After saying goodbye to York, the two of them walked to the bus stop in silence, boarded in silence, and sat side by side–still not uttering a word.
Alessia watched the trees slide past outside the window, their branches blurring together. After three days of nonstop chaos–putting out fires for her family, juggling her own problems–it felt almost surreal to be back in the rhythm of an ordinary school day. The taut string in her mind finally loosened, if only a little.
sible to miss.
else, while still
Zachary nced over and immediately noticed the shadow under Alessia’s eyes. Her pale skin made the bruise stand out starkly in the sunlight, Thinking about how she’d been running herself ragged for every managing her own troubles, Zachary felt a fresh wave of guilt crash over him.
He wasn’t just a lousy older brother–he was doing a pretty poor job at being a decent human being, period.
He’d tossed and turned all night, reying everything in his head, and finally sat up in bed and gave himself a couple of hard ps just to get to sleep. Now, seeing Alessia’s tired face, the guilt was back with a vengeance.
What a piece of work he was.
Zachary cursed himself silently.
“These past few days must’ve been rough, huh?” He wrestled with his thoughts for a while before finally breaking the silence, only to immediately regret how stupid the question sounded.
Sure enough, Alessia blinked. “I’m fine.”
The awkward silence settled back over them, thicker than before. They didn’t speak again, not even when they went their separate ways at their respective schools.
Ste was the first to spot Alessia, waving her over as soon as she appeared. Pierce’s wave was even more enthusiastic; his eyes lit up, fixed on her as she walked over.
“What’s up?”
“Alessia, the annual track meet’sing up,” Pierce announced, thrusting a sign–up sheet into her hands. “Which events are you gracing us with this year?<b>” </b>
“Did you already pick for me?” Alessia arched an eyebrow.
??
“Mile run, high jump, long jump. What do you think?” Pierce gave her his <b>most </b>winning smile.
The truth was, nobody wanted to sign up for the mile, and the other two events were dominated by athletes from other sses. If Alessia didn’tpete, their ss didn’t stand a chance. With just those three events, they’d have a lock on a top–three finish for the whole school.
If there wasn’t a three–event limit per person, Pierce would’ve filled in Alessia’s name for every single slot.
No point dragging it out. Alessia took the form and signed her nam strokes–no hesitation, all confidence.
quick, bold
“Ste, you’re our star shot putter again this year,” Pierce said, sliding a different form her way. Ste didn’t even argue; she just scribbled her name with a flourish.
“Oh, right!” Pierce’s seat had barely touched the chair before he bounced up again, leaning in between them.
“What is it now?” Ste tapped him on the head with her pen.
Pierce winced, immediately pulled back, and rubbed the spot she’d hit.
“The design contest from the start of the semester–it’s over! Alessia, you overtook Penny by three votes at thest minute and took first ce this year. Congrats!”
“Thanks,” Alessia replied, her tone calm, as if this was exactly what she’d expected.
“This year, there’s more than just a cash prize. I heard A&P is offering to grant your one wish for a custom clothing piece!” Seeing that Alessia barely reacted, Pierce put his hands together in a plea, eyes wide with hope.
“Alessia, I have a favor to beg!”
She raised an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it.”
“So, we’re designing new ss t–shirts, and Penny and I both agree–your design is perfect for the track meet theme. It’s bold and vibrant, exactly what we need to break the gloom of senior year. It screams energy–youth itself!”
<b>Chapter </b>15
<b>Chapter </b><b>158 </b>