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pulled them out of my pant leg, the smell filled my nose, mingling with our laughter. We’d ended up sniggering so hard we had to go into her house to use the bathroom. Lavender would forever remind me of that day.
    When we got back to the trampoline, I found out Kya always wanted to jump higher. Do more flips. She reeked of excitement, along with a twinge of danger. We were meant for each other. Two pieces of a puzzle that fit together. And James fit in too.
    â€œYou want to go to hot yoga with me tomorrow?” I asked after a moment.
    â€œCan’t.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œI have plans.”
    I waited, but she didn’t say more. I knew better than to pry. Sometimes she liked to have secrets from me. I guess because I knew more about her than anyone else.
    â€œHmm. Well. What about coming over for breakfast? Saturday morning. Dad’s cooking. You know how that goes. There will be monkey pancakes. James is coming. Monkey pancakes are so great… ” I sang.
    â€œYour family is so weird.” She smiled though. She had a standing invitation to join us. Mom and Dad thought filling her belly with monkey pancakes might somehow help.
    â€œAnyhow, James won’t want me there.” She lifted her thumb to her mouth and chewed.
    â€œGive me a break. Besides, you and James have to make up,” I said. “Why not over monkey pancakes?”
    She shook her head and reached for the remote. “Want to start the movie from the beginning?” she asked.
    I didn’t. It was not my favorite. It was hers. And I’d seen it so many times already.
    â€œSure,” I said. “If you do.”
    â€œYou’re the best.” She blinked quickly and held her arm next to mine. “We have to get back to the beach soon. I am totally losing my tan and summer is fading fast.”
    She was many, many shades darker than I was. My paleness required copious amounts of sunscreen and sun-shirts. I wasn’t as crazy about the sun or beaches. Her skin soaked up rays and turned a deep brown. Mine turned pink and then back to white.
    I glanced at her. She seemed distant. Sad. She smiled at me but it faded fast.
    â€œYou okay?” I asked.
    Something was bugging her. I knew the way you know things about your best friend. I also knew Kya well enough to know that, if she didn’t want to talk about it, there was no use trying to force her. It was hard, staying quiet about something that mattered so much. I wanted to help her, but most of the time I didn’t even know how.

chapter five
    While it rained outside, Indie and Dad cooked. James and I sat on the floor in the living room, playing Mom’s original version of Super Mario Brothers on the old Nintendo system. She’d pulled it out of the basement for a garage sale a few weeks before, but James refused to let her sell it. We’d become obsessed.
    From the kitchen, the scent of bacon wafted out, with puffs of smoke filling the living room. Fat sizzled on the griddle. Saturday morning breakfasts were feasts and, unlike most meals at our house, healthy wasn’t an option. Every Saturday, Dad’s manager opened Splatterfest and ran it on his own all day. Mom and Dad firmly believed in countering working out and healthy eating with a weekly morning of overindulgence. Attendance and gluttony were mandatory. Friends were encouraged.
    James used his controller to race Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom on screen. “Damn!”
    I glanced at the TV. He’d lost another life.
    â€œI hear you’re going to the Seattle show.” He glanced at me, taking his attention from the game for a second. “Shoot!” he shouted when he glanced back. He’d accidentally entered Minus World on the game and would stay there until he ran out of lives.
    â€œYou should come with us! We don’t have an extra ticket for the party, but we could try to get one. And you could come to the tradeshow for