Nothing about this added up, and it was only when he realized that Mrs. Lee had stopped speaking that he once again paid attention to the counselor. She was looking at him expectantly, as though she’d asked a question and was waiting for an answer, and Nick was embarrassed to have to say, “Excuse me?”

“I said, you’ve been given a real opportunity. It’s not a sure thing, but from the way Mrs. Nelson talked, it’s pretty close.”

“Thanks,” he said, folding up the printout as he stood. “I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t think about it, do it!”

He nodded and backed out of her office, into the hall. There was no way he was going to involve himself with anything that had to do with the bank. Another thought occurred to him: maybe there was no scholarship. Maybe Mr. Worthington just wanted him to fill out the application so the bank could obtain personal information about him.

Walking across the atrium on his way back to class, he crumpled up the paper and tossed it in a trash can.

****

His parents had decided that it was not safe for him to walk or ride his bike around town right now with everything that was going on, so after school, Nick waited by the parking lot for his dad to pick him up. Aaron was supposed to meet him here and get a ride, too, but he didn’t show up, and when Nick saw his dad’s truck pull into the parking lot, he tried calling Aaron to tell him they were leaving, but got his friend’s voicemail.

He left a message—“Call me”—and sent a text, but there was no response to either by the time they got home. Not wanting to worry his dad, he said nothing about it, telling him instead about Victor’s capture, but after his father dropped him off and drove back to the bookstore, Nick called Aaron’s home phone, only to hear it ring and ring until an operator’s recorded voice said that the person he was calling was not answering, and suggested that he call again at another time.

He was getting the same feeling he’d had when Victor stopped coming to school, and he called Aaron’s cell again, with no luck, before texting him and sending him an email.

It was midafternoon and still light outside, but he turned on the TV and the lights in the living room, and stayed in the front of the house until his mom arrived home.