Chapter 8: Bus Fare and Big Sisters

In the morning, Natalie’s mom apologized. The neighbor couldn’t watch my sister, so I’d have to take the bus to school.

“Mom sent $4.50 to your Venmo. $1.50 for the bus, $3 for lunch.”

“Wasn’t it five…?”

Last night, Natalie’s dad had refused to up the lunch money.

“You’re still growing. You can’t skip meals. An extra dollar a day is just thirty bucks more a month. I’ll make up the difference.” She brushed my cheek with her fingers—thin, callused, but gentle. “Natalie, don’t go hungry at school. Buy whatever you want.”

I hugged her tightly. “Thank you, mom.”

She froze, then gently patted my back. “What’s gotten into you, kid? It’s like you’ve turned into someone else.”

I sobered up instantly. Had she noticed something was off? I hurried out the door and pulled out the phone I hadn’t used at home yesterday.

As soon as I unlocked it, Natalie’s messages started popping up one after another.