Desiree shrugs.
“You’re definitely going to the station. I’m tired of this.”
Her sobbing gets louder. He walks over and motions for me to stand up straight. “What’s your name?”
I look at Desiree, who shakes her head.
“You can tell me here or go to the station too. There’s more than enough space.”
He closes the iPad case and starts to walk away.
“Jasmine Cooper,” I blurt out.
I hear him repeat my name into his walkie-talkie. My heart sinks to the gritty pavement as I realize what comes next. They’re going to run me through the database. They’re going to find out I’m already in PINS—already in the system.
5
Lots of weird looks and too many introductions later, day one is over. By the time I make my way to the entrance, I don’t feel that new anymore. I didn’t even get lost.
When I step outside, dozens of cars sit idling in the lot. At my old high school, buses and taxis lined the street after the last bell. There was a parking lot, but it wasn’t for students; none of my friends had cars. Desiree was the only one of us who had a permit and that was only because she spent a summer in North Carolina, where her uncle forced her to practice for it. It was supposed to be the first thing I did when I turned sixteen.
I look at the rows of cars and realize I have no idea which one Kayla would even be driving. I finally recognize her long braids through the window of a silver Mercedes—just like my mom’s black one. I take a deep breath before opening the door.
“Hey,” she says dryly as I slide into the passenger seat.
“Thanks for the ride,” I tell her as she pushes the start button.
She turns her music up. I sink into my seat and use the lack of conversation to marvel at how nice her car is. For a quick moment, I let myself imagine having one just like it.
Kayla snaps me out of the daydream when she reachesover to change something on the screen. I look at her and she glances at me but says nothing.
I don’t get it. I’ve spent most of the day trying to forget how she made me feel this morning. I sat in the library at lunch, which was empty except for a few of us who I assume didn’t have enough friends to make the cafeteria feel welcoming. By the time the bell rang, my stomach was rumbling.
When we get to the house, Kayla barely waits for me to close the car door before she drives off. I trudge up the front steps and reach into my bag. That’s when I realize I don’t have keys.
Damn.Kayla was probably supposed to let me in.
“Please let someone be home,” I whisper as I press the bell.
I’m getting ready to press it again when my mom yells, “Coming!” She opens the door with a smile but looks right past me. “Where’s Kayla?” She motions impatiently for me to come in.
“Hello to you too?”
“Oh gosh, hi, Jasmine. I’m asking about Kayla because she has keys.” She closes the door and mumbles something about “that girl and her communication.”
“DoIget keys?” I ask.
Mom stops on her way to the kitchen. “Try the knob next time. The door is usually open.”
I don’t push the key thing. I figure it’s probably too early to be fighting her about them. I just got here. “Youleave the doors open, Mom? A Lifetime movie waiting to happen.”
She shrugs and pushes a plate with half a sandwich and some chips across the counter. “It’s boring, but delicious.”
I pull the bread back and see turkey and cheese. I don’t give it a second thought before taking a huge bite.
“Whoa, you didn’t eat lunch?”
I don’t want her to worry about me, so I lie. “Yeah, I didn’t like it though. Kayla said it gets better.”
