"It took me six months," I said. "You'll probably have to get another job. Starlite's hiring for the summer. I can tell Mr. Galvan you're coming in. He'll teach you anything except how to show up."
She looked at the card for a long time. I thought she might throw it at me. Instead she held it in both hands and read it again.
"Dad's not going to pay it for me, is he," she said.
"No. I asked him. Last night. He said if he paid it, it wouldn't be yours." Which wasn't exactly what I'd asked him, and wasn't exactly what he'd said, but it was close.
"Is Mom?"
"No. Mom's got her own stuff to pay."
Hadley turned the card over and looked at the other side, at PAID IN FULL underlined twice in Mrs. Kibler's hand, and I watched her figure out what it was. Her face did something complicated.
"This is your card," she said. "From the store."
"It's the back of it."
"You worked every Friday," she said slowly. "That's why you were never here on Fridays."