when todd reached the last drop of his smoothie , a loud slurp sound echoed off of the wood cabinets . he smacked his lips together to signal that he was satiated . '' i know you hate it , but it 's good for you . that 's why i slip a little in every morning . i want to make sure you 're healthy . '' '' that 's why i love you ,
todd

and it was karl who scored it first , beating it to swim past calvin 's cheek in the air , and even driving away threads of umber-colored hair from his face , and far behind him the ball sailed , off toward jordan and alvin , who stood still and guarded . in the proceeding second , karl projected down , followed by
calvin

will i ever make it home without his help ? ailia glanced over the white and blue landscape . branches of aspen and oak trees were covered with crystallized ice and they glittered in the light of the sun . down by the frozen-over lake , ailia saw a small deer prance gracefully across the ice . she took a few steps out into the snow to get a closer look at the
deer