The house was dark when I drove up, which was odd. My mom should have been getting ready for work. My heart was pounding as I trotted up the walk, knowing something wasn’t right. As soon as I stepped through the door, I knew why. It was cold inside. My stomach sank as I flipped the light switch, already knowing what would happen: nothing. The power was off. Which was what happened when you spent the bill money on SATs. “Riley?” I heard her call from upstairs. “Oh, shit,” I muttered. “Yeah, it’s me.” The beam of a flashlight bobbed on the wall as my mom came out of her bedroom and picked her way carefully downstairs. She stood at the bottom. “I tried to call you.” “You did?” I pulled out my phone. Three messages. I’d had it off up at the trailer. “Sorry,” I said. “It was on mute from school. I guess I forgot to turn it on.”
