I stand up slowly and brush down my jeans. Kandi’s dad is talking on his phone, shooting looks through the window at me. I walk over to one of the flowerpots. It’s supposed to have flowers but whatever was in there has died. But it’s full of earth.

I pick the flowerpot up. It’s proper heavy, not one of those plastic things. I walk towards the kitchen window. Sheldon’s eyes open wide. He’s walking back towards the door, still talking on his phone. I lift the pot above my head. Flakes of earth fall off the side into my hair. I don’t care. I think of my sister upstairs in her room, so close to me. All Sheldon had to do was let me see her.

I heave the pot up over my head. All that hot-sun energy in my arms makes me move fast. The pot slams against the window and drops to the ground. Kandi’s dad stares at me through the cracked glass.

“Chay Chay?” The voice comes from the window above. “What are you doing?”

I look up. Kandi’s leaning out of her window. It’s not just her. She’s got two friends with her and one of them is crying so hard I can hear it in the garden.

Chapter 7

I run. I don’t know why and I don’t even know where I’m going. I’ve still got that energy. Man, fight or flight? I can do both at the same time now. I know the police are gonna come for me, but I don’t even try to hide. Then suddenly I’m so tired I can hardly stand.

I sit on a wall by a church and take out my phone. I try to call Skye, but she isn’t picking up. I start to tap out a message, but now I don’t know what to say. I scroll through my numbers. A for Annie. I delete her from my contacts. I delete Bash too. Down through all my contacts until I come to Kandi.

It’s her old number, I know, but I could never delete it. I need to see her name there.

Kandi … Man. I don’t think I’m ever gonna forget her looking down on me like that. I shamed her in front of her friends. I shamed myself. Her dad must be calling social services right now, yelling at them for not keeping me away from her. “Charlene’s violent! I was scared for my daughter’s safety!” Sheldon’s gonna show them the window and of course they’re gonna agree. “Yes, she is violent. We won’t let her near her sister ever again.”