Conversation with April
Nice bike, Nick.
Thanks.
Â
Thanks for coming.
Yeah.
Â
Arenât you gonna ask me how was swimming class?
How was swimming class?
Â
Well, Ms. Hardwick jumped in the pool.
What? No freakinâ way!
Â
Yeah, she wanted to
test
the water. Get it? Test?
Thatâs funny.
Â
Did you hear she isnât coming back next year?
Seriously?
Â
Yep. Sheâs going to another school. In Texas.
WOW! Thatâs cool!
Â
I like her.
Yeah, sheâs okay I guess, you lie.
Â
. . .
Hey, Iâm going to Texas.
Â
Thatâs nice. For what?
Dallas Cup. Itâs a pretty prestigious soccer tournament.
Â
I like when you say words like that.
Prestigious
? Thatâs not really a big word or anything.
Â
But you know a lot of big words?
Yeah, thanks to my dad, the verbomaniac, I have to read his dictionary of weird words.
Â
What letter are you on?
I just finished Q & R .
Â
Wow! Like, what kind of words?
Like, uh, Quattlebaum.
Â
Miss Quattlebaum?
Yep, her name is a portmanteau word, which means itâs made up of two different words. Her name is German.
Quattle
means âfruit,â and
baum
means âtree.â
Â
So sheâs Miss Fruit Tree.
Sure is, but we probably shouldnât call her that.
Â
Thatâs funny. What about my last name, Farrow?
Uh, I think it means âprettyâ or something. *
Â
. . .
So, do you like soccer?
Â
Not really.
Oh!
Â
Just kidding. I like watching you play.
. . .
Â
Hey, Iâm sorry about your parents.
Huh? I mean, what do you mean?
Â
I saw what you posted about them ruining your life.
Oh, I wasnât, I mean, theyâ
Â
My parents trip out too. Itâs so annoying.
Iâm over it anyway.
Â
Well thatâs good, âcause I donât want you to lose your smile again.
. . .
Â
Here comes my mom. Raincheck on a big hug. See you in school, Nick.
Okay, uh, thanks, uh, bye, April.
The only thing
better than getting a hug
from April is the PROMISE
of getting a HUG from her.
Probability
If there are 278,000 people
in your city,
what are the odds
of you running
into the two people
you least
want to run
into?
Boy rides his bike
from the community center
to his home
like heâs always done,
only this time,
before he even gets
a block away,
he meets trouble.
Â
Where you going, Nick?
asks Don, not
really caring about an answer.
Yeah, didnât think youâd see us again
this year, did you?
says Dean.
Â
The only thing
to do
right now
is gallop like a thoroughbred
as fast as your bike will possibly go,
and race
for your life.
Â
Seems like to me, you owe us,
says Dean.
For what? you manage to ask.
For getting us kicked out of school, punk.
. . .
Â
Give us your bike.
Uh, I canât give it to you. Iâll get in trouble.
Then I guess weâll kick the crap out of you.
Â
Boy rides his bike
from the community center
to his home
like heâs always done,
only this time,
before he even gets
a block away,
he meets trouble
and ends up
Â
walking.
Kentucky
Maybe living there is not
such a bad thing. At least you
wouldnât be bullied anymore.
Breakdown
An hour later
you tiptoe
up the stairs,
try to sneak
past his room
before heâ
(Too late.)
Nicholas, come here.
Â
Very next time
you disobey me,
thereâll be no Dallas.
Now do what you were supposed to do
and come home after school every day.
And give me your phone.
Â
Itâs not fair. ITâS JUST NOT FAIR.
You better lower your voice!
Â
I HAD TO WALK ALL THE WAY HOME.
Whereâs your bus pass? Is your lip bleeding?
Â
I rode my bike. Iâm going to bed.
I asked you a question? And whereâs your bike?
Â
They took it.
Who is they? And whyâd you let them take it?
Â
Why are you always blaming
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