Nathan was tense when he joined the foosball game, but Gavin was different than he was at school or in the eSports club. He appeared relaxed and actually smiled now and then. They talked about sports, and it turned out that both of their fathers were Notre Dame football fans.

As the evening continued, it seemed to Nathan that some of the Axis squad were actually warming up to him. They shared a laugh when Gavin called Ironville “the armpit of the nation.” Then Mackenzie asked Nathan to be her cornhole partner, and maybe it was his imagination, but he thought she might be flirting a little. Later he wound up playing eight-ball against Tyler, who greeted Nathan by clicking his heels and extending his right arm into the air with a straightened hand. It was the salute the Germans used in World War II.

The only member of the Axis squad who wasn’t friendly was Crosby. The kid was like Gavin’s shadow. Whatever game Gavin played, Crosby either tried to play or stood close by watching. Nathan got the feeling that a few of the other kids had noticed Crosby’s clinginess to Gavin, too. At one point, Gavin told Crosby to go upstairs to get some ice for the sodas, and the kid hopped right to it. What a twerp.

MATCH TALLY

THE AXIS: 3

THE ALLIES: 4

Caleb wandered into the kitchen bleary-eyed and tired. He felt like he’d hardly slept. The photographer was more than a week late with the yearbook portraits, and Caleb was worried. Had he made a mistake by recommending the guy? The yearbook was on a tight schedule. Not only would it cost a ton of money if they had to hire another photographer to reshoot all the student portraits, but the yearbook company would charge them extra for being late.

At first, Caleb was so preoccupied with worry that he didn’t notice that his father was having coffee alone at the kitchen table. Caleb went to the cupboard, imagining what it would be like if just for once he found a brand-new box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. But the only cereals were oatmeal and the antioxidant high-fiber gluten-free cardboard-flavored variety. Caleb poured himself a bowl and doused it with almond milk.

“No green hair today?” Mr. Arnett asked.

Now Caleb noticed that his father was alone, which meant that his mom had already left for work. That seemed odd, since his parents almost always left together.

“Not today,” Caleb said, and nearly gagged on a spoonful of the cereal. Was there anything worse than soggy cardboard for breakfast?

“What’s the latest with Brooke Ford?” his father asked.

“It’s going to be a few weeks before she can begin working on the story,” Caleb said. He felt both excited and disappointed. The good news was that not only did KFKN plan to send a video crew to the school to record the eSports club in action, but they also wanted Caleb and his parents to come to the KFKN studios to be interviewed! The bad news was that Brooke Ford had a really busy schedule, and the story would have to wait until she found time to do it.