Sarah marks down another thirty days on her calendar.
Zach starts to fall asleep more and more in class, and Sarah lets him; it's when he starts to become aggressive again that she has to do something.
"Zach, if you hit TJ again, you'll have to go and sit in the corner."
But she never threatens him with a phone call home, like she might other students. He seems to understand this, and doesn't test her boundaries too much.
For her, scolding the once-jubilant boy is starting to become routine. When he has to move his sticker into the red zone, the class occasionally sniggers, but soon they collectively grow weary of their teasing and leave him alone.
While the class observes the chrysalis that Sarah managed to find, Zach hangs back and Sarah gives directions not to touch the forming butterfly. She kneels down by his desk.
"How is your baby sister?"
He scrunches up his face as if he smells something rancid.
"She's fine."
"And how are you?"
His face tightens even more.
"I'm fine."
A shout of joy comes from the direction of the terrarium and Sarah takes Zach's hand in hers.
"I think the butterfly's coming out, come see."
He stands, and they both walk over to the glass cage. Sarah notices that he limps.
When they go to recess, after the butterfly has crawled out of its transparent confines, Sarah does not bother to call Child Protection Services again.
She stands with her back to the windows and the terrarium, ignoring the butterfly drying its wings and takes a deep breath, trying to steady her pounding heartbeat.
Sarah has time to think that's she's doing something wrong, that this is a bad, bad idea and that she's a bad, bad person, and what would happen if she's been reading the signs wrong, if nothing is wrong with Zach at all?
But the words are soon out of her mouth.
"I wish the goblins would come and take Zach away." Sarah slides her hands up over her eyes and mumbles the last two words that would complete the wish.
"Right now."
Nothing happens, and Sarah waits a few moments in that silence before she begins to slowly slide her hands off her face.
"Wishing people away again, Sarah?"