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I wanted to feel hopeful, but I was terrified. This was my home, where I’d spent my whole life.

“Yeah . . .” I made myself say, even though I didn’t believe it. “We will.”

36

GABRIEL

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Kerry Winsor: Anyone heard from @Jade Clark? She’s been quiet lately.

Comments:

Mollie Wilson: She’s a little busy, but she’s fine.

Kerry Winsor: I feel like that’s code for you’ve barely heard from her but you’re backing her up. What good friends . . .

Kerry Winsor: Tell me everything, though.

Kerry Winsor: @Mollie Wilson please? With a cherry on top? WHAT’S GOING ON I MUST KNOW!!!

“How could you?” Agnes moaned. “Do you hate us that much?”

The girls’ first day at Strawberry Springs Elementary School came far too quickly, and all of us had gone back to arguing.

Agnes hadn’t stopped all morning. I was worried she’d never stop.

“He said he had to,” Beatrice said. “He’s a traitor.”

“Just when I trusted you!”

I was hanging on by a thread. I had dreaded the day I would send them to school when I should’ve looked forward to it. After all, I’d finally get some quiet time and could work throughout the day.

For some reason, my emotions didn’t get the memo. The longer we were on the road to the school, the more tense I grew. I felt like I was losing my mind and I didn’t understand why. I trusted Nicole. I knew she was good with kids and her record spoke for itself. She promised me that she would meet the curriculum of the private school.

So why was I so upset?

It didn’t help that they were upset too. Until now, they’d been excited about the concept of school. Once reality set in, they seemed to harden to the idea of it. Friends weren’t enough to justify the change to their free time.

Just me sending them to school made them see me as an enemy again, and I hated going back to this phase.

We’d figured out some semblance of peace in the last few weeks. Them hating me made me want to turn around and go right back home.

When we pulled into the school, I had to take a deep breath.

“I don’t want to!” Agnes cried.

I was tempted to snap, but it wouldn’t help. It didn’t matter that I was upset. I needed to get through this.

“Agnes,” I said. “You know I have to.”

“I don’t wanna go to school!”

“You said you wanted to hang out with the kids here.”

“No! I wanna be home!”

“I get it. I would take you if I could, but this is important too.”