“Brrrr,” Diego said, rubbing his arms and pretending to shiver. “That was chilly.”
I placed my elbows on the table and pressed my palms to my temples.
Diego bobbed his head and smiled. “You and your dad seem really tight.”
We were the only ones at our circular booth next to the area where the breakfast buffet was served. The rest of Clifton United was getting their food or sitting at the long, high table that cut across the lobby.
I was shaking. I hadn’t stopped since the elevator.
“No way are you going to eat all that,” Maya said, walking up and motioning to Diego’s tray.
“Watch me,” he said. “This is my breakfast of champions before the tournament of champions!”
Diego had three full plates of food on his tray. One had a stack of pancakes and a mound of scrambled eggs. Another had two bagels and three blueberry muffins. The third was all bacon and sausage, and at the moment, he was stuffing bacon strips into his hoodie pouch.
“Dessert for the bus ride,” he said, still bobbing his head.
Even though the breakfast was all-you-can-eat, I only took an English muffin. After two bites, I already felt like I needed to puke.
Maya slid into the booth across from me. “That’s all you’re eating?”
“Not hungry,” I said.
“He just saw his father,” Diego said.
I shot him a look.
“What?” He sucked down the strip of bacon that was dangling out of his mouth like it was a strand of spaghetti.
“What’s wrong with your father?” Maya asked.
“From what I was able to gather,” Diego said, “they’re not exactly close.”
Ms. Yvonne and Red walked up. Ms. Yvonne sat down next to Maya. Red slid in next to me so that he was facing the door and so he could watch SportsCenter on the flat screen over the fireplace.
“You’re not eating?” Ms. Yvonne said to me.
I shook my head.
“I don’t think Rip and his dad get along,” Diego said.
“Shut up, Diego.”
“I’m sorry I missed him,” Ms. Yvonne said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“I’m looking forward to thanking him,” Maya said. “We wouldn’t be here without him.”
“He saved our butts,” Diego said.
With my basketball eyes, I checked Red. His eyes were fixed on SportsCenter as he ate the top of his chocolate chip muffin. Red only eats muffin tops. He twists off the bottoms and gives them to me. He put the bottom on my plate.
Diego took it. “You going to tell us what’s up with your—”
“My father left when I was in first grade,” I said. I spoke softly. “He took a job in Hong Kong.”
Ms. Yvonne, Maya, and Diego all stared. Red’s eyes stayed with the NBA playoff preview, but I could tell he was listening to everything.
“My mom and him were already thinking about separating,” I said. “So he went. It was a five-year commitment.”
Diego waved his fork. “That’s it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought he did something terrible. Like he had a secret family or he and your mom got into some big—”
“He didn’t want to be with us,” I snapped. I gripped the back of my neck. “He chose work over his family.”
“If you say so.”
“Shut up, Diego.”
* * *
On the bus to Hoops Haven, I sat up front again. The rest of Clifton United sat in the back. Even Mega-Man did. Diego and Red offered to sit with me, but I told them I wanted to be alone for a few minutes.
I twisted a lock above my ear at its root. We were about to walk into Hoops Haven. He was going to be there. For the rest of the day, he was going to be with Clifton United.
I had to shift into basketball mode. No matter what. I had to be all basketball.
“Bacon?” Diego slid into the seat beside me and held out a strip.
I shook my head.
“I came to see how you’re doing.” He popped the bacon into his mouth.
“I’m fine.”
“You look it.” Diego bobbed his head and chewed. Then he wiggled his fingers in front of my face. “I see a bundle of joy. Rainbows, unicorns, twinkling stars, and—”
“I’m fine.” I leaned away.
“Yo, it’s the Showdown, Rip.” He pulled another piece of bacon from his pouch. “You can’t let this ruin it. Whatever this is.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Maybe not, but I do understand one thing.” He shook his fingers. “This is the Showdown.”