Stupid Fast

Aleah continues to bike with Felton on his paper route. She announces that she and her dad are returning to Chicago in early August and wants to change her piano practice schedule to spend more time with Felton in the afternoons. Felton balks and tells her he is busy, because that is when he runs up the Mound. She thinks he is riding around with his football buddies, so Felton explains he is alone and practicing “moving.” Aleah thinks this is strange. Felton asks why she practices piano. She says she wants it to feel explosive and wonderful “like Chinese New Year” (183) when she plays for others. She also feels that she understands everything when she practices. Felton relates to this last feeling: When he runs up the Mound, he knows everything. Therefore, he must move in the afternoon. Aleah thinks Felton is even stranger than she is, but she loves him.

Felton begins taking food and an iPod he bought with his paper route money with him when he goes to the Mound, which feels like a home. He stays there for hours, running, relaxing, and not thinking.