Page 419 of Ruthless Court

Dad: You haven’t changed.

Maybe I have.

More than he knows.

* * *

Thanksgiving dinner almost burns down athlete housing.

This is mostly Vale’s fault.

He disagrees.

“It was the turkey.”

“You bought a twenty-two-pound turkey for six people,” Stella says.

“There are twelve people here.”

“Half of them didn’t ask for turkey.”

“It’s Thanksgiving.”

Hannah-from-three-months-ago would not recognize this room.

Stella sits on Kane’s counter drinking Diet Coke.

Vale is wearing an apron that says KISS THE COOK and has been banned from touching the oven.

Noah is peeling potatoes badly.

Eli brought canned cranberry sauce and insists the ridges are part of the tradition.

Lila and Noor came over after their own dining hall plans collapsed.

I made rolls.

Kane keeps stealing them.

Everyone is loud.

Happy.

Hungry.

Then smoke starts pouring from the oven.

I look toward Vale.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

The smoke detector screams.

Everyone freezes.

Then another one joins it.