Kwame Alexander: "Hello Nicolas."

"Miss Hardwick?"

"This isn't a pigment of your imagination." A malapropism, I remember. Very good. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm cured, I guess, but I can't play soccer."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I didn't have appendicitis, but I had kidney stones. It's worse. Not fun. Not fun at all."

"We missed you in class."

Who is we?

"Since you're going to be out for a few weeks, I thought I'd bring an assignment."

Yay me.

"Mr. McDonald said you asked for a book, and it just so happens we recently started a new one."

The Mac is a traitor, you think? "He couldn't make it today, but he will stop by tomorrow," she says, handing you a book called All The Broken Pieces. "I think you may find a good read here, Nicholas."

"Thank you, Miss Hardwick. I'm taking a lot of antibiotic medication, you know, so I fall asleep a lot, so I'm not sure how long it will take me to read this," you say, yawning loud so she can hear you.

"Always the comedian, Nicholas. I brought someone to see you. Are you up to another visitor or are you too sleepy?" she says with a smirk.

You glance out of the window, wondering who it is. It's probably Mr. Mac trying to make an entrance. "Sure," you answer.

"Well then, you have a grand day and a speedy recovery. I miss my wordsmith," she says, winking.

You open the book, notice the number of pages, 240. Well, that's promising, you think, as your next guest saunters into the hospital room.

"Hey, Nick."