Page 3 of The Wright Man

I blinked. "What?"

"Broccoli is green," she said matter-of-factly, like I should've known. "And gross. Like you said. We tearing up the grass? I can help."

She started tearing up clumps beside me, her little hands moving fast.

"Boogers!" she yelled, launching a chunk. I almost laughed.

"Green and gross," she said proudly.

"Caterpillars!" I yelled, ripping up more and flinging it.

She giggled. "Ew! They're all green and slimy."

"Lizards!" she said.

"Split pea soup!" I shouted.

"Cabbage!"

"Snot!"

"Puke!" we shouted together.

By then, I was smiling. A real one. The heavy pit in my chest started to lift with every stupid green thing we tossed.

She flopped down in the grass beside me, grinning like she just saved the world. "You were right. Green is stupid."

"Yup."

"I'm Angelica," she said, kicking her legs. "But everyone calls me Angie."

"I'm Maleek," I replied.

"So are you gonna live here now?" she asked, looking up and waving an arm at our new house.

"Yeah, I guess so," I mumbled, feeling that pang of sadness again.

She nodded like she understood. "I live across the street," she said, pointing to a blue house with white trim. "My daddy saw your moving truck and said we should come say hi and be nice to our new neighbors."

I looked over at her house, then back at her. "Your dad sent you over here?"

Angie giggled again. "Nah, I came by myself. I saw another kid over here and I wanted to meet you. Daddy's probably coming in a minute."

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded.

Almost like clockwork, a tall man jogged out of Angelica's house, his eyes scanning the street like he was used to her vanishing without notice. A girl trailed right behind him — bigger than Angelica, moving with the kind of confidence that said she'd decided this was her business too and nobody had asked her to stay home.

When the man spotted Angelica, his shoulders relaxed, his jog slowing to an easy stroll.

"Angie!" he called out, walking toward us with a half-smile. "I told you to wait so we could introduce ourselves together."

"Hey, Daddy!" Angelica waved, completely unbothered. "This is Maleek, and he's my friend!"

I blinked. Friend?

That was fast.

But when I looked at her—smiling like she hadn't just rearranged my whole day—it didn't sound so bad. I didn't say anything, but I didn't correct her either.