrs. Nguyen would be too happy with me if you’re late for one of her fascinating lectures because you’ve been loitering in the calculus classroom.”

I wish lunch were longer. Sometimes it feels like Figg is the only person who really understands me. Plus, he’s easy to talk to. I slide out from behind the desk and toss my Styrofoam lunch tray in his garbage can.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Figg tells me as I pack up my things and get ready for the joys of US history.

“I’ll see you,” I tell him. “And thanks for telling me all of that.”

He nods and smiles at me, putting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing.

As I leave the classroom, my head buzzes. My father didn’t like the pranks any more than I do. He tried to stop the tradition, too.

The thought buoys me as I walk down the hallway toward history, feeling taller. My father. My dad. The guy who played football in college and has a ton of trophies with his name on them outside the Crenshaw gym.

What if something goes too far again? What if the consequences are worse than just a forfeiture of the homecoming game? A ton of my teammates are relying on football for scholarships. If there’s a prank that gets out of hand, all that would be on my head.

Something has to change.

· sixteen ·

ELIJAH

All anyone can talk about all day long is the Taylor flag hanging in front of the school. I guess I really don’t get what the big deal is, but maybe that’s because I missed most of the homecoming festivities and buildup when we lived in Meridien before. Frankie loved all the excitement surrounding homecoming, and before her senior year, she would always get all dressed up with her friends and go to the dance. After she got serious with Ty, though, a lot of her so-called friends kind of ditched her. I was at Crenshaw for less than a month before I was suspended, and after that we shipped out to Houston.

I keep my eyes peeled for Julian all morning. I know he was pretty ticked off when he shoved the Taylor flag in his backpack this morning, but I think he may have been more worried about the flak he was going to get for not being the first to strike rather than angry with whatever Taylor Titan hung the flag up in the first place.