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she’s doing and turns to me. “What happened?”
    I sit heavily. “I went to the school office again today. My transfer papers weren’t there again. The woman behind the desk said to check back Monday morning. They’ve been telling me that all week.”
    â€œAll week?” she says, surprised. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    My grandmother sits down and holds my hand as shetakes a deep breath. I look at her face. Her eyes are soft and caring. She knows how much I want to go back to Hazelhurst. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she says quietly. “Well, first thing Monday morning I’m going up there to see what’s going on.”
    â€œI’m gonna call my dad again. He was supposed to send Hazelhurst a check for my tuition. I guess he forgot with everything going on with the baby and all. I’m hoping that’s the only holdup.”
    â€œI’m sure that’s all it is,” she says, much less reassuring than I expected. She immediately starts drizzling the sweet glaze on top of the cake.
    â€œYeah, I guess so,” I say. Then I look at her expression as she works. She looks like she is concentrating, but I can see there is something else. I can’t tell if she meant what she said or not. I’m thinking not. My dad has never been one of her favorite people, but she put up with him—first because of my mom and now because of me. “I’m a go change my clothes,” I say, then stand up and look around the kitchen before heading out.
    â€œAre you going for your run?” she asks.
    I think about it a few seconds. For the last two weeks I’ve run after school. It calms me down, but I really don’t feel like it today. “Nah, not today, I’ll go tomorrow morning,” I say. She nods.
    â€œOh, I almost forgot, you received a few phone calls today,” she says.
    â€œHuh? Me?” I ask awkwardly, knowing that nobody I know even had my grandmother’s home number. She looksat me sternly expecting a better reply. “I mean, that’s weird ’cause nobody knows your number.”
    â€œApparently someone does. One caller was a young man, the other was a girl’s voice. Neither wanted to leave their name or a phone number. They both said they’d call you back later this evening.”
    I nod. It was weird though. I didn’t think anybody knew my grandmother’s home number. But I guess somebody does. Hell, even I have to look it up on my cell. “Grandmom, I’m going to go up and change. I’m meeting Jalisa and Diamond at the dance studio tonight. We’ll probably go to the Pizza Place after that.”
    â€œThat’s fine. I’ll be at Charlotte’s most of the evening.”
    â€œOkay.” I leave the kitchen, grab my stuff off the step, then go upstairs to my room. I start to charge my cell, then see Darien’s broken-ass trophy on the floor almost under my bed. I smile. It was my trophy now. It was the biggest one from that night in his bedroom. I don’t know why I didn’t just give it back to Ursula, but I didn’t. I kept it. Seeing it always made me feel good. I found it the next morning after everything happened. I must have dropped it on the front porch when I was trying to open the door that night. But right now, seeing it sitting there, and knowing Darien might get out, was making me sick. I pick it up and put it behind the door, out of sight, out of mind.
    I wash up and change my clothes. I am packing my dance bag when my cell rings. I check the caller ID. It’s Jalisa. I pick up. “Hey, girl,” I say happily. It is always good to hear from my girls.
    â€œHey, you ready? We’re almost there.”
    â€œYeah, give me a minute.”
    â€œToo late, we’re here.”
    â€œWhat?” I ask. There is a knock on my bedroom door, then giggling and laughter outside. I open my bedroom door to see my girls standing