“Let me grab my things so we can go study upstairs in my room right now.”

She yanked her algebra binder off the cedar table so hard that her blue plastic pencil box fell onto the stone pavers.

The two track girls got up right away, slinging their backpacks over their shoulders without a glance toward the driveway.

Emily didn’t look at me as she hurried through the sliding glass door into the kitchen.

Her face was flushed red, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before going upstairs.

I put my stainless steel water bottle down on the counter next to the sink.