Follow Your Arrow by Jessica Verdi

Author:Jessica Verdi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

“Read any good books lately, CeCe?” Josh’s dad, Marty, asks me.

It’s Sunday, the last day of spring break, and Josh and I are hanging out at his house. The weather is warm, almost summerlike, so we’re sitting on his back patio.

Josh’s dad lifts the grill lid and turns everything over—burgers, corn cobs, veggie dogs. I’m so hungry I want to eat the air.

Marty is shorter and chubbier than Josh, with a short, graying beard and surprisingly cool black-rimmed glasses. I have a feeling Gabby is going to out-height him by the time she’s ten.

When I got to the house earlier, Marty opened the front door before I could even knock, boomed a “Welcome, CeCe!” and gave me a hug of the totally genuine, not-even-a-little-creepy variety. Which, I’ve found, is rare when it comes to older dudes. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” he said. “I’d begun to think you weren’t real. But Gabby assured me you were.”

I laughed. “Josh’s assurances weren’t enough?”

“That kid spends more time in his own head than in the real world. You never know what’s real and what he’s dreamed up.”

“CeCe! Come see my room!” Gabby said, and I gave Josh a fleeting wave hello before being whisked off to a stuffed-animal-filled bedroom. Posters of Ariana Grande, Janelle Monáe, and Billie Eilish were taped to the pink walls. “Oh! That’s Ears.” She pointed to the black-and-white cat curled up in the pet bed at the foot of her own bed. “He’ll let you pet him, if you want!”

“Well, how can I pass that up?” I said.

We sat on the floor together, and I scratched under Ears’s chin for a few minutes, listening to his purrs. That’s when I noticed a small computer printout of Mika on the wall next to the larger posters.

“Do you like Mika’s music?” I asked Gabby.

“I do now! Josh played me that song you played him,” she said. “It’s so good.”

“ ‘Elle me dit’?” My whole body went soft at the thought of music genius Josh sharing my song with his sister.

She nodded. “I’ve listened to it about a hundred times. Both versions.”

“I’ve listened to it at least that much too,” I confessed.

She beamed.

Josh appeared in the doorway then. “Gabby, Dad said you can have some screen time before lunch.”

“Sweet! See ya, CeCe!” She hopped up and bounced down the hall.

“I figured you could use some rescuing,” Josh whispered to me as we headed outside.

“No rescuing required,” I whispered back. “Gabby’s cool.”

He smiled. “She is, right?”

Now on their patio, sharing the wicker love seat with Josh, I answer Marty’s question about books. “I’m listening to Between the World and Me on audio now. I’m loving it so far.”

“Ah, a nonfiction reader!” Marty replies, pleased. “We have that in common.”

“What are you reading?” I ask. “I’m always looking for good recommendations.”

“Right now I’m reading a book about gravity.”

“Gravity? Wow. I don’t really read much science stuff, actually …” I trail off when I see Josh’s face. He’s shaking his head at me while also rolling his eyes at his dad.

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