I’m so exhausted I barely know my name. There were so many times I was ready to faceplant in mud at band practice this evening.
My parents" voices sound tense as I drag myself into the house after band camp Thursday night.
"What"s up?" I place my dance bag on a kitchen chair.
Mom frowns as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. A lot of it is falling out of her ponytail, which is not a typical Jade Larsen hairstyle. "Sweetie, I have bad news for you. Your grandfather had a stroke."
I gasp. "Is he—"
"He"s alive," Dad cuts in.
I exhale. "What happens when people have strokes? Can’t they be like paralyzed and stuff?"
"Sometimes, yes," Mom replies. "And it appears he’s lost some mobility on his right side. He"s going into surgery tomorrow evening."
"Life-threatening surgery?" I as
