“Well, thanks anyway,” I said limply. I’m not surprised that he felt the need to clarify; Mateo doesn’t like getting credit that he doesn’t think he’s earned. But at the same time, it felt like he was saying, I didn’t do it for you. Especially since he hung up as quickly as he could after that without being straight-up rude.
I tried to not let it bother me—perspective, Ivy, perspective—but it did. I’d wanted that call to go differently, so much so that I’d swallowed my pride and sent a follow-up text the next day. Let me know if you ever want to talk.
I will, he replied. That was three days ago.
I’ve been hoping for a fresh start, but maybe Mateo isn’t where I’m going to get it.
“You wanna play archery?” Daniel asks me, getting up from the table and putting his plate into the dishwasher.
I follow suit. “Yeah, okay.” That’s something we’ve started doing since Coach Kendall was arrested; playing multiplayer games via messaging. I’m not sure what Daniel’s motivation is, but for me it’s a low-pressure way to hang out with my brother while I figure out how to relate to him in a way that doesn’t include resenting everything he does.
It helps that he’s surprisingly bad at all the games, which is satisfying in a way that I realize does nothing to kill my hypercompetitive spirit. Baby steps.
“Good,” Mom says, finishing the last of her juice. “Lie low until the gauntlet out front gets bored. I’m sure they will once your father manages to contain himself for more than ten minutes at a time.”
“It’s harassment,” Dad mutters. “And that bastard Dale Hawkins is front and center, loving every second of this. Even though it’s his irresponsible reporting that put Ivy in the spotlight with false accusations in the first place.”
“Not just his irresponsible reporting,” Daniel points out. “Ishaan and Zack helped. And they’re milking it for everything they can.” The boys have their own YouTube channel now, with paid sponsors, and they’ve been analyzing the Coach Kendall case all week. The highlight of the show was when Emily agreed to appear—for a hefty fee—and corrected everything they’d gotten wrong so far. She even made them apologize to me.
The segment went semiviral, which is kind of great. Watching my best friend turn into a social-media star is the distraction I didn’t know I needed.
“They’re just kids,” Dad huffs. “And they’re not in front of our house.”
“It’s the Fourth Amendment, love,” Mom says placidly. “Unless they step onto our lawn, in which case you have my permission to turn the hose on them. Especially Dale.”
Daniel and I settle into opposite ends of the couch in the living room, and I wait while he takes the first turn at archery. When his scores flash across my screen, it’s two misses and a bull’s-eye. “You’re all over the place,” I say, taking aim. Our dog, Mila, who’d been napping in the sunny spot in front of the sliding glass door, wakes up with a rattle of tags. She stretches, eyes us from behind an enormous yawn, and goes right back to sleep.
“I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy,” Daniel says, propping his feet up on the couch.
I lower my phone to swat at them. “Take your sneakers off.”
“Take your sneakers off,” he mimics under his breath like a five-year-old. But a good-natured one. As he unlaces them, the brightly patterned Nike swoosh makes me pause. I’d nearly forgotten Cal’s thousand-dollar-sneaker comment in Lara’s classroom.
“Where did you get those?” I ask.
Daniel leans back on the couch in stocking feet. “Get what?”
“Those sneakers. Cal said they cost a thousand dollars. It’s one of the reasons why he thought you might possibly be the Weasel.”
Daniel rolls his eyes. “That was ridiculous.”
“Okay, but for real. Do they cost a thousand dollars?”
Daniel’s cheeks get a little pink. “Well, if you pay retail, sure.”
“So you didn’t?”
“Of course not.”
“Where’d you get them, then?”
He pauses for a beat before saying, “On eBay.”
“Oh.” I score a nine before a thought hits me. “Wait. Are they used? Did you buy sneakers that were on someone else’s feet?”
His face confirms it before he’s even said a word. “They’re gently worn,” Daniel protests over my gagging noise. “The person who sold them said he only wore them once. With socks.”