all our problems are solved yet!â Ava reminded her.
They got off the bus. Alex stuck with Avaâs slow pace as they walked to the house, but as soon as they got inside, she bolted upstairs. She quickly changed out of the plaid skirt and white blouse she was wearing and into a T-shirt, leggings, and hoodie. Much better for bike riding.
Then she took her bike and helmet out of the garage, hopped on, and headed to Magnolia Terrace.
She didnât remember the house number, but she knew she just had to look for the white house with the overgrown grass. When she found it, she parked her bicycle by the front steps. Then she walked up and pressed the doorbell.
Through the door, she could hear the loudwailing of a baby. Then a womanâs voice yelled, âMax! Please get that!â
A minute passed, and nobody came to the door. Alex thought about pressing the doorbell again, but she felt bad. Things sounded pretty hectic inside.
Then there was the sound of feet, and the door opened. Max looked surprised to see her.
âAlex?â he asked.
âUm, can I please come in?â she asked. âI need to talk to you.â
Max was too surprised to say no. He motioned for her to come in.
The sound of the babyâs wails grew louder. Alex looked around and saw that the living room was a mess. There was a babyâs playpen in the middle of the room and toys strewn about all over the floor. A basket of laundry spilled out onto the carpet.
A woman came out of the kitchen, talking into a phone. Her hair was swept up in a messy ponytail, she had a rag draped over her shoulder, and Alex could see the dark circles under her eyes from across the room. She didnât seem to notice Alex was there.
âSteven, you need to come home and help mewith this, please,â she was saying. âI canât find her bottle, and she wonât stop crying!â
Max nodded toward the staircase. âDownstairs. Itâs quieter.â
He led her down a short flight of stairs into the family room. It was just as messy as the living room, but only a little quieter. Alex was starting to figure out why Max was always tired in school.
âMax, I just wanted to thank you,â Alex blurted out. âFor telling the truth. I understand why you didnât at first, but Iâm really glad you did. And I hope youâre not in too much trouble.â
âI donât know yet,â Max said. âI havenât gotten probation, but I think I might.â
âDo your parents know?â Alex asked.
âI donât think so,â Max said. âMy dad is so busy that he never reads the e-mails from the school. And my stepmom hasnât said anything either.â
âThatâs why you had to cheat, right?â Alex asked. âBecause itâs so chaotic here?â
A weary look swept over Maxâs face. âItâs been crazy ever since the baby was born,â he said. âDad and Karen are like, freaking out, like they donât know what to do. The baby screams all night and I donât get any sleep. And when I ask Dad or Karenfor help with homework, or to go to the library, theyâre always too busy.â
âBut I bet if they knew you were having trouble in school, they wouldnât be,â Alex said. âI bet you got good grades before this, right?â
Max nodded. âHow did you know?â
âBecause youâre smart,â Alex told him. âYou knew what the Fifth Amendment was without having to look it up, and you have an impressive vocabulary.â
âWell, I have one of those word-a-day calendars,â Max admitted.
âMe too!â said Alex, and they smiled at each other.
âYou know, you should talk to your parents and teachers about whatâs going on,â she said. âIâm sure they would understand.â
âI probably should have done that already,â Max said. âI just didnât want to make anything