When I went into the school building, I went directly to the office, where Mrs. Wilson gave me a probing look.

"Harlie?" she said, not really in a question. "The first hour teacher reported you absent."

"I was running late," I said, and handed off the note that Crane had written out.

Mrs. Wilson read over the now-crumpled paper, and frowned up at me from where she sat at her desk.

"This says you were running a few minutes late," she said, with extra emphasis on the words 'few minutes late". "It's now half-way thru second period."

I refrained from telling her that I was aware of that.

"I drove slower," I said, saying the first thing that popped into my head. "I thought I had a low tire."

Mrs. Wilson gave me a knowing glance. "I see," she said. She reached for her notebook, and wrote out a tardy slip, and then handed it

to me.

"I was getting ready to call your home and inquire," she said, then. "No one from your house had called you in absent-"

I felt alarm rise up and make my face hot. "You hadn't, though, right?" I asked her.

"No," she said, eyeing me again.

I took a deep breath. In relief, but when she frowned at me again, I left the office as quickly as I could, clutching my tardy slip.

If she'd called the house, and asked if I was sick or why I was absent, and found out they hadn't called into the school because I was not supposed to be absent,

well, that would have been a disaster.

"Thank gosh," I muttered to myself. I went to my locker and got my Trigonometry book and went to class. I handed off my tardy slip and went to

my seat.

"See me after class, Harlie," Mr. Price said, quietly. "I'll catch you up on what you missed."

I nodded, and tried to pay attention the rest of the class time, and not draw attention to myself.

7

By the time lunchtime came around, I was feeling irritable and prickly. I was biting into my Granny Smith apple, when

Kenny said, "I didn't see you earlier."

"Yeah. I was late," I said.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

For some reason, I felt guilty sitting next to Kenny, and all. I told myself I was being ridiculous. I'd only talked to Eddie, for gosh sakes.

"Yeah. Just one of those mornings," I said.

Guthrie, sitting just across from us, said, "You weren't that late."

"I was, a little," I said.

"I thought you left right behind me," he said.

I didn't want to continue with this strain of conversation. I was feeling guilty enough.

"Long story," I said, briefly, giving Guthrie one of those looks, so he'd drop the subject.

Lori started chattering about a new movie theater that she and Trent were going to try out. She was asking if the rest of us wanted to

go, too, and Guthrie looked at Kristen questioningly. Kristen said it sounded like fun without really saying yes or no.

"How about you two?" Lori asked me, looking at Kenny and I.

Kenny squeezed my hand under the table, waiting for me to answer.

"I can't, I don't think," I said, vaguely. Lori knew I was grounded, but she'd likely forgotten.

I picked up the remnants of my lunch, standing up. "See you all later," I said.

Kenny got up too, and we walked together to the nearby trash can, tossing our trash. Kenny took my hand as we walked back

towards the school building.

"You okay?" he asked me.

"I guess."

"You seem down," he said.

I stopped walking to look at Kenny. "I got kicked out of the work program," I said, shortly.

Kenny's face was full of surprise. "Wow. No kidding?"

"I wish I was kidding," I said.

"That was a dumb thing for me to say," he said. "I'm sorry, Harlie."

I shrugged and started walking again.

"Is it because of your grades?" he asked.

At my nod, he said, "Damn," softly.

"Today's my last day at the vet office," I said.

Inside the school, at my locker, Kenny said, quietly, "You find out today?"

"No. Yesterday afternoon."

"You could have called me. I don't know if I could have made you feel any better-but I would have tried."

"I know," I said. "It was just a mess-and then Crane came to get me, and then I had to eat and Adam got onto me for not bringing home any

books or homework." I sighed. "Not a good night."

"You think maybe The Brothers McFadden would let me swing by this weekend? Tonight or tomorrow?" Kenny asked, sounding hopeful.

Any other time, I would have found his reference to Adam, Brian and Crane as The Brothers McFadden as really funny. Now, though, I couldn't rouse

up any amusement.

"I don't know," I said. I highly doubted that I would be allowed the privilege of Kenny coming over. I'd only been grounded a few days and now I was

kicked out of the work program, too.

Kenny looked so disappointed that I said, "I'll see. Maybe Brian will go to bat for me, if I ask him the right way."

7

Ivy didn't act weird, or all sad, or anything, even though it was my last day working for her. I had trouble keeping my mind on things, though.

I washed out dog kennels, and fed and watered the boarding horses, and even scrubbed jars and the back sink. It seemed like everywhere I looked,

both outside and inside, there was a memory. I closed my eyes once, envisioning Doc G sitting on his tall stool, massaging a sore dog who'd had

arthritis...

I forced myself to blink Doc G away. As four o'clock came closer, I felt like I couldn't swallow because of the lump in my throat.

Ivy handed me a check, and I caught a glimpse of it before I would have put it in my pocket of my jeans.

"This is too much," I said, looking at her in question.

"It's definitely not too much," Ivy said. "It's actually not enough, Harlie. You could have made far more money if you'd worked

somewhere else. I haven't been able to pay you what you deserved, or what Doc G paid you, I'm sure."

I turned away a bit so she wouldn't see my eyes. "I wouldn't want to work anywhere else," I managed.

"Well, you're a heck of a vet assistant," Ivy said.

"You shouldn't give me extra," I said. "Crane would say I don't deserve it."

"What? No, he wouldn't say that, would he?" Ivy asked, sounding shocked.

I caught myself. I didn't want to put my gripes about Crane out there to Ivy, of all people.

"Maybe not," I mumbled. I forced myself to meet Ivy's brilliant green eyes. "I guess I better go."

"You can stop and visit me, you know. And, I'll be glad to have you back again, just as soon as you can manage it."

"Thanks, Ivy," I said.

So suddenly that I didn't expect it, Ivy gave me a quick hug. "Don't give up, Harlie. The world of veterinary medicine needs strong-minded

females. There's not enough of us."

I drove home, but I didn't hurry.

7