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"And if you win?"

"I’ll have nity back"

I rolled nity He was overfloith dignity

"So?" he asked

"I can’t go to prom I don’t own a dress"

He leaned towardproht eyes He kneell as I did that I’d beat hio with hiht mind would He was smart, athletic, and totally hot "Sure," I said before I realized the as out of uy that had ever askedhier opened his roaned overhead

"I’ll get it, Mrs Carpenter," I called toward the stairs She’d gone to her quilting circle the night before and been out until one upstairs with the excuse of an afternoon nap And besides, it was for er as I stood "You should probably go"

Bridger downed his water and followed me to the front door

Ollie stood on the threshold, my file tucked under his arlob of black tobacco into the bushes

"Hello, Magdalene Mae" He pushed past er!" A chill raced uphere of all places?"

"Hanging out with Maggie Mae," Bridger replied as if he thought it was pretty obvious

"Oh I see," Ollie said "Tell ?"

"He’s fine He and er replied

"They left you here alone?"

"They"But they’re probably co here?"

I tried not to cringe as I waited for Ollie’s response

"I’ve co ie Mae? But I thought you were a social worker That you dealt with foster chil …" Bridger’s voice trailed off as his eyes ram since she was five," Ollie said

I wanted to punch Ollie Wasn’t my life, contained in the file under his arain, studying ie Mae" He shook Ollie’s hand before practically running froer’s hand clasped in the hand of my new social worker made me physically ill They knew each other And Ollie knew details aboutslip? What if Bridger learned the truth about me?

"Seems youtable "A pack of wild dogs has been attacking buhborhood The authorities have never seen anything like it" He shivered and pulled an envelope from his breast pocket "This is for you"

I took the envelope It was from Jenny Sue and had been mailed to Mr Petersen’s office I tucked the letter into lasses and cleaned the my paperwork He asked basic questions about how Mrs Carpenter was treatingin with the students

When we finished, he asked to see Mrs Carpenter I ran upstairs and tapped on her door "Ollie’s here," I called through the wood, and ran back downstairs

After a longan old wo to take a nap," Mrs Carpenter gru at hiie Mae," he said

"Well, she’s the best kid I’ve ever ood as her! And I already told hi," Mrs Carpenter retorted, turning back toward the stairs

Ollie and I stared at each other for a long, aard lasses, and began cleaning thehteen in a week and graduate in a ements to live on your own?"

"I applied for a job I mean, I have a job"