Because Everett’s dad had passed away in January, not May. Two winters ago, I’d volunteered to go on a food run while everyone else sat in the hospice waiting room to visit with Mr.Adler. My dad had called when I was swiping Mr.Cruz’s American Express card for a fortune’s worth of Chinese food. “He’s gone, James,” he said, and I would never forget the way his voice had cracked. I’d never heard my dad cry before. “Buddy, he’s gone.”
Father’s Day wasn’t until next month, so could today be Mr.Adler’s birthday? Because that was another sore spot on the calendar. I knew the Adlers still celebrated with his favorite cake, and my dad and Mr.Cruz went out to their favorite bar for a stiff birthday drink.
God,I thought.It has to be his birthday, right?
(Memorizing birthdays was never my strong suit.)
I wondered if Grace knew.
Where the hell had she taken him?
I smiled and thanked Mrs.Flamporis for the three schedules.
I ignored what Principal Unger said about interrupting classes; I spent the rest of my free period interrupting them anyway. The teachers and students so did not give a crap—in fact, they seemed relieved. Relieved that I had walked through the door and overwhelminglyeagerfor the latest news about Grace’s alleged food poisoning. “Stable,” I said as her calculus teacher put together a packet for her. “The docs have assured us that she’s in stable condition, so don’t worry….”
But the more classes I visited, the more annoying things got. Teachers abandoned their lectures at the drop of a hat to organize Grace’s missed assignments, and people kept asking for our address. “A bunch of us might go in on an Edible Arrangement,” one sophomore told me. “We want President Barbour to know how much we’re thinking of her.”
President Barbour.
Hearing that was officially too much.
Okay, that’s not quite true. It was officially,officiallytoo much when I noticed that students had taped sympathy notes on Grace’s locker and plastered huge#SavingGraceposters around school. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumbled. If my phone hadn’t been seized, who knew what I would’ve found on Instagram and Snapchat.
Or, god forbid,TikTok.
No one but Principal Unger blinked an eye when I didn’t show up for school, yet when my sister was absent, it was like one of the British royals had died. I’m not saying I wanted that much fanfare and fuss, but while I always ended up in trouble, Grace wascelebrated.
Even once I’d moved on to Isa’s and Everett’s assignments, it was still all about her.How is she? Where is she? Will she be good to go for Monday’s tennis match against South?
Funny, I couldn’t recall being promoted from First Brother to presidential press secretary.
Honestly, who wouldeverwant that job?
“Listen, I don’t know about tennis!” I told Grace’s teammate. My shoulders tensed. “I’m not CNN!”
But before I could apologize—I really was going to, I swear—she’d called me a douchebag and stalked away down the hall.
“I can’t believe you,” I muttered a few minutes later as I tried to jam the huge stack of papers into my locker. The back of my neck prickled. “I can’t believe you, Gracie.”
Chapter 14
Grace
Before our next stop, we had to return to the car to unload our souvenirs. The Cruz Tesla was exactly where we’d left it, safe and sound and visibly un-keyed. “See, Isa?” I smiled. “Spick-and-span!”
She nodded, unlocked the doors, and lobbed her tricornered hat into the backseat. Hmm. Had that come off as an I-told-you-so moment? I hadn’t meant it to; I was just excited (and relieved) that nothing had happened to the car.
I tried to backtrack. “How about we move it to a garage, then Uber or walk everywhere else?”
Because finding a street-side parking spot for each stop would eat up some serious time.
Isa considered, then shook her head. “No, that’s okay,” shesaid. “You were right—this is a secure area. We should just leave the car and Uber from here.”
I gave her a look. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said. “Who knows how long it’ll take to find the right garage. We need to move as efficiently as possible. I also don’t want to drain its battery.”
As always, my best friend was thinking of detail, organization, and speed.
