"Brain food," his mum said, placing a plate of tuna rolls in front of him. "Omega-3. For the exam."
"Mum," Alex said, picking up a chopstick. "I don't have an exam today."
"You have a project!" she insisted. "Group project. With Maya. That is basically an exam."
Alex sighed. He ate the sushi. It was surprisingly good for 7 AM.
His dad walked in. He was wearing an Arsenal shirt.
"Ready for the weekend, Professor?" his dad asked.
"It's Friday, dad. No game today."
"But tomorrow!" his dad grinned. "Manchester United. At home. The revenge match."
Alex nodded. United. They had beaten them in the FA Cup. But the league was different. United were second. Arsenal were first. It was a title decider.
"Eat your fish," his dad said. "You need to be slippery."
School was quiet. Alex walked to the library.
Maya was already there. She had a giant poster board spread out on the table.
"Solar System," Maya said, not looking up. "Scale model. Calculations of orbital velocity."
