Page 33 of The Incredible Ordinary

She swats him on the chest and laughs. “You would never.”

“Milàn, this is Chloe. Chloe, Milàn.”

She holds out her hand, and we shake.

“Nice to meet you,” she says.

“I’ll grab the food,” Jordan says.

“Do you need any help?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “It’s just one box. I can manage.”

He walks away, and I try not to stare too much.

“Which one is yours?” Chloe nods toward the field.

“The surly one,” I say.

“You have to be more specific when they’re that age.”

I really don’t, though.

The kids all stop by the bench and drop off their jerseys, and Chloe directs them to keep everything in order.

She grins when she sees me looking. “If there’s nobody to lecture them they’ll just throw everything in a pile, and it’ll take ages to figure out which clothes belong to which kid. Plus, there’s always leftovers absolutely nobody is willing to claim as theirs because taking them off sixty minutes earlier is immediately followed by amnesia of some peculiar kind. I’ve had kids here ready to go home without a shirt because they cannot fathom that if there’s one boy without a shirt and just one shirt in the lost and found pile, it means it has to be theirs. Sorting clothes into piles makes it easier for everybody.”

“Makes sense.”

“So,” Chloe says when all the kids have headed back to the field, “how do you know Jordan?”

“Rory goes to school with Theo,” I say carefully.

“St. Patrick’s? You must have a smart one in your hands. St. Pat’s is known for their academics.”

“I…” I frown. “…suppose?” I say. Truthfully, I haven’t given much thought to how Rory’s doing at school. I usually consider it a win if I don’t get a call telling me he hasn’t shown up. But now that I’m thinking about it, I haven’t actually been contacted by any of his teachers about him missing an assignment or about his grades. Considering how many times he’s failed to even show up, he’s doing remarkably well. He’s a good student without putting much effort in. Kind of makes you wonder what he could achieve if he applied himself.

Jesus Christ.Appliedhimself? What have I become?

You know what? Fuck it. That’s for Aiden to figure out. But I do make a mental note to talk to him about it.

“There you are. I was this close to missing you,” Chloe says, and her eyes light up. I turn my head and watch Jordan approach before I glance at Chloe again.

Her smile has kicked into high gear, inching toward dazzling, and she playfully pushes Jordan’s shoulder.

“The cooler wasn’t cooperating,” Jordan says, and Chloe laughs like it’s the best joke she’s ever heard.

“Here,” Jordan says after he puts down a cooler and hands us each a bottle of water from inside. He also has a big plastic container that contains a variety of snacks like granola bars, cheese cubes, and veggie sticks.

“Thanks.” I take the bottle and take a sip.

Next he holds out a bag of pretzels, and I take a few of those, too.

“You come prepared,” I say. “I’m impressed.”

“Thirteen-year-olds can put away a lot of food.” Chloe laughs. “It’s easier for everybody if they can take the edge off the hunger quickly after practice. Stops them from heading to the nearest corner store and loading up on stuff like soda and chips.”

I nod. “Makes sense.”