She dropped me off at school.

In the front.

Like it was normal.

She gave me two bucks for lunch.

Told me to walk home.

“Walk home?”

“It’s only a few miles,” she said.

She was not looking at me.

She used to pick me up from school. Everyone got picked up from school.

“A few miles,” I whispered. “Okay.”

And then as I was getting out, she grabbed my arm and said, “Olivia?”

I tried not to cry.

“I’m sorry.”

Right then I thought maybe she’d change her mind. Maybe I could get back in the car and we could all go to McDonald’s and then she could go to work and me and Berkeley could go home and everything would be normal.

But then she said, “You know where the key is.”

My lip trembled.

She gave me a hard look. “Don’t get any ideas. Don’t skip. You have to do this or they’re going to make me go to court.”

I stared at her. “Court?”

She nodded. “Court. And maybe jail.”

My heart thumped. They wouldn’t put her in jail would they? Not really.

“Do this for me, baby girl. Okay?”

I nodded.

And then she waved me away and she and Berkeley took off down the road, leaving me in front of Dixon Middle School.