Free Booked by Kwame Alexander

Conversation with April
    Nice bike, Nick.
    Thanks.
    Â 
    Thanks for coming.
    Yeah.
    Â 
    Aren’t you gonna ask me how was swimming class?
    How was swimming class?
    Â 
    Well, Ms. Hardwick jumped in the pool.
    What? No freakin’ way!
    Â 
    Yeah, she wanted to
test
the water. Get it? Test?
    That’s funny.
    Â 
    Did you hear she isn’t coming back next year?
    Seriously?
    Â 
    Yep. She’s going to another school. In Texas.
    WOW! That’s cool!
    Â 
    I like her.
    Yeah, she’s okay I guess, you lie.
    Â 
    . . .
    Hey, I’m going to Texas.
    Â 
    That’s nice. For what?
    Dallas Cup. It’s a pretty prestigious soccer tournament.
    Â 
    I like when you say words like that.
    Prestigious
? That’s not really a big word or anything.
    Â 
    But you know a lot of big words?
    Yeah, thanks to my dad, the verbomaniac, I have to read his dictionary of weird words.
    Â 
    What letter are you on?
    I just finished Q & R .
    Â 
    Wow! Like, what kind of words?
    Like, uh, Quattlebaum.
    Â 
    Miss Quattlebaum?
    Yep, her name is a portmanteau word, which means it’s made up of two different words. Her name is German.
Quattle
means “fruit,” and
baum
means “tree.”
    Â 
    So she’s Miss Fruit Tree.
    Sure is, but we probably shouldn’t call her that.
    Â 
    That’s funny. What about my last name, Farrow?
    Uh, I think it means “pretty” or something. *

    Â 
    . . .
    So, do you like soccer?
    Â 
    Not really.
    Oh!
    Â 
    Just kidding. I like watching you play.
    . . .
    Â 
    Hey, I’m sorry about your parents.
    Huh? I mean, what do you mean?
    Â 
    I saw what you posted about them ruining your life.
    Oh, I wasn’t, I mean, they—
    Â 
    My parents trip out too. It’s so annoying.
    I’m over it anyway.
    Â 
    Well that’s good, ’cause I don’t want you to lose your smile again.
    . . .
    Â 
    Here comes my mom. Raincheck on a big hug. See you in school, Nick.
    Okay, uh, thanks, uh, bye, April.

The only thing
    better than getting a hug
    from April is the PROMISE
    of getting a HUG from her.

Probability
    If there are 278,000 people
    in your city,
    what are the odds
    of you running
    into the two people
    you least
    want to run
    into?

Boy rides his bike
    from the community center
    to his home
    like he’s always done,
    only this time,
    before he even gets
    a block away,
    he meets trouble.
    Â 
    Where you going, Nick?
asks Don, not
    really caring about an answer.
    Yeah, didn’t think you’d see us again
    this year, did you?
says Dean.
    Â 
    The only thing
    to do
    right now
    is gallop like a thoroughbred
    as fast as your bike will possibly go,
    and race
    for your life.
    Â 
    Seems like to me, you owe us,
says Dean.
    For what? you manage to ask.
    For getting us kicked out of school, punk.
    . . .
    Â 
    Give us your bike.
    Uh, I can’t give it to you. I’ll get in trouble.
    Then I guess we’ll kick the crap out of you.
    Â 
    Boy rides his bike
    from the community center
    to his home
    like he’s always done,
    only this time,
    before he even gets
    a block away,
    he meets trouble
    and ends up
    Â 
    walking.

Kentucky
    Maybe living there is not
    such a bad thing. At least you
    wouldn’t be bullied anymore.

Breakdown
    An hour later
    you tiptoe
    up the stairs,
    try to sneak
    past his room
    before he—
    (Too late.)
    Nicholas, come here.
    Â 
    Very next time
    you disobey me,
    there’ll be no Dallas.
    Now do what you were supposed to do
    and come home after school every day.
    And give me your phone.
    Â 
    It’s not fair. IT’S JUST NOT FAIR.
    You better lower your voice!
    Â 
    I HAD TO WALK ALL THE WAY HOME.
    Where’s your bus pass? Is your lip bleeding?
    Â 
    I rode my bike. I’m going to bed.
    I asked you a question? And where’s your bike?
    Â 
    They took it.
    Who is they? And why’d you let them take it?
    Â 
    Why are you always blaming