Page 8 - #1 Stay in the Game

the locker room. He ducked down, though he
wasn’t sure what good that would do. Then he
ran to the end of the room, grateful for the nice
carpet on the floor. Completely different from

his school. At Cleveland, everything was dingy,
cold tile.
Finally, he found the locker. He stood in
front of it and took a big breath. He thought of
his grandpa lying in the hospital right at this
moment. He thought about being alone in the

apartment, no parents, no grandpa. And the
sadness hit him full force.
He had to get that money. He had to.
James was no longer shaking. He twirled
the combination and whipped open the door,

careful to catch it before it smacked against the
other lockers.
His heart leapt as he saw the backpack:
black with the green-and-orange logo, which he
could now fully read. Huffmann Industries.
This was Ana’s backpack.

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