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“With some leaves.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll bring a garbage bag and meet you in the woods by Fort You Again in half an hour, yeah? You bring your family’s rake. We’ve got this. You and me. Five big ones apiece.”

“I can’t,” said Eli. “My sister had a checkup today too and now I’m stuck with her watching me. I’m not allowed to go anywhere without her.”

Jack gave a sympathetic tut. He didn’t have any siblings, sure, but the concept of sisters always seemed unfortunate to him. He tapped Garfield’s plastic nose thoughtfully. “She a narc?”

“Huh?”

“Would she squeal on us?”

“Nah, she’s cool,” said Eli. “But she’d never go along with it. Hanging with anyone under fourteen is way too lame for her these days.”

“Tell her it’ll be worth her while. She can have half of your cut.”

“Hey! No, she can’t.”

“Look, do you want to make some money or not? Two bucks fifty richer is two bucks fifty richer, dude.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll ask, but I can’t promise anything.”

“See you in half an hour, Eli.”

“Hopefully.”

“I’ll see you in half an hour.”

• • •

Jack was shoveling handfuls of fallen leaves into the open mouth of a garbage bag when he heard the footsteps approach. It was later than he’d instructed, which meant Eli must have had to put some real work into convincing his sister to come along. That would earn Eli an extra quarter from Jack’s own take. Fair was fair, after all.

Jack straightened and tossed a look over his shoulder. Eli emerged from the bronzed foliage, carrying his family’s rake like a walking stick. He looked like Gandalf if Gandalf was a fifth grader in a neon yellow soccer jersey, which Jack figured he may have been at some point. Dragging her feet beside him was a real live teenaged girl. Her knees knocked a bit from where they poked out the bottom of a plaid skirt, there was a fading streak of pink in her sand-colored hair, and even from a distance, Jack could see an actual pimple on her chin. Jack studied her a moment, the way one might study a rare pygmy hippo on safari. A strange and mysterious creature, the teenaged girl. She looked sullen, never raising her gaze from the leaf-strewn ground, and yet she somehow commanded enough authority to keep pulling Eli’s attention in her direction.

“Well, this is it,” Eli said to his sister, tipping his head at Fort You Again, which sat proud and solid behind Jack. “And that’s Jack.”

“Huh.” The girl lifted hazel eyes and ran them up and down first the fort and then Jack. She folded her arms. “Huh,” she said again. Somehow she didn’t seem particularly wowed by either.

“ ’Sup?” Jack tried. He flicked a rogue leaf from his hair. Her eyes were still on him, heavy with scrutiny. It was a weight Jack was used to carrying. You don’t get suspended twice before double digits without the occasional weighty stare. But somehow hers dragged his usually proud chin a few inches lower.

“Greer,” said the girl.

“I don’t speak French,” Jack said.

“That’s her name, dork,” said Eli.

“Oh,” said Jack. “It’s weird. I like it.”

“ ’Kay,” said Greer. “So, like, what are we doing here? Eli said we’re raking Mrs. Sullivan’s yard.”

Jack’s chin lifted again, his chest puffing slightly as he prepared to dazzle this strange pygmy hippo with his brilliance. “Ah, but first we need something to rake.”

Greer just stared at him. Those hazel eyes weighed a ton.

“So…” Jack took a deep breath. He hated having to fill in the blanks on his schemes. It was so much more satisfying when he could just say a quick cool phrase and get on with it. “…So we’re gonna get some leaves and dump them on her lawn.” He puffed a little more and waited for the usual admiration, but all that came was more staring. Jack’s chest deflated. He opened the garbage bag again. “I’ll just do it.”

“This is a douche move, dude,” Greer said at last. “She’s an old lady. You can’t rip off an old lady.”