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bent to pick up the baseball and walked over to the look-alike boys, who were still motionless, their small hands straight down by their sides. I felt bad for them. His size intimidated me —to them, he must have looked like Goliath.
    He crouched right in front of them, getting down to their eye level, and held out the ball. “Who threw this?”
    Neither boy opened his mouth. The smaller one looked like he might cry. I could almost feel their terror. Thinking I should intervene, I started in their direction but stopped in surprise when Nox cracked a smile.
    “Well, somebody’s got a pretty good arm. Wow. That was quite a throw.” He rubbed his thigh with one hand.
    Now both boys enthusiastically spoke up. “I did!” said the shorter one.
    “I think it was me,” argued the other.
    “You’re brothers, right? Hmm… I wonder who’s stronger?”
    “Me!” The older boy said. He raised his skinny arm in a body-builder pump to show-off a non-existent bicep. The younger one copied him, eager to impress Nox as well.
    “You both look pretty strong to me. Keep working on that fastball. Here you go—catch.” He tossed the baseball gently to the smaller brother, and the little guys ran off together, obviously thrilled.
    Okay, so he wasn’t a jerk every minute of the day. Nox sauntered back over to our group, amusement still lifting his face. When he turned to me, the cocky grin reappeared.
    “You should come check out my band.” He pulled a rumpled flyer out of his back pocket, addressing all of us, but putting it in my hand and giving me the same intense stare from earlier. “We’re playing in Oxford this weekend. Come. Really, I’d love to see you there. I’ve gotta go. Shay, Emmy, nice to see you. Ryann…”
    Nox’s gaze lingered on me then he gave us all a smile premeditated to dazzle before he turned and walked off. The three of us watched him stroll away.
    “Wow-ow-ow,” Shay said when he was out of hearing range, “What is the speed limit to Oxford so I can break it tomorrow night?”
    “Did you see the way he was looking at you, Ryann? I think he’s into you.” Emmy said.
    “He’s never even talked to me before, and he invited all of us,” I argued.
    “Technically. But I bet he couldn’t pick me and Shay out of a lineup. Sorry, girlfriend.”
    Shay shrugged. “It’s okay. I could enjoy that one even vicariously. And anyway, our Saturday night just started looking a whole lot better. We’re going, aren’t we, y’all?”
    “Will your mom let you go to Oxford?” Emmy asked me.
    “I think so. It’s only thirty minutes away, but I don’t know if we should—”
    “Good. ’Cause it’s our last weekend as Juniors, and it has to rock!” Emmy threw a fist up in the air and punctuated her proclamation with a whoop.
    “Sure, okay,” I agreed, wondering what I was getting myself into as we left the park.

    At home, I found Mom curled up on the couch with Grandma’s dog Frisky, mesmerized by an entertainment news show. She didn’t move as I entered the room.
    “Mom?”
    She finally turned to me, her eyes unfocused. She looked almost dazed—exhausted from a full day, no doubt. “Hey, how’d it go, babe?”
    I sat down beside her, reaching over to give the elderly dachshund a gentle tummy rub. “Not bad. We watched a pretty good game. How was your interview at Channings?”
    “Surprisingly painless. I somehow managed to convince them I’m employable.”
    “You got the job? That’s great. When do you start?”
    “Monday. I think I’m really going to like it.”
    “Really? So, you really wouldn’t be creeped out working at a funeral home?”
    She laughed. “Oh for Heaven’s sake, Ryann, I won’t be handling bodies—I’ll be the receptionist and help the families with funeral planning, listen if they want to talk, host evening visitations, that kind of thing. I think I’ll actually be pretty good at it.”
    I didn’t doubt it. My mother had always been a people-magnet. She