“Anne.” Millie held out a hand toward me.

“Anne, look. I. . .I know you’re having trouble here,” Lucy stammered. “This isn’t like other places we’ve lived before. Okay? That’s true. I’m having trouble. Millie is having trouble. We’re all having to deal with conflict right now. But it’s how we all deal with that conflict.” She held out her hand, ticking off my offenses. “Getting in fights. Yelling at students.”

“Yelling?” I screeched. “You mean defending myself?”

Millie got between Lucy and me. “That’s it. TIME! Everyone needs to take a breath. Right now.”

My body was a bomb. “All I do is go to this stupid school and deal with their shit. And every day they figure out another way to make things worse. For ME. That’s MY trouble. And now you’re helping them.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” Lucy’s voice hummed with fury. “I’m trying to find a way to make things better.”

“We are,” Millie added quietly, in what I’m sure was a quiet-voice attempt to get us to stop yelling.

It didn’t work.

“Well, it’s WORSE now. For me, at least. So, thanks.” I turned. “Good night.” As I walked away, I tossed a stick of dynamite over my shoulder. A quiet but definitive, “Fucking stupid.”

“Fucking stupid?” Lucy’s voice boiled. “You think being accountable for your actions is FUCKING STUPID? You think what Millie and I have to say is fucking stupid?”

“Yeah.” I spun around. “I do.”

“Well, then.” Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. “Then you can pay for the Spencers’ lawn. You can pay for the damages, not Berry. YOU! And until you do, no school play, no school activities. You go to class and you come right home.”

“WHAT??”

Lucy shook her head. “Until we can manage this, until I know YOU can manage this, you are taking a step back. Because right now we are just—”

“I’m THE LEAD in the PLAY,” I screamed. “This play is the ONLY THING I have in Greenville that’s mine!”

Lucy pounded her fist in her palm. “This is all TOO much and it is affecting your judgment and your actions and your behavior in destructive ways.”

“Lucy,” Millie said quietly. “Let’s just wait and talk about this tomorrow.”

“THIS IS THE ONLY THING I HAVE in this WHOLE HORRIBLE PLACE!” My entire face was a scream. “YOU get to have your job and MILLIE gets her art and I get NOTHING!”

“ANNE!” Lucy’s voice hit final warning.

My voice filled the room. “FUCK YOUR JOB. FUCK GREENVILLE. And FUCK! YOU!”