Free Perfect Season by Tim Green

to sound casual. “Hey. What’s up?”
    â€œMan, you know that apartment you had us go look at?” Chuku paused for a moment that lasted a lifetime. “We loved it! Dawg, my dad’s registering me at school tomorrow and we’re moving in on Thursday! You, me, and chicken legs are gonna kill this New Jersey high school football thing. Rat-a-tat-tat , like a machine gun.”
    Troy laughed. “You jerk. You scared me. But . . .”
    â€œBut what? You can’t kid a kidder. Don’t give me that ‘but’ stuff.”
    â€œTy’s not coming.”
    Chuku went silent.
    â€œChuku? You there?”
    Chuku clucked his tongue. “That just means more touchdowns for me, dawg. I like little chicken legs, don’t get me wrong, but you and me? Never fear, Chuku’s here. We gotta think of a name for ourselves, like the dynamic duo or something. Killer Kombo, you know, combo with a k . I like that. All right, well, all that later. I gotta go.”
    â€œYou want some help on Thursday? Moving in?”
    â€œSure. That’s great.”
    â€œI’ll bring Tate.”
    â€œWho’s he?”
    â€œHe’s a she. You’ll like her. Everybody likes Tate.”
    â€œIs she pretty?”
    â€œYeah, but that’s not what I mean. She’s like one of the guys.”
    â€œ And she’s pretty? You’re right. I gotta meet Tate.”
    â€œWell, you will on Thursday.” Troy hung up and grinned, and they all moved inside, uplifted by a bit of good news.
    â€œMeant to be,” his mom said. “And nice that you volunteered to help them get moved in. I’m proud of you, Troy. You’re a good kid.”
    Troy couldn’t help blushing, not for being a good kid, but because he had another reason for offering to help Chuku move in. He had a very big problem that he still needed to address, and helping Chuku just might give him the chance to fix it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
    WHEN CHUKU MET TATE, he shook her hand and turned to Troy. “She’s kind of skinny.”
    â€œ She is standing right here.” Tate stamped her foot on the concrete sidewalk. “ She likes people with manners.”
    Chuku laughed. “Okay. I get it. You’re a firecracker. Skinny, but lots of pop. I like that. No hard feelings. Let’s start from the start.”
    Chuku held out his hand again. They shook, and smiled.
    Troy and Tate helped unload the big U-Haul van Chuku and his dad had driven up from Baltimore. When they finished, Chuku’s dad dropped them at the Summit Diner and gave them his credit card to get some burgers and milk shakes while he headed out to a doctor’s appointment. They watched the big white Mercedes cruise away before going inside and taking seats in a red leather booth next to the window.
    Chuku picked up a menu, then looked over the top. “I appreciate you dawgs coming around.”
    â€œYou got something better you can call me than a ‘dawg’?” Tate scowled.
    â€œWell, it means friend,” Chuku said.
    â€œFriend is nice.” Tate smiled.
    Chuku sat up straight and spoke in a British accent. “I appreciate you ‘friends’ coming around. Cheerio.”
    Tate nodded as if that was okay with her. “You guys didn’t have all that much stuff, anyway. It was easy.”
    â€œYeah . . . we’ve moved a couple of times before,” Chuku said, before dropping his voice. “After my mom left.”
    Troy could tell by the look on Tate’s face that she was thinking of her dad, and that made him think of his own dad, now an orange-haired pirate.
    No one said anything until the waitress took their order and swished away.
    Troy felt that the time was right. “Hey, Chuku, I was thinking. I got a deal for you.”
    â€œDeal?”
    â€œThat Helena concert is next Wednesday, right?”
    â€œAnd I can’t wait. ” Chuku