The following afternoon, Lyla stood in the garden, head tilted back, eyes closed, enjoying the sun on her pale face. Shaniece dug up a few patches of weeds that had clustered around the base of the zinnias then turned a disapproving eye toward Petie who dragged a heavy rubber hose along the garden walkways.

"There's more to gardening than watering," she said to Lyla, who gazed at the activity in the basketball court across the way. "Ain't nobody done any weeding, pruning, nothing with these plants since we were out here two weeks ago, am I right?"

Lyla nodded. "Yeah, totally."

"Guess it's on me." Shaniece yanked a clump of chickweed from the soil.

Lyla walked toward the court watching Bo steal the ball from Chip, then take an ungainly shot from the foul line that didn't hit the hoop or the backboard.

"Take your broke-ass game home and burn it," Chip laughed, chasing the ball.

"Slipped out of my hand."

"Yeah, right."

As she drew closer, Lyla noticed AJ at the opposite hoop, standing way too close and missing shot after shot. Maisie sat in the corner, tying and retying her boots while talking to herself.

Chip dribbled closer to the fence, Bo following. "Hey, Lyla."

"So, you guys hear anything?" she asked.

"Packer?" Chip asked. "I thought he was dead."

Lyla lowered her head.

Bo gave him a hard shove with both hands. "What is wrong with you?"

"What? That's what I heard," Chip replied.

"I didn't hear that," said Bo, his freckles nearly camouflaged by his flushed cheeks. "I don't know what he's talking about."

"'Kay, thanks." She wiped her eyes. When she heard a clattering, she looked up and flinched at two blackbirds perched on the top rail, looking down at her with cold yellow eyes.

........

As 2:30 approached, Lyla put down her pen and glanced at the drawing of the blackbird someone had inked onto the plywood in the window frame. To add insult to injury, the artist had written CAW CAW next to the bird. She averted her eyes to the tri-fold sheet of paper in her lap.

Shaniece finished writing her list and folded her paper.

"Okay, ladies," said Matthew, holding up his own creased sheet of paper. "You've listed your best qualities, your strengths, your talents, and abilities here in the first column."

"I don't have any good qualities or talents," AJ mumbled.

"That's just not true," Matthew responded. "Anybody want to help AJ out? Lyla. Name one of AJ's qualities."

"Uh, you're kind."

"Good," said Matthew. "Kind. Write that down."

"Thanks," AJ offered an embarrassed smile to Lyla as she wrote.

Shaniece added, "She listens to what people say."

"That's right," said Matthew. "That's a very good quality. Add that to your list, AJ."

She wrote.

"So, when you've finished your first list, make a second list in this middle panel." Matthew held up his paper. "Here, I want you to list problems. Things that you worry about."

"Like what?" AJ asked.

"Maybe you're worried about money. Or maybe the health of someone in your family. Or maybe something bigger, like social injustice."

All heads turned when Natalie threw open the door and stormed into the class, jaw tight, her face pink.

"Natalie," said Matthew in a soothing tone. "We're doing an exercise. Take one of those sheets of paper and fold it into threes like this. Then on this first section, list all the--"

"It's not right," she growled. "I get called out if I call somebody a retard. But it's fine for people to call us crazy, or schizos, or psycho bitches."

"Nobody said it was fine."

"And that's not supposed to piss me off? Like I'm supposed to just stand there and take that shit?"

"I don't think anybody expects you to accept name-calling but there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to respond. Didn't Dr. Haden just talk to you about that?"

Natalie crumpled the paper and threw it on the floor. "Inappropriate, my ass."

........

After school, Lyla checked the kitchen cupboards for a snack. She glanced at a bowl on the counter where three lone apples had been on display for more than a week.

Pass.

She thrust her hand into a box of Froot Loops on the shelf, filled her mouth, then checked her phone for messages.

Darcy - Hey. Picking up Richie at the mall. Come with?

Lyla - I'm in.

Darcy - Leaving my house right now.

Lyla - 👍

Richie's flower arrangement had faded. The tulip stalks drooped, flower heads hung, and petals littered the countertop. She plucked out the obviously dead, wilted pieces and tossed them in the trash can then felt her phone buzz.

Darcy changing her plans?

Keenan - Told you they were gonna pay

She cringed.

Keenan - You got a visitor.

Lyla powered off her phone then jogged out onto the porch to wait for Darcy, relieved that the nosy neighbor was nowhere to be seen.

How did he know Darcy was on her way?

When her eyes drifted to the sidewalk across the street, she gulped when she noticed Clover traipsing in her direction. Lyla bolted into the kitchen, yanked a salt container from the shelf, then dashed across the porch and down the steps, spilling a thick line of salt across the driveway and through the front yard.

Clover halted her advance a few feet from the salt and extended her arm.

"You don't belong here," Lyla hissed.

The specter remained in place, the gaudy ring in the palm of her hand.

"Not gonna happen," Lyla said. "Leave me alone."

"Free me," she sobbed.

When Darcy's car appeared at the end of the driveway, Clover evaporated.

Lyla took a breath then called, "Forgot my phone." She hurried into the house, salt in hand. She plopped the container onto the counter beside her bouquet, dropped her phone into her bag, and locked the door behind her.

"Still working with the salt?" Darcy asked as Lyla buckled her seatbelt.

"Yep. On salt patrol."

"Keeping the creepy crawlies away?"

If only you knew.

Darcy steered away from the curb. "So, in late-breaking school news," she chattered. "I was at my locker this morning and Julian Barber close-walked me. Which is a thing. I could definitely tell he wanted to engage."

"So you guys did it in your locker?"

"I wish. No, he wanted me to ask him about Jack."

"He wanted you to ask him?"

"I mean, yeah. It was so obvious."

"Okay."

"So he starts telling me that at the hospital they checked Jack for a concussion and some other stuff, which I can't remember now cause I was zoomin' on his eyes when there he comes walking down the hall."

"Jack?"

"His arm was in a sling but he looked fine. Super fine. Nicole's the one who looked like she fell off a roof.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Makeup can only do so much. She was cakin' it on so heavy, looked like a sewer clown."

"But her face was a totally different color than her neck, right?"

"Totally different."

They laughed.

Darcy asked, "Damn, that big girl, your friend? What's her name?"

"Natalie."

"She scared the shit outta me and I wasn't even in her line of fire. She get in trouble? Cop trouble?"

"A whole lotta one-on-one counseling today. Think she'd probably rather deal with the cops."

"But was that the most awesome thing ever? The look on Carissa's face?"

"Definitely thought she was gonna pee her capris."