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When Tanner pulls into the parking lot of Spruce High, I have to ad—as obvious as it seems now, in retrospect “So?” I throw at him with half a pout

“Just ‘cause it’s summer doesn’t mean the school’s all closed down They hold classes still for su, plus the theatre department is puttin’ on some production of Shakespeare, and—” He turns and looks at ot you out of the house, didn’t I? Thankthe orange justice in the s out of the car

“That wasn’t no da!” I shout back at him, but it’s no use; he’s already halfway down the path to the school

I follow hio I’ exactly the way it did when I left the proud, squatty building just a couple years ago Its front wears the school colors in stripes of comples

But it isn’t the front through which we enter Coach Tanner has keys that get us in through the back where the locker rooe areas reside “Not sure if Coach Larry is here or not,” runts as he takessunlight outside coh some office s “He’s such a lazy bum sometimes Don’t tell Bobby I said that I know Coach Larry loves Bobby, being his star soccer player and all, but phew, Coach Larry gets on my nerves”

He can’t go five seconds withoutover why Bobby’s icing me out, the world finds a way to shove him back in my face

I check ain

Nothing

The scent of sweat, bleach, and generic laundry detergent assaultsia That sense is ymnasium itself, and I find that just like the outside of the school, the inside is exactly the saht down to the chips of paint and sym walls near the floor froainst them

“Hard to believe it’s only been a couple years,” I murmur

“Yeah? Feelin’ your ly “Bro, and this isn’t even the dance gym”

Our footsteps echo and fill the space Ghostly sunlight pours in frohtly by the unclean glass “What are we doing, exactly?”