{"product_id":"eb-flow-isbn-9780593429167","title":"Eb \u0026 Flow","description":"\u003cb\u003eA ten-day suspension has tweens De'Kari and Ebony seeing the world with a fresh perspective. Don't miss this poignant novel in verse from the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eIsaiah Dunn Is My Hero.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwo kids. One fight. No one thinks they’re wrong.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eFlow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eEb\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt was all just an accident!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNobody was trying to mess up\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ehis Stupid Ugly Shoes.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNow I’ve got my third suspension of seventh grade.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEbony and De’Kari (aka Flow) do \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De'Kari's ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior—to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAward-winning author Kelly J. Baptist delivers a novel in verse that follows Eb and Flow as they navigate their parallel lives. Single-parent homes, tight funds, and sibling dynamics provide a balancing act for the growing tweens. And whether they realize it or not, these two have a lot more in common than they think.\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eEb \u0026amp; Flow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A \u003cb\u003emoving and layered\u003c\/b\u003e story of reflection and connection.” \u003ci\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"This story \u003cb\u003ewill resonate with readers\u003c\/b\u003e struggling to find ways to express their emotional lives in ways that society deems appropriate.\" \u003ci\u003e—The Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eIsaiah Dunn Is My Hero:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An \u003cb\u003einventive and heartfelt\u003c\/b\u003e debut novel.” \u003ci\u003e—The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"\u003cb\u003eAn uplifting, affirming story\u003c\/b\u003e for every collection.” \u003ci\u003e—Booklist,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"Isaiah’s optimism, drive, and loyalty to friends and family make him \u003cb\u003ea hero to cheer for\u003c\/b\u003e and lend a feeling of hope to this exploration of difficult topics.\" \u003ci\u003e—Publishers Weekly,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Swag Is in the Socks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e★\"\u003cb\u003eAn excellent read-alike to Jacqueline Woodson’s \u003ci\u003eHarbor Me\u003c\/i\u003e or Janae Marks’ \u003ci\u003eFrom the Desk of Zoe Washington\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e.”\u003ci\u003e–Booklist,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA warm but authentic picture of a middle schooler\u003c\/b\u003e figuring out who he is and who he wants to be.\" \u003ci\u003e–The Bulletin\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eKELLY  J.  BAPTIST  is  the  inaugural  winner  of  the  We  Need Diverse Books short- story contest. Her story is fea-tured  in  the  WNDB  anthology  Flying  Lessons  \u0026amp;  Other  Stories  and  inspired  her  first  full-length  novel,  Isaiah Dunn  Is  My  Hero, and its sequel, Isaiah  Dunn  Saves  the  Day. Kelly is also the author of the picture book The Elec-tric Slide and Kai and the middle- grade novel The Swag Is in the Socks. Eb \u0026amp; Flow is Kelly’s first novel in verse and was  inspired  by  her  ponderings  about  what  really  hap-pens when kids serve suspensions.Kelly  lives  in  southwest  Michigan  with  her  five  amazing children.The Day Of\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI don’t hit girls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI don’t even hit girls . . . is what I’m thinking\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut I musta said it out loud because Mr. Warren,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eour bald-­headed principal, raises his eyebrows and says,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You sure about that? Our cameras\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eshow us something very different, De’Kari.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s Flow,” I say. I always say it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Your name is De’Kari Flood, and that’s\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewhat I’m calling you,” says Mr. Warren.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust like everyone else.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI roll my eyes, turn them to my shoes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNew shoes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShoes I’ma wear every day till they fall off my feet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“He called me the b-­word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd it was all just an accident!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNobody was trying to mess up\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ehis Stupid Ugly Shoes.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy arms are crossed, and I’m giving Mr. Warren\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe same look I seen Ma give my sister, Poke,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewhen Poke comes at her wrong.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMa learned The Look from my granny,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewho be givin’ it to all of us when we’re wrong.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m not tryna be no poet, but\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePoke ain’t no Joke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo she gets The Look a lot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGuess I do, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFew more minutes of this with Mr. Warren,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand then my granny will be on the phone\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003elistening to him tell her\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eallllllll about\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ehow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEbony\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003egot to fighting\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eagain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“So you stepped on his shoes by accident?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“YES!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSometimes I be thinkin’ Mr. Warren\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ecan’t hear that good.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe asks the same questions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“And then he called you a name?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The b-­word.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGet it right, Mr. Warren.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“And then?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I slapped him in his ugly face.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYeah. I slapped him good, too!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverybody in the lunchroom went,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“OOOOOOOH!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Then he pushed you?” Mr. Warren asks,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003elookin’ all concerned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“And I pushed him back!” I say.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLoud.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You seen the video—­why you wastin’ time asking?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren ignores my question.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe good at that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What happened after you pushed him?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI let the question\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ehang.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI glue my hand to my leg to keep from touching\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003emy left cheek, which throbs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf I wasn’t dark like Milky Way Midnights,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’d be red right there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike that cinnamon gum Poke’s boyfriend loves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause that can’t-­rap fool, who calls himself Flow,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eswung\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eme.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren’s the mean principal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe one giving suspensions out like M\u0026amp;M’s\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand making kids go to detention and stuff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Porter’s the nice principal who talks\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eat assemblies and can actually dance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you’re student of the week, he buys you lunch, whatever you want.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd if you get on\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Principal Porter’s list,”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethere’s a fancy banquet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI ain’t on\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003enobody’s list,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand I don’t care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExcept . . . Mr. Warren pulls up my grades,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003etells me I’m close.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClose to having them add my name to a list\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut which one\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eis up\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eto me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThird suspension of seventh grade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEighth since I been at Brookside Junior High.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren tells me this like I don’t know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s a lot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaybe if people stop messin’ with me . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Did you apologize?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Huh?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You said it was an accident,” Mr. Warren says.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe leans forward. “Did you apologize to De’Kari\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003efor stepping on his shoes?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Yeah,” I say,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003erolling my eyes . . . and the lie.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“How come you didn’t get an adult?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey always ask this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eC’mon, man. You got “war” in your name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon’t act like\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon’t\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKnow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s what my shrug says.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Look at me,” Mr. Warren says.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Real men look eye to eye.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI glare at him. Silent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh yeah?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA real man also don’t get punked by no stupid girl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI got scratches on the side of my face from that girl!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Y’all gotta learn how to let stuff go.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy brain screams,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s the problem, Mr. Warren!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything I have,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eeverything I love\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ealready goes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI shift in the seat, and my back shouts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy face must show it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Are you okay?” asks Mr. Warren.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI only nod.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut I already know this really gonna hurt tomorrow,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ejust like when I fought Shaya.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI barely remember what happened after I pushed De’Kari . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eafter he socked me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI heard kids sayin’,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“OOOOH, he slammed her!” after they broke us up and\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003edragged us to the guidance office.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI bet Jonetta and Bri and them were recording on their phones.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey do that with all the fights.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI suck my teeth, sigh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren sighs, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Are we calling your grandmother?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Who else we gon’ call?” I snap before I can stop myself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren dials. “I hope these ten days give you plenty of time to think about the path you’re on, Ebony.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhatever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGranny picks up and Mr. Warren puts on his principal voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Good afternoon, Mrs. Lewis. This is Principal Warren at Brookside—­”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ah naw! Do NOT tell me Ebony in trouble again?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wince when I hear her voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren explains the fight, what he think happened.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTells Granny I got ten days.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Put her on the phone,” Granny demands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI groan when Mr. Warren puts it on speaker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Granny, I ain’t even do nothing!” I start.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Betta shut that mouth! I’m ’bout sick of getting calls\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003efrom that school!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“But he—­”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDoesn’t matter what I say. Granny barrels over my words.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Poke got the car; can’t get you till she’s off work.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“That’s alright,” Mr. Warren says. “She’ll finish the day in the Focus Center.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one listens when I say that’s the last place\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eon earth I wanna be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI didn’t call her the b-­word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven if he don’t believe me, I still need to say it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was probably Greg. He calls all the girls that word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m not about to snitch, cuz it don’t even matter now\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand that’s not what we do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Mr. Warren needs to know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePoke works at Rainbow, the one in the same plaza\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eas Target and PetSmart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe lucky to have that job, ’specially after our cousin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTy’ree stole some stuff from there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTried to, anyway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLadies’ boots with fur inside, an off-­brand jersey,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd a wallet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDumb stuff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe got caught quick.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePoke says the smartest thing he did was\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eact like he didn’t know her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat was a few years ago, but Granny still don’t like\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewhen I tease him and say,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ty’ree rhymes with free!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTy’ree the kind of cousin you glad is your cousin,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eblood cousin,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand not\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eyour enemy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI already know what’s gonna happen before\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren picks up the phone:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCall Ma first.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo answer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe’s at work, cell phone off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNext up, my dad.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut ten digits won’t get Dad’s voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot no more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Who’s Reggie Springer?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy heart starts pounding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMa put him down as a contact?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Just call my brother, Cas,” I say.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut nah, Mr. Warren gotta be difficult\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand call my uncle Reggie anyway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m prayin’ prayin’ prayin’ . . . that Uncle Reggie’s busy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003echanging oil, rotating tires, fixin’ engines,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eso he can’t get the phone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrayer must work, at least for now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr. Warren gotta dial the numbers I give him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy big bro picks up right away,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand he says those magic words:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe coming to get me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Focus Center is a joke when Mr. Ford is in there\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand like a prison when it’s Ms. Humphries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Eyes ahead, no talking!” Ms. Humphries says\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eas soon as I slump onto a desk.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m sitting behind Big Mike, so hopefully she won’t see me when I slide my phone from my pocket and text Poke,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBEG her to come get me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeven other kids in here, all doing boring worksheets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m sure Ms. Humphries balls them up\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand trashes them when we leave.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s quiet, but the stares are loud.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey all talking with their eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s the one . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe one that smacked that boy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the lunchroom?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYeah.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI heard he bodied her!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe prolly did!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s what she get!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI narrow my eyes, but soon it makes my cheek hurt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy nose hurts, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI check my phone again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMissed texts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAngie, askin’ if I’m aight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKianna, sayin’ De’Kari was wrong for what he did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrecious, tellin’ me it’s on Snapchat and IG.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m gonna send Poke ten million texts\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003etill she leaves Rainbow and comes here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI keep looking out the window for her car.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut all I see is De’Kari and some older guy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey prolly laughing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDe’Kari’s brother or cousin or whatever\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eprolly proud, sayin’, “Good job, bro!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou put that b in her place!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI hate the prickly way tears feel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewhen your eyes don’t want them to come.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt burns until you blink and blink.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePoke. Doesn’t. Text. Me. Back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What was yo’ dumb self thinkin’?” goes Cas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis words hit me, same as the cold air,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewhen we get outside.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You hittin’ girls now?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCas punches my shoulder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Nah, it wasn’t like that,” I try to explain. “She—­”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You can chill with all that,” Cas cuts me off. “Ma gonna\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003elose it. Ten days, bro?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI slam the car door when I climb inside.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCas gives me a warning look, so I stare out the window.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrookside speeds by as Cas drives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGray. Bumpy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFamiliar, like a favorite hoodie . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNothing brand new.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeople say it’s a town you don’t wanna leave,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand even if you do, you always come back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey also say it’s a town you wanna leave but don’t.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeople say Brookside is a bad place.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut we got Mr. Crenshaw, who barbecues in super-­short shorts and boots, no matter how hot or cold,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand if we walk by his house while he’s out there,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ehe always slides us a wing or drumstick.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMiz Turner hands out Band-­Aids if somebody gets hurt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you into ball, Money Mack helps us kids get our game right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd we got Larry’s, the BEST burger place in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo people need to know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere I live is more than just one thing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGranny’s lips are pressed tight, and she’s gripping her purse\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003elike a football she can’t fumble.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was mad awkward when they called my name\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eon the intercom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Excuse the interruption, staff and students. Ebony Wilson to the main office with her belongings to go.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverybody looked at me. . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProbably all thinking . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYup, she’s suspended.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGranny has Jaren with her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe my nephew, Poke’s baby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe’s two, but nowhere near terrible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe smiles when he sees me and runs over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI can’t help smilin’, too, cuz of how cute he is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlus, his is probably the only smile\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’ma get today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy brother’s name is David, but everybody calls him Cas,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eshort for Casper, as in Casper the Friendly Ghost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCas’s dad says when Cas was born, he was so bright\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEVERYBODY was side-­eyein’ my mama.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis dad called him Casper and then just Cas,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand then it stuck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy dad did the same thing with me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe took videos on his phone of when I was a baby\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003edoing that cute baby-­talk stuff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe said, “Listen to him go! This kid got flow!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd he started calling me that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut I don’t got flow like him. (He was pretty well-­known for his rhymes.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI got flow like me. (I’m not well-­known, but I’m a beast in the water.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd unlike Cas, my nickname didn’t stick with Ma.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust with my dad.","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302767513829,"sku":"NP9780593429167","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593429167.jpg?v=1767725842","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/eb-flow-isbn-9780593429167","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}