She hadn’t known what to say. Even though Jerry was a trusted confidant, the note made her feel so vulnerable and terrible. It felt like a reflection on her, as a mother, as a person. And so she’d just said, “Yeah, he did start. It’s going great. How’s Susan?” And a perfectly pleasant call unfolded from there.

She worried about Arthur. She didn’t want anyone to pick on him, ever—and especially not because of her. The optimist in her said it wouldn’t happen, but look. Now, maybe, it had begun. Was someone watching her, maybe someone from inside the school? And what was the next step, the next threat? She feared that the note was just the tip of the iceberg.

Suddenly, a voice floated through the windows from the parking lot. “I can’t believe this,” someone said. It sounded like Piper’s voice.

Andrea stood and peeked through the window blinds. Piper was standing in the parking lot, one hand on her hip, her back to the window. She held her cell phone to her ear. Andrea couldn’t make out the next few sentences, but then she heard “Fuck you!”

After, Piper stood there for a beat, her fist clenched, jaw tight. A full minute passed. She seemed to be in a trance. Andrea blinked, wondering if it was wrong to be witnessing what seemed to be an intimate moment. Finally, Piper lifted her phone again. Tapped the screen once more. And pivoted toward the office entrance.

Andrea ran back to her seat and arranged herself. By the time the door flew open, Piper was a breezy cloud of white silk and linen pants. “Hello!” she said brightly. “Andrea, right?”

“Uh, yes.” Andrea leaped to her feet so zealously, her knee bumped the coffee table. She tried not to wince.

Piper was still looking at something on her phone. “Sorry,” she said to Andrea. “Just FaceTiming with my son quickly. It’s his free period right now—I thought I could catch him.”

“Oh.” Andrea tried not to give anything away of what she’d witnessed in the parking lot. Was it her son she’d had that argument with?

“Want to say hello, North?” Piper asked in a syrupy voice. So maybe it had been someone else on the phone before.

There was static on the other end. Andrea tipped her head to see the screen, but then Piper frowned and tilted it toward herself, tapping the button at the bottom of the device. “Shoot. Dropped.”

“Where is he?” Andrea asked. “What school?”