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him.
    â€œI was…it was…,” he started, hoping to make himself clear. “It was ’cause everybody skipped and skipped, and they looked…” And here he stretched out his hands and moved them from side to side. “They looked like people floating. Like they were dancing on the air. And then the rope stopped and I…it was ’cause it was so pretty and I was sort of happy and…” His voice trailed off.
    Jeremy scratched the back of his neck. “Jeez, Aaron,” he said, “you’re really weird.”
    â€œYeah. I know.” Aaron shivered. He crossed his arms across his chest to keep his coat together. “How do I stop? How do I not be weird?”
    Jeremy shrugged. “I dunno. You could…Well, for starters you could stop laughing when things aren’t funny. And when you laugh, try not to laugh so loud, ’cause people think you’re doing a hyena imitation.”
    Aaron snorted. “A hyena imitation!”
    â€œLike that. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t laugh like that if you don’t want to sound weird.”
    â€œOh.” Aaron turned off his laughter. “Okay.”
    â€œAnd you need to grow up and act your age.”
    â€œI don’t act my age?”
    â€œI know you’re smart and everything, but sometimes when you talk, you sound like you’re still in kindergarten.”
    Aaron’s chin dropped to his chest. “I sure do a lot of stuff wrong,” he said.
    â€œI can be your friend,” Jeremy said, “but I don’t want to be your babysitter. You have to start taking care of yourself.”
    Aaron nodded.
    â€œI’ll tell you what my dad used to tell me,” Jeremy said. “My dad used to say, ‘Look people in the eye when they’re talking to you. Listen to what they say. And if you can’t think of something smart to say, it’s better to shut the heck up.’ If you want to stop being weird, remember that and see if it helps.”
    â€œI should shut the heck up,” Aaron said, his head bobbing as he nodded his agreement. He grinned. “Dads know lots of good stuff. When my dad comes, he’ll tell me everything like that too. And when he tells me what I should know, I’ll tell you, ’cause you’re my friend.”
    He thought he heard a small groan from Jeremy.
    * * *
    That evening Aaron made a new list of things to remember for when his dad came back.
    How to stop being weird
    1. don’t laugh like a hyena
    2. grow up
    3. look people in the eye
    4. shut the heck up

EIGHT
    The sky was blue on Friday morning as Aaron made his way to school, but the air was crisp and cold. Cold enough that each breath made his nose sting. Cold enough that little white clouds of vapor formed each time he exhaled. He lifted his chin and opened his mouth like a goldfish searching for food. Then he puffed. He wanted to make his breath come out in rings. He had seen that once on tv. A man blowing smoke rings.
    No rings formed in front of Aaron’s face. Just small clouds that hung in the air then faded away. I’ll put it on the list, he thought. Dad will know how to blow smoke rings. He’ll show me .
    It had rained overnight, and the puddles on the sidewalk were coated with films of ice, some of them clear as window glass, others milky white. He liked the milky ones best. They made a sharp, satisfying crack when they shattered under his boots. The others, the clear ones, didn’t crack the same way, and when they did, water welled up and over the break.
    When he got to school, Aaron looked for Jeremy. He wasn’t around, but Tufan was coming through the far gate, head down, hands pulled high inside his sleeves, shoulders hunched against the cold.
    â€œDon’t talk to Tufan,” Jeremy had said. So Aaron hurried across the pavement and clomped out into the field, where there were lots of iced-over puddles. When he