A few hours later, Red and I walked to school like we do every morning. Only this morning wasn’t like every other morning.
As we headed down Orleans Lane, Red kept looking over. He wanted to talk, but I hadn’t said a word yet, and the longer I stayed silent, the faster he patted his fists against his legs.
I was the one who always started our walking-to-school conversations. It wasn’t like a rule or anything. That’s just the way it was. But not today.
Today, I was zombie-walking.
I blinked hard. My head was in such a haze. I’d slept an hour last night. Maybe. When Mom came in to wake me, I was on the floor. No pillow, no covers, just me and purple teddy.
We turned onto Key Place.
“You’re thinking about that thing again,” Red said.
“What thing?”
“He speaks!” The words exploded from Red’s mouth.
“Ha.” I managed a small smile. “How long have you been waiting to say that line?”
“Since my driveway, Mason Irving.”
I was barely able to see what was in front of me and was shuffling along like I do after finishing my last set of end-of-practice up-and-backs, but it still registered that Red had made a joke. Not a joke-joke, but a funny comment. Red used to never say things like that.
“You’re thinking about that thing again,” he repeated. “You were thinking about it on the walk to school on Monday. You were thinking about it in—”
“No I’m not.”
“Yes you are, Mason Irving. Something’s up.”
Red always knows when something’s up, and most of the time he knows exactly what that something is.
I let out a puff. “It’s not … Well, there’s more to it now.”
“Why don’t you want to go to the Jack Twyman Spring Showdown?” he asked.
I flinched. “What?”
“Why don’t you want to go to the Jack Twyman Spring Showdown?”
“Who says I don’t want to go?”
“You did.”
“When did I say that?”
“Right now. You’re saying it right now, Mason Irving.”
Like I said, Red knows when something’s up and, most of the time, exactly what that something is.
“Why don’t you want your father to be a chaperone?” Red asked.
I didn’t even know Red knew my father was the third chaperone, but it made sense that he did because everyone’s gotten a lot better about letting him know about unexpected changes and surprises.
“I don’t really remember your father,” he said.
“Not much to remember.”
“Does your father know basketball? If your father knows basketball, maybe—”
“Can we not talk about him?”
He turtled his neck. “Sorry, Mason Irving.”
We turned onto Niagara Drive. Red spun around the stop sign at the corner.
“You have to be there, Mason Irving,” Red said. “You can’t miss this. You know you want to go.”
That’s what I’d said to Red. Pretty much word-for-word. He was right. I had to be there. No matter how badly I didn’t want to go, no matter how badly I didn’t want to see him, I had to be there.
“I know,” I said softly. “I’m going.”
“Yes!” Red said. “We’re going to the Jack Twyman Spring Showdown.” He started skip-walking. “The Hoops Haven Sports Complex is supposed to be amazing.”
“The hotel has an indoor pool,” I said.
“My mom packed my goggles,” Red said. “She packed a pair for you, too.”
“I’ll wear them.”
Whenever Red goes swimming, he always wears goggles. He won’t go in the water without them because he doesn’t like getting splashed in the face or getting chlorine in his eyes. He also doesn’t like being the only kid wearing goggles. So I wear them, too.
“I’ll make sure no one splashes you,” I said. I bumped his shoulder. “I’ll get you a noodle.”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t need a noodle.” He hunched his shoulders. “I can swim. I’ve been taking swim lessons with Coach Lisa since kindergarten. I’ve been taking—”
“Noodles are the best,” I said. “I’ll take yours if you don’t want one.”
“Steph Curry’s taking my noodle.”
“Huh?”
“Maybe Steph Curry will be at the pool.” Red smiled. “Maybe Steph Curry will be at the pool because he heard that Clifton United’s U-N-S-T-O-P-P-A-B-L-E point guard is going to be there.” He laughed.
I laughed, too. Red made another joke. A joke-joke that was funny.
We turned into the schoolyard.
“Can I ask you something?” I said.
“Sure, Mason Irving.”
“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if your dad lived with you?”
“I never met my dad,” Red said.
“I know, but do you ever wonder what it would be like?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, Mason Irving.”
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. Finally, I bumped his shoulder again.
“Clifton United’s going to kick butt at the Showdown,” I said.
“Oh, yeah! Clifton United’s definitely going to kick butt at the Jack Twyman Spring Showdown.”
“How cool would it be if we won the whole thing?”
“Oh, man!” Red was skip-walking again. “If Clifton United won the Jack Twyman Spring Showdown, that would be amazing!”
I pointed to the jungle gym. Every morning on our way to school, Red and I obstacle-coursed the jungle gym. It was our favorite part of the walk to school.
“You ready?” I said.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, Mason Irving.”