After the win against Bavaria, a virus starts, then Colchis wins another one and it’s a fever. Even people who dropped out of school start coming to the football games. Then Junior Davis wins a big game against last year’s champion with a touchdown—a real one, this time—in overtime, and Coach Ellis breaks down in sobs. Self-esteem in Colchis soars to dangerous levels. Cars honk. Stores hang out banners. Anonymous nerds high-five each other in the halls. The school board chairman announces he’s running for state office. Rack parades around the halls like a queen, daring her teachers to expect any homework out of her. Scot decides the reason he’s not making any money in real estate is he’s not taking enough risks. He plans another spec house. My mother slides into a grim depression. She comes home from her prayer sessions more irritable than ever. One night, she asks me if I want to drive to Maine with her the last weekend of October to visit Allegra in college.

“But, Mom! That’s homecoming weekend!”

“I know,” she says quietly. “That’s the point.” She sighs. “That’s all right. I’ll take a couple days off and drive out with Nora and Zack.”

One Sunday, I practically collide with Mike Lyle coming out of the front door of Al’s Superette.

“Oh! Hi, Mike,” I say, very surprised and friendly.

He grunts at me and walks away.

“Hey, Mike.” I hurry after him back to the parking lot. “You must be off to California soon.” He stops. “Are you?”

“When the time is right,” he says. “Timing is everything.” He’s been working on his image. His hair is shorter, shinier, and a shade blacker than it used to be.

“What do you do out there, anyway?” I ask. “For work?” Mike and I stand very close, face-to-face. We’re about the same height. In addition to being very light blue, his eyes have an interesting crystalline pattern to them.

“Entertainment.”

“Entertainment?” I parrot.

“Adult entertainment,” he says. “Not for kids. Video production.”

“Oh! That’s really impressive,” I babble.

He opens the car door. “I’m glad you’re impressed. I didn’t think it was going to be so easy.” He’s lost weight, and the features of his face have gotten chiseled-looking. But he’s still massive, which gives him an eerie gravitational pull that makes you feel like you’re falling into him. There’s a stillness about those light eyes, too, like he’s not really looking at you, but just using them to sense heat and motion. I’ve never stood this close to a man who would just as soon crush my head like an empty beer can.

“What does your dad do now?” I ask him.

This takes him by surprise. I don’t explain, though. I wait for the answer.