Booked Read Free

overslept.
    Â 
    Dude, you never oversleep.
    I just wanted to see my mom a little longer.
    Â 
    Yeah, whatever.
    You want to come over after school?
    Â 
    Don’t you have practice tonight?
    We’re just running today. Coach says we’re ready.
    Â 
    Ready to get demolished like an old apartment building?
    We’ll see.
    Â 
    You see what April has on today? Whoa! Be bold, Nick!
    Yeah, I should.
    Â 
    Be bold or go home.
    I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna wear cool today.
    Â 
    Huh?
    No more corduroys and turtlenecks for Nick Hall.
    Â 
    What are you talking about, Nick?
    At lunch, I’m asking April to be my girlfriend.
    Â 
    Yeah, right!
    Seriously, I am.
    Â 
    What are you gonna say?
    Uh, will you be my girlfriend?
    Â 
    That’s corny. Be cool with it.
    How would you know? You’ve never done this before.
    Â 
    You either.
    My dad gave my mom flowers once.
    Â 
    You gonna give her flowers?
    I could, there’s some yellow ones in the library.
    Â 
    Those are fake, bro.
    Oh! Yeah, you right. Maybe I’m rushing it. She may not even like me.
    Â 
    Didn’t she already tell you SHE LIKES YOU?
    I’m just saying, maybe she doesn’t like me anymore.
    Â 
    Don’t chicken out.
    I almost forgot, we have a sub today.
    Â 
    Where’s Hardwick?
    All the English teachers are in a meeting today.
    Â 
    Cool, we can play blackjack.
    DANG!
    Â 
    What?
    I forgot to brush my teeth today.
    Â 
    So.
    I can’t talk to April today, like this.
    Â 
    I got some gum in my locker.
    I’ll just wait.
    Â 
    What happened to no more corduroys, chicken?
    I’ll wear jeans on Monday.
    Â 
    Brawkk-AWK! CLUCK CLUCK!

Not Cool
    At lunch she walks by, smiles.
HEY,
    APRIL,
Coby yells.
NICK HAS
    SOMETHING HE WANTS TO TELL YOU!

Bad
    Don’t know if it’s
    the fish nuggets
    you ate,
    Charlene’s perfume,
    the egg sandwich
    someone’s eating behind you,
    or Coby’s leftovers.
    Â 
    Whatever it is
    sends you
    running
    out of the cafeteria
    just as the volcano
    of butterflies
    in your belly
    Â 
    E R U P T S.

After Soccer Practice
    Go wash up. I ordered pizza for dinner.
    Nah.
    Â 
    Pineapple pepperoni.
    Ugh.
    Â 
    You’ve already eaten?
    Got a stomachache.
    Â 
    Drink some ginger ale. That’ll help.
    It just hurts. I need to lie down.
    Â 
    Are you in pain?
    A little.
    Â 
    Come here, let me check your forehead.
    Really? C’mon, Dad, I’m not a baby.
    Â 
    You’re hot, Nick.
    I just practiced for two hours, Dad. Course I’m hot. Good night.
    Â 
    Maybe you ate something bad today.
    Cafeteria food is always bad. We had fish nuggets. Pretty nasty.
    Â 
    I’m gonna run out and get some activated charcoal.
    Charcoal? Like for the grill?
    Â 
    Go get in bed, Nick.
    G’night.
    Â 
    If you’re sick, you probably shouldn’t play tomorrow.
    Oh, I’m playing in the match tomorrow.
    Â 
    Nicholas—
    Dad, I’ll be fine.
    Â 
    We’ll see.
    . . .

You wake up at four a.m.
    hungry, so you eat. Chips. Coke.
    Thank goodness that’s over. Bored,
    you even read the Pelé book.

The Big Match
    You and Coby
    are on teams
    that like each other
    as much as crocs
    and Kenyan wildebeests.
    Â 
    There’s always
    a skirmish
    during
    the matchup.
    Â 
    There’s no beef
    between you and Coby,
    but you WILL go hard,
    come with your A game,
    Â 
    â€™cause while winning
    is wicked,
    bragging about winning
    is icing
    Â 
    on the steak.

Game On
    You good, Nick?
Coby asks
    at midfield
    for the coin flip.
    Â 
    Good enough to beat
    your sorry team, you answer.
    Not gonna happen!
    Â 
    Pernell,
    your co-captain,
    jogs up.
    Â 
    Coby daps you,
    then goes to shake
    Pernell’s hand,
    Â 
    but Pernell leaves
    Coby hangin’.
    (Told you it was a rivalry.)
    Â 
    Call it,
the ref says,
    then tosses the quarter.
    Coby calls tails
.
    Â 
    He loses.
    You choose the ball.
    Before Coby