The kite string snaps with a small, sharp sound. Kira feels the pull in her hand go slack. Above her, the yellow kite wobbles once and drifts away.
风筝线啪地断了，发出一声又小又尖的声响。琪拉感到手中的牵力一下子松了。头顶上，那只黄色风筝晃了一下，飘走了。
"No," she whispers.
“不要，”她小声说。
Willa sees it from the other end of the court. She drops the ball. The kite sails over the edge of the roof. It crosses the street.
薇拉在球场的另一头看到了。她丢下球。风筝飞过屋顶的边缘。越过了街道。
"Stay there!" she shouts. She does not know if she means Kira or the kite.
“待在那儿！”她喊道。她不知道自己是在对琪拉喊，还是对风筝喊。
The basketball court sits on top of an old parking building. A high fence runs around it. Every afternoon, a dozen teenagers come up the stairs to play. They play until the lights in the street come on.
篮球场在一栋旧停车楼的顶层。四周围着高高的围栏。每天下午，十几个青少年会爬楼梯上来打球。他们一直打到街上的路灯亮起。
Kira comes too, but she never plays. She sits on a crate by the fence and flies her kite. It is a big yellow kite with a long blue tail. She holds the string with both hands. She watches the kite over the roofs.
琪拉也来，但她从不打球。她坐在围栏边的一个板条箱上放风筝。那是一只带着长长蓝尾巴的大黄风筝。她双手握着线。她看着风筝飞过一片片屋顶。
Nobody asks her why. Everybody knows her name. Everybody knows she is Willa's neighbor. But when the boys choose sides, nobody says her name. She never asks to join.
没有人问她为什么。人人都知道她的名字。人人都知道她是薇拉的邻居。可男孩们挑人分队的时候，没有人喊她的名字。她也从不开口要求加入。
For a month, Willa sees this and says nothing. It never seems the right time.
一个月来，薇拉看在眼里，却什么也没说。似乎总没有合适的时机。
Now the kite is gone, and the right time is here.
现在风筝飞走了，合适的时机来了。
Willa runs to the stairs. She takes them two at a time. At the bottom, she turns left and sprints along the street. The kite floats ahead of her, small and bright against the sky. It dips over a row of flat roofs.
薇拉冲向楼梯。她两级两级地往下跳。到了楼下，她向左转，沿着街道飞奔。风筝飘在她前方，小小的，在天空中显得很亮。它掠过一排平顶屋。
"It lands on the shoe shop roof!" shouts a boy from the fence. He climbs up to watch.
“它落在鞋店的屋顶上了！”围栏边的一个男孩喊道。他爬上去张望。
Willa does not answer. She knows the shoe shop roof. It is flat and wide. A low wall joins it to the old school. She cuts through a side door. She climbs a metal ladder. She comes out onto the roof, and her lungs burn.
薇拉没有回答。她知道鞋店的屋顶。又平又宽。一道矮墙把它和旧学校连在一起。她从一扇侧门穿过去。爬上一架金属梯子。她来到屋顶上，肺里火烧火燎。
The kite lies on the tar. Its tail lies in the dust. One wing is bent, but it is whole.
风筝躺在柏油面上。尾巴落在灰尘里。一边的翼有些弯，但是完整的。
Willa picks it up. She hears steps behind her. Kira climbs over the top of the ladder, out of breath.
薇拉把它捡了起来。她听到身后的脚步声。琪拉爬过梯子顶端，上气不接下气。
"You ran," says Kira.
“你跑来了。”琪拉说。
"You looked sad," says Willa.
“你看起来很难过。”薇拉说。
"I was not sad," says Kira. Then she looks at the kite. "I was a little sad."
“我才没难过，”琪拉说。然后她看了看风筝。“我是有一点难过。”
Willa holds it out. Kira takes it and runs her thumb along the bent stick. She bends it back with a soft click.
薇拉把它递过去。琪拉接了过来，用拇指顺着弯掉的骨架摸过去。她轻轻一掰，咔的一声把它掰直了。
"My brother made it," she says. "He lives far away now. He sends me a new kite every year. This is the one from last year."
“这是我哥哥做的，”她说，“他现在住得很远。他每年都给我寄一只新风筝。这只是去年的。”
"I am sorry," says Willa.
“我很抱歉。”薇拉说。
"It is okay. I can fix the string." Kira sits on a low wall in the middle of the roof. Willa sits next to her. Far below, the street is full of cars and people. The sun is low and golden.
“没关系。线我能修好。”琪拉在屋顶中间的一道矮墙上坐下。薇拉挨着她坐下。远远的下方，街上满是车和人。太阳低低的，金灿灿的。
Willa watches Kira tie a knot in the string. Her fingers are quick and sure. She makes the knot in three seconds.
薇拉看着琪拉在线上打结。她的手指又快又稳。三秒钟就打好了结。
"Can I ask you something?" says Willa.
“我能问你一件事吗？”薇拉说。
"You just did," says Kira.
“你刚才不是问了吗。”琪拉说。
"A real question."
“一个真正的问题。”
Kira shrugs. "Okay."
琪拉耸耸肩。“好吧。”
Willa takes a deep breath. She practices this in her head every night. The words feel heavier now.
薇拉深深吸了一口气。她每天晚上都在脑子里演练这一幕。现在这些话感觉更沉重了。
"Why do you never play?" she asks.
“你为什么从不打球？”她问。
Kira's hands stop. For a moment, she says nothing. A pigeon walks along the wall and looks at them.
琪拉的手停住了。有那么一会儿，她什么也没说。一只鸽子沿着墙头走来，看着她们。
"The boys never choose me," says Kira at last.
“男孩们从来不选我。”琪拉终于说。
"You never ask."
“你也从来不开口。”
"I know." Kira looks at her shoes. "I am not good. I played once at school. I lost the ball three times. I think they will say no. So I do not ask."
“我知道。”琪拉看着自己的鞋。“我打得不好。我在学校打过一次。我把球弄丢了三次。我想他们会说不行。所以我就不问。”
Willa thinks about this. It makes sense, and it makes her a little angry.
薇拉想了想。这说得通，也让她有点生气。
"That is a silly plan," she says.
“这个计划真傻。”她说。
"It is a safe plan."
“这是个安全的计划。”
"It is a lonely plan. You sit by the fence every day. And I never say anything either." Willa pulls her knees up. "For a month, I wanted to ask. I was afraid of your no."
“这是个孤单的计划。你每天都坐在围栏边。我也从来什么都不说。”薇拉把膝盖拉到胸前。“一个月来，我一直想问你。我怕你说不。”
Kira looks at her, surprised. "You were afraid of me?"
琪拉惊讶地看着她。“你怕我？”
"A little," says Willa. "You are very good at looking like you do not need anyone."
“有一点，”薇拉说，“你特别擅长装作不需要任何人。”
Kira laughs. It is a short, quiet laugh, but it is real. The pigeon flies off.
琪拉笑了。那是一声短促而轻轻的笑，但却是真的。鸽子飞走了。
"I am not good at basketball," says Kira. "Really."
“我真的不擅长打篮球，”琪拉说，“真的。”
"Nobody is good at the start," says Willa. "I could not make a basket for a year. Ask anyone."
“刚开始谁都不擅长，”薇拉说，“我整整一年都投不进一个球。不信你问谁都行。”
"A year?"
“一年？”
"Eleven months. But I counted the days."
“十一个月。不过我是一天一天数的。”
They both laugh now. The sun slides lower. Somewhere down the street, a bell rings. The lights come on one by one.
这回她们俩都笑了。太阳越沉越低。街那头的某处，一口钟响了。路灯一盏一盏亮起来。
Kira ties the last knot. She holds up the kite, and the string is whole again. She looks at it for a long time.
琪拉打好了最后一个结。她举起风筝，线又完整了。她看了它很久。
"I can fly this later," she says. "It will wait."
“我晚点再放它，”她说，“它会等着我的。”
She stands up. She puts the kite under a stone.
她站起身。她把风筝压在一块石头下面。
"I will keep it safe," says Willa.
“我会帮你看好的。”薇拉说。
Then Kira holds out a hand to help Willa up.
然后琪拉伸出一只手，拉薇拉起来。
They climb down the ladder and walk back to the court. The boys stand in the middle with the ball. They look up when the two girls come through the gate.
她们爬下梯子，走回球场。男孩们拿着球站在中间。两个女孩走进大门时，他们抬起头来。
Willa stops in front of them. She waits for Kira to stand beside her.
薇拉在他们面前站住了。她等着琪拉站到自己身边。
"Did you get the kite?" asks one of the boys.
“风筝拿到了吗？”其中一个男孩问。
"We got it," says Willa. "Kira wants to play. Who is on my side?"
“拿到了，”薇拉说，“琪拉想打球。谁跟我一队？”
Nobody speaks. Kira's shoulders go stiff. Then a tall boy shrugs and throws her the ball.
没有人说话。琪拉的肩膀僵住了。然后一个高个子男孩耸了耸肩，把球扔给了她。
Kira catches it. She looks at it in her hands.
琪拉接住了球。她低头看着手里的球。
"I am really bad at this," she says.
“我真的很糟糕。”她说。
"So was I," says Willa. "Throw it to me."
“我以前也是，”薇拉说，“把球传给我。”
