Sunny(24)

Aurelia popped up next to him.

Patty shouted, You got this, Sunny. You got this!

And Lu and Ghost, and even Aaron and Lynn and Curron and Whit and . . .

Ease up, Sunny. Nice and easy. Again, I let the discus rest in my hand. Then, when I was ready, I wound, wound, wound, and whipped into my double-spin again, this time getting the discus off clean, spiraling through the air.

But hard to the right.

Foul!

The discus plinked onto the track, followed by the ohhh of the crowd. Coach ran over to me.

He said he could see it in my face.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Coach explained that he could see . . . sound. In my face. In my body. He told me I needed to let it out. I needed to scream.

Diary, remember what I said about choking? When I had the biscuit stuck in my throat blocking all my vowels? That’s how I felt again. Like I should knock everything over, but there was nothing to knock over. Like I was panicking. This was my last chance. My heart was kicking a hole in my chest. Boom-bap bap, buh-boomboom bap! Boom-bap bap, buh-boomboom bap! And as I tried to settle it, tried to get it to quiet down, suddenly . . .

Sound.

A rumble coming from the audience like a storm approaching.

And I stared at the discus, and at that star scribbled on my arm in green marker, and wound . . .

Boom-bap bap, buh-boomboom bap! Boom-bap bap, buh-boomboom bap!

Everything is moving. Everything is changing. Everything is connected.

And wound . . .

I am not a murderer. I am not a hurricane. Nothing is wrong with me.

Boom-bap bap, buh-boomboom bap! Boom-bap bap, buh-boomboom bap!

The sound tears make on the inside, I have to get on the outside. Baraka. I’m going to scream. Baraka. I’m going to scream it out and away. . . .

And, SPUN!

Turned.

And turned.

And let go.