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"Nick" Mo attwin expressions of disappointrown-up e curriculum I almost blurt it out: how Dara uses the rose trellis as a ladder; how she probably stole ot it

But years ago, back ere kids, Dara and I swore that ould never rat each other out There was never a formal declaration like a pact or a pinkie-swear It was an i that could be stated

Even when she started to get in trouble, even when I found cigarettes stubbed out on her sill or little plastic bags filled with unidentifiable pills stashed beneath the pencil cup on her desk, I didn’t tell So to the creak of the trellis, a ine peeling away into the night But I couldn’t bringthat could never be replaced

Like as long as I kept her secrets, she would stay safe She would stay mine

So I say, "Okay Yeah, okay I was there"

"I don’t believe this" Mom turns a little half circle "First Dara Now you I just don’t fucking believe it Sorry" This directed at the cop, who doesn’t even blink

"It’s no big deal, Mo I didn’t even do "People party at the Drink all the ti," the cop says She’s obviously enjoying herself

"It is a big deal" Mory, it sounds like she’s whistling instead of speaking "After what happened in March, everything is a big deal"

"If you were drinking," the cop goes on, she and Mo team of shitty, "you could have been in a lot of trouble"

"Well, I wasn’t" I shoot her a glare, hoping she’ll shove off now that she’s gotten to play bad cop this

But she re, like a human boulder "You ever do any community service, Nicole?"

I stare at her "You can’t be serious," I say "This isn’t Judge Judy You can’t make me--"

"I can’t make you," the cop interrupts me "But I can ask you, and I can tell you that if you don’t help out, I’ht Sweatshirt proves it, as far as I’m concerned" For ato keep you kids safe"

"She’s right, Nick," Mo her job"

She turns back to the cop "It won’t happen again Will it, Nick?"

I’ I didn’t do in the first place "I’ For a second, the cop looks like sheThen she sidesteps otten aith doing sorabs my elbow before I can pass her

"Wait a minute" She presses a flyer into my hand--fro it around in her back pocket "Don’t forget," she says "You do good, I do good for you See you tomorrow"