Grandma lifts both brows. “And your room?”
I shrug.
She sighs like she knows she should count her blessings. We’ve adjusted well to the school, the band is going well. It’s like they said, we’re thriving. I never expected a school to have such a good effect on us. Lots of that has to do with Raven and my friendship. Because if we were still ignoring each other, school would be a place I’d dread every single day. Knowing we’re in a good place now helps me focus on other things as opposed to constantly worrying about staying out of her way or making us uncomfortable.
I take a sip of my drink. “Are there any updates on Everheart? Can they rebuild the school?”
Grandpa shakes his head. “The entire building has to be demolished and it needs to be rebuilt from scratch, which would take many years. They’re not even sure if they want to rebuild the school.”
“Oh, that sucks. It was a good school.”
“Yes, it was. But oftentimes bad things lead to good things. Like you having an opportunity at a very respectable high school. Not many kids can put Harrington Bay Academy on their resume.”
“Yeah, I know.”
The fire happened over winter break when the school was empty. Thankfully, no one was injured. We were very lucky.
We finish eating, clean up, then get comfortable on the bed to watch sports. I’ve never really been into sports, but I like watching with my grandfather. Grandma is busy reading, but she looks at the TV when something interesting happens.
I remain with them for a few hours until I have no choice but to return to school. “It’s almost curfew,” I tell them.
Grandma leans forward and kisses my cheek, while Grandpa slaps my hand.
“Yes, don’t miss curfew,” Grandma says. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Will you pick us up or do we need to get a ride?”
“No. I’ll come get you.” I bend forward to hug them. “Have a good night and I’ll see you soon.”
“Good night, sweet boy.”
“Drive safely.”
“I will.”
The drive back to campus isn’t a long one and I make it back to the dorm with enough time so I don’t have to rush before curfew.
“Man! You missed a sick game with Raven tonight,” Beck tells me as he throws a small basketball into the mini hoop he hung in our room. “It was Leo and me vs. Jasper and Raven. We almost had them, dude. But then Raven completely demolished us. She’s a beast, man. A total beast.” He passes me his phone. “I asked a kid to record it.”
I smile as I watch her play, how determined she is to win for herself as well as for Jasper. Her friends are there and theirboyfriends, too. She has six people rooting for her and it gets quite noisy.
When they win, they high-five, and Jasper pulls her into a hug, giving her all the praise.
“That’s cool, man. I’m glad you lost,” I tell him as I pass him his phone.
“Me, too. Raven and Jas deserved that win.”
“Yep.”
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I send her a text.
Kylen: Heard you and Jasper owned Beck and Leo today.
Raven: We didn’t own them. We creamed them.
She sends a winking emoji.
Kylen: Nice. I’m glad you beat their butts.
Raven: Me, too. Did your grandparents come in safely?
