“She’s a public employee. We can get her address. If she has the ring, they’ll find it.”

“What if she already pawned it?”

“Harry’s been keeping an eye on the local places. So far, nobody’s seen the ring.”

The door to Dad’s office flies open. Josh closes it behind him and rushes toward me. “You lost Nana’s ring?”

I push out of the chair to face him. “You were eavesdropping?”

He scoffs. “The walls are thin. I was walking out of the bathroom when I heard Dad talking about pawn shops.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you lost it.”

Dad’s voice booms. “Josh, sit down. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re going to defend him? Nana left the ring to him and he lost it.” He looks me up and down, his top lip curling. “So much for being the better choice.”

I step toward him so that we’re almost nose to nose. There’s a slight height difference between us and I use it to my advantage. “Like it would’ve been in better hands with you? It would’ve ended up in a pawn shop before the end of the day.”

“You can’t hold onto anything these days can you? First your girlfriend, now the ring.”

I fist Josh’s T-shirt in my hands and slam him against the bookcase. “You piece of shit—”

“Enough!” Dad’s fist slams onto the desk. He stands, his voice low and intimidating as he points to the door. “Get out, both of you.”

I release Josh’s shirt and shove my hands through my hair. With our tails tucked between our legs, we leave Dad’s office.

Mom’s waiting in the hallway, her eyes darting from Josh to me. “Boys, what’s going on?”

I place my hand on her shoulder and muster a smile. “Nothing, Mom. Everything’s fine.”

She sighs. “Then get out of this hallway and let’s go eat dinner.”

Josh wraps his arm around her waist. “Smells great. Let’s go.” As they walk toward the kitchen, Josh turns and smirks at me over his shoulder.

Days Left Until Summer Break: 155

Raegan

“For the final order of business, we have Halloween coming up.”

Every teacher in the room groans.

Jaxon laughs and holds his hands up. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m putting a sign-up sheet in the main office for anyone who would like to volunteer to help with the dance. Whether you can chaperone or decorate, your help will be greatly appreciated. I know it’s an exhausting day for you guys, but try to remember who we’re doing this for.”