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If he dies? It’ll feel like I killed him le uncluttered chair in the darkened living roos low in the roohtier soht I did my first shift of deliveries since the crash Soreed to satisfy even though technically the restaurant was closed By the tiot back the place was dark

I take off my coat "Yeah," I say "They start a new club in the middle of the second se on all year" I hang my coat up and start down the hallway

"Come back here," he says

I stop in my tracks and turn around slowly and walk to the doorway of the living room "It’s late, Dad," I say "I’m exhausted"

"Chess club will do that to you" He’s not looking at me

My sto a six-hour shift after chess club on a school night will do that to e

"That’s why I wanted to learn," I lie, and I’m surprised how easy it is to lie to so about trying out for a sport, but with the cast, otti boy in chess club?" He turns to look at me for the first tiaze It would be so easy to just tell the truth and say no Insteadmouth shows up "Why don’t you call his parents to find out?"

His eyes flare and he squeezes the ar to ream me out, but he holds it in

After a ht," I say, and turn around, heading back down the hallway to my roo Note to self: learn how to play chess Now

"I need to learn how to play chess," I say when I see Sawyer the next

"Yes, yes you do"

"Like, for real"

He nods seriously And then he narrows his eyes

"Wait YouMy dad’s suspicious" "Oh Well then" He contemplates this as alk in

the direction of our first-hour classes And then he stops outside his classroohtens "No problem We’ll do it at lunch I just remembered--there happens to be an app for this situation"

I laugh "Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an app for figuratively playing chess?"

His green eyes bore holes in " He pullshis eyes off ives h, Demarco

At lunch Sawyer downloads a chess app on his phone and starts explaining the game pieces and what they do Trey looks on, mildly interested After a while he says, "Maybe I should join chess club"