“Exciting finish, Champ!” my dad says as we head for my soccer bag on the sidelines.

I agree. I mean, it’s always exciting to finish soccer.

“One minute to go, Heather scores the tiebreaking goal, and your friend Brooke has the assist! Where did she disappear to? I wanted to congratulate her—”

“Brooke had to leave right away. Her mom said we could have a sleepover if she and Colin are all caught up on their colonial project.”

“I’ll congratulate her tonight, then,” my dad says. “Listen, your mother texted me, seems Mrs.—”

“Adam! Adam!” The red sweat suit is speed-walking toward us.

“Help me out, Champ,” my dad says. He is very bad with names.

“Heather’s mom, Mrs. Staughton, as in our new Junior Guide leader?”

“Right. First name?”

“Mrs.?”

“Thanks!” He gives my ponytail a yank. “Great game!” he greets Mrs. Staughton.

“Terrific team effort!” says the mother of the star of the game. “Is there any chance I can send Heather home with you two? I’ve got to run to a coaches’ meeting.”

“Unfortunately, not this morning—my wife made other arrangements.” Dad looks off in the direction of my soccer bag. And then I see the Other Arrangements.

 

“No problem,” Mrs. Staughton says. “I’ll take Heather with me.”

“Dad?!”

“I started to tell you, your mother texted—Mrs. Klein has a mall event today, and Lexi has an all-day soccer tournament. Mrs. Klein asked if we’d keep Nora until lunchtime.”

“Did anybody think about asking me?”

“You mean, ‘TIME OUT, COACH DAVE! I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR KATE!’ You were playing soccer. We’re talking about a total of an hour of your time, Kate. C’mon, Mom and Nora are waiting.”

“Good game, Kate!” My mom gives me a hug. If it weren’t for Nora, this would be a special occasion. My mom never comes to games. “I brought your sneakers.”

I sit down next to my bag to change my shoes and Nora looks up from her book. “Do you actually like soccer?” she asks.

“My dad loves soccer. What are you reading?”

“The Witch of Blackbird Pond.”

“Me too! Wait, what colony did you get?”

“New Hampshire.”

“I have Maryland. Boring,” I say.

“Only the boring are bored,” my dad says. He hands me money for the ice cream truck. “Can we get you an Eskimo Pie?” he asks, looking at Nora. It’s supposed to be a joke—she’s all bundled up like an eskimo.

“Screwball,” she says. It’s not supposed to be an insult. It’s an ice cream.

“Do those still have gum in the bottom? Your mother mentioned something about braces,” my mom says.

“Mom, the gumball is all crumbs; it’s been frozen for a hundred years. You can’t really chew it.”

“All right, Gum Police Officer Geller, are we trading cars?” Dad says. “I’ll go grab Fern’s booster seat.”

“Screwball for the screwball?” It’s Heather. She and Allie are laughing.

Nora is exchanging her orange screwball for a raspberry one. I can’t tell whether she heard what Heather said, so I don’t bring it up on the way to the parking lot. Instead I ask her about her braces.

“I have a retainer,” she says. She opens her mouth.

Fern’s booster is still sitting on top of my dad’s car. I look an extra-long time at Nora’s rainbow-colored retainer so Nora completely misses the part where my dad is bagging up all the disgusting stuff that piles up under Fern’s seat.

“That bag does not go anywhere near my car,” my mom says. “Right into the trash! And please, please do not move my files.”

“Yes, sir, officer,” my dad says. He goes to put a towel down, but Nora has already flopped in on Fern’s side of the backseat.

“Are you friends with Heather?” Nora asks while I’m belting in, and then she mutters to her window, “She asks the girl who’s friends with everybody.…”

“Not exactly,” I answer the girl who’s friends with nobody.

“Is she invited to your slumber party?”

Another good question. “I’m not sure,” I say, and I ask my mom to turn on the radio, which is another synonym for “end of conversation.”

“How about a car game instead?” my mom says.

“How about Kiss 108?” Nora says, and my mom actually puts the radio on.