Page 14 of As You Walk On

“Are you?”

“Ouch, dude.” I lightly punch his shoulder. He doesn’t even flinch. The guy’s all muscle. “Great pep talk.”

“Whatever.” He smiles while rolling his eyes. “I’ll tell the waitress we’re getting the mochi to go.”

Before I exit, I can’t help peeking over to Mario’s corner. His head’s down, eyes on his phone. He looks so much like his niece, Aleah. A recognizable feeling aches in my stomach.

This is one thing I’m always too slow to run from: Aleah was my firstbest friend. Not like Jay, Darren, and me. She was pre-TNT. A separate reality.

I’ve never been able to outrun the memory of how quickly I ditched her once Dad and Mario broke up.

4

THE MILES WRIGHT FACTOR

The next morning,sweat itches against my temple as I finish my Saturday run. It’s only nine a.m. and slowly warming up outside, but I’ve been pushing myself lately.

3:13.51 versus 3:13.56 looks like a small gap on paper, but it’s huge to me.

That’s Mountainview’s best time in the 4x400 versus ours.

I unlock the front door. We live in a two-story, single-family home off Willow Avenue in the South End. It’s a three-bedroom, two-bathroom with a porch and a deck in the back. Ideal for Dad and me. The second I tug out my earbuds, my phone pings with multiple messages.

TNT’s WhatsApp group chat is busy early for a weekend.

Last summer, the Jacobses vacationed in Osaka, visiting Darren’s mom’s family. We spent hella time texting while he wasgone. Jay suggested we move our messages over to WhatsApp before Mr.Jacob confiscated Darren’s phone because of the senseless international rates. After Darren got back, we maintained this group chat. Creatures of habit.

TODAY

Jay

big day! scooping up D then T @ 5ish

9:01 A.M.

Darren

5? Isn’t the party later?

9:02 A.M.

Jay

pregame baby!

9:02 A.M.

Darren

Theo won’t be ready at 5.

9:03 A.M.

I roll my eyes while toeing off my sneakers by the door. Dad will freak out if I dirty up the new area rug that covers most of the living room’s hardwood. I fire off a quick middle-finger emoji in response to Darren’s last text. Just because he’s right doesn’t mean I need to co-sign. Besides, I’m asking a boy—my first boy—to prom later. That kind of prep work needs time.

As a polite gesture to Jay doing his ceremonial wingman duties, I confirm I’ll be ready.

Ready-ish.

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