"It's not like you to miss practice," Casey commented as she fastened her seatbelt.

I choked on my own spit, not expecting her to know that I was skipping practice. Casey looked over at me, surprised. She started patting my back as I continued to cough.

I cleared my throat after a few seconds of coughing.

"How did you know that we have practice today?" I asked her as I took off the car's parking brake and checked my mirrors to appear busy.

Casey gave out an airy ...