Kasey pounds on my door. “Jake, wake up!”Light floods the room. The frost has melted and my windows drip with last night’s cold. I turn to the clock.Saturday, 9:08 a.m.Nine-oh-eight. Nine plus eight is seventeen. OK. Eight times nine is seventy-two minus nine is sixty-three plus eight is seventy-one. OK.The door flies open and Luc walks in. “Guevón. What’s up? We’re meeting the team for breakfast. We leave in five. Goddamn, it smells like Teen Spirit in here. Do you ever shower?”I open one eye and look at the clock. Then open the other eye.9:10Nine ten. Nine plus one is ten. WAIT. WAIT.Nine eleven. Nine plus one is ten plus one is eleven. OK.“I’m not gonna wait around for your lazy albino ass all day. C’mon.”I slip my left foot out from under the covers and count. One, two, three.Fifty-six, fifty-seven—Right foot. One, two, three.Fifty-eight, fifty-nine.Up.9:11Luc glares and says, “What the . . . Did you not hear me? We’re late.”I nod. Counting words. Nine if I count we’re as one.
