On the basketball court
"Oh, they wouldn't dare keep you out of here, Kip. You're a member of this community just like everyone else. You have a right to be here," Jackie said. "And you're right. You are the only person who knows what really happened that day, but it does matter. It matters to you. Forget about everyone else."
Jackie got Kip's look and chose to let it go. She might not have been Kip's mother, but she was a mother, and as a mother she was used to staying neutral. It was her job as a mother to make all parties think that she was on no one's side and on everyone's side at the same time. It was tough, and Kip was not making it any easier on her, but she would be damned if she let either of them put her in the middle of whatever issue they had with each other. She was fucking Switzerland, and she would not be moved. Even when Kip went on the offensive.
She watched him quietly as he moved away from her, aimlessly dribbling the ball around the court. She didn't want to disturb his thoughts in fear of pushing him further away, both spatially and emotionally. She wondered what Kip was thinking about as he had his back to her. For a second, she thought he might run off and leave her on the court the way her own son had done a few minutes before Kip had revealed his presence to her, but then he started speaking again and turned back to look at her.
"Of course," she said kindly, smiling when she remembered his mother. She had been one of the first women to welcome Jackie into the community on the lake. She had let Jackie into their world with open arms, and it was something that Jackie would always be grateful for. "Which one?" she asked curiously.