I tried to tell her I might have been over exaggerating, but she put up her hand.
"don't defend him, amber. he's crossed the line this time."
I got off the bus the next day and found a police car down the block, at the economy apartments. that's when the rumor became an ugly plague.
dotting nasty sores of guilt all up and down my arms and legs as the kids at school looked at me with sympathy.
when I wasn't looking I could hear them whispering,
"that robert kid deserves to be shot."
