Red and I stood outside the entrance to RJE with the rest of the kids and waited for the building to open.
Well, I was standing. Red was spinning around one of the poles for the new fence being installed and bumping my shoulder each time he passed. It was a little annoying—and got more annoying after he knocked my granola bar into a puddle—but I wasn’t about to say anything. Red was banging into me and not freaking out. That never used to happen.
“What’s the deal?” Zachary said, walking over with the twins. “No more early pass?”
“No more early pass,” I said.
“Do you know where Tiki is?” Ana asked.
I leaned away from Red’s next shoulder bump. “I have no idea.”
“This is the first day she didn’t attack us,” Lana said.
“What does that mean?”
“Every morning, as soon as she sees us, she runs over. But she’s not very good at stopping.”
Zachary flicked his hand near my face. “You wouldn’t know that since you had your pass.”
“It’s kind of refreshing having a day off from her,” Lana said, “if you know what I mean.”
“I know what you mean,” I said. “I know exactly what you mean.”
* * *
“So we have some news this morning,” Mr. Acevedo said at the start of CC.
He sat in his spot on the rug and looked around the meeting area. He made eye contact with a few of the kids, including me.
“I was hoping to find some words of wisdom to go along with the news,” he said, “but I couldn’t find the right ones, so I’m just going to say it.”
I checked Red. He was on a beanbag, tapping his leg. Ms. Yvonne sat on the floor beside him.
“Spill it, Teach,” Declan said. “What’s going on?”
Mr. Acevedo pulled back his hair and exhaled a deep breath. “Tiki’s no longer in Room 208.”
I rocked.
“She’s not going to be at RJE anymore,” he added.
“Tiki’s gone?” Diego grabbed his hat strings.
“Did something happen to her?” Lana asked.
“Is she okay?” Piper said.
“Hold on, hold on, hold on.” Mr. Acevedo held out both hands. “Before you get any ideas, it’s nothing like that.”
Too late. My brain was bursting with ideas.
How were we going to beat Cypress Village and Millwood? We needed her. Clifton United was …
I hit Pause inside my head.
Was that why she came over? Was that why she was acting even weirder than usual?
“Tiki was never going to be here for long,” Mr. Acevedo said.
“Why didn’t she say anything?” Ana asked.
“Because she said kids treated her differently when they knew she was leaving,” Mr. Acevedo said. “She and I talked about it. As a matter of fact, she said everyone treated her differently when they knew she was leaving.”
I grabbed the locks above my neck and squeezed. She really did move around a lot. RJE was just another stop.
“Tiki’s family had to move out of state,” Mr. Acevedo said. “Mr. Eid is starting a new job right after the first of the year.”
“Pop,” Red said. “Takara Eid called her father Pop.”
“Thanks, Red.” Mr. Acevedo nodded once. “She did. They’re moving this week so they can settle in before he starts.”
“Takara Eid’s pop told us they were moving,” Red said.
Everyone faced him.
“He did,” Red said. “At the meeting in Principal Darling’s office, Takara Eid’s pop told us they were moving.”
“Dude, no, he didn’t,” Avery said.
“When did he say that?” Diego asked.
“Takara Eid said that whenever her family is about to move, her pop always shaves. Takara Eid’s pop didn’t have his beard. Takara Eid’s pop shaved.”
Whenever my family is about to move again, Pop shaves.
I rocked again.
I stared at Red. He knew at the meeting on Friday. He realized it then.
Our eyes met.
“Takara Eid told us she was moving, Mason Irving.”