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I quickly grabbed chips and a Coke, giving the clerk as friendly a s her to hurry the hell up, and for chrissakes I’d seen roadkillreselazed-eyed, slack-jawed look she’d worn the entire time I’d been in there

Did I ever look like that? I wondered briefly Probably so, I thought with e into one to work high as a kite

My navel-gazing had ht into someone about to coel?"

As the door swung closed behind me I blinked and focused on who I’d run into Hispanic, not nize hi a unifornia shaped like the state of Louisiana with "Agent" and "Probation and Parole"…

Shit This was o, while I was deep in ment" phase--a phase which had lasted forshady about a nearly-new Prius that he could get for me for only five hundred dollars A couple of weeks later I was pulled over and promptly arrested for possession of stolen property, and spent a terrifying three days in jail beforebail Eventually I was sentenced to three years probation

I ed an unsteady smile as I clutched the chips and Coke to oing?"

"I’ on the insignia on my own shirt "Still with the Coroner’s Office, I see"

For a second I couldn’t figure out how the hell he would have knoorking there I was a low risk offender which meant that I only had to meet with him in person every six months Yeah, but I have to turn in those stupid for with a check for sixty-five dollars, I had to give all sorts of details aboutconditions, work situation, and any possible incidents that ht affect my probation

"Yeah Still with the CO," I replied "Two months now"

"That’s so in a hue to huncha lot better now," I said, possibly a little defensively

"I see that," he said "I’ain, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen hiet going, but I couldn’t exactly blow my probation officer off "Yeah, thanks I, u me off

My response was to blink stupidly "Hunh?"

"The GED," he said "It’s one of the conditions of your probation, re a sreat I, u it in just a coupla months No probleed God daotten about that little detail Since I was also a high school dropout, one of the conditions of et my GED--the General Educational Developh school diplo him a line of complete bullshit "Do you have a few s I’d like to discuss with you"

"I can’t," I practically gasped "Sorry I’o pick up a body" I fumbled my phone off my hip and waved it for e But don’t forget, we do have a schedulednext week" He pulled out his phone and scrolled through a couple of screens "Wednesday Nine a in what I hoped was a confidentI looked et," he said "There are soet," I proo now!" I ducked around hi else and practically sprinted for the van I had a feeling he atching me as I drove off, but I was too chicken to look back and see

Great My probation officer had "important matters" to discuss with

And the GED…? I groaned as I followed the directions froation systee’s conditions when they’d been handed down But, at the ti tiet started on it