Chapter 1

On the first day of school, the parent committee started collecting information on everyone's pickup vehicles, supposedly to help the school manage traffic safety.

"Jerome's mom, your family drives a Maybach, right? We'll put Jerome front row, center."

"Duke's dad, a Rolls-Royce? No problem, class president goes to Duke."

The parent representative read down the list, all smiles as she handed out seats and class officer titles.

When it finally reached my turn, the representative's eyes went wide. She flipped the registration form over and back a few times before she spoke, slowly.

"Ryan Carter's mom, a bus…"

The moment the words were out, the parents around us burst into laughter.

The board director's wife rolled her eyes and swept a look of pure disgust over my son.

"Charlotte Chavez, put him in the very back row. My son has a sensitive nose, he can't stand that smell."

Ryan looked up at me, hurt and confused.

"Mom, why does everyone else get to pick their own seat and I have to sit in the last row? Was I bad?"

The board director's wife pulled a set of Rolls-Royce keys out of her pocket and laughed out loud.

"You little brat, a kid who rides the bus, and you think you get the front row?"

I smoothed my son's hair and slowly lifted my head.

"And what if my son rides in a state motorcade shuttle?"

…

The words barely landed, and the laughter in the room didn't stop. It only got louder, more shameless.

The board director's wife eyed me sideways, dragging her words out in a mocking singsong.

"It's just a domestic sedan, a few hundred grand at most. What's there to brag about?"

"Here I thought it was something impressive. All that buildup for this?"

The parents who had just landed the good seats jumped right in.

"Exactly. My housekeeper drives something pricier than that to the grocery store, and she doesn't go around bragging."

"A family like that got into our school? Must've pulled some strings to sneak in."

"No wonder the two of them are dressed like that. One look and you can tell they don't belong in our circle."

Ryan bit his lip, his eyes rimmed red, but he stubbornly held the tears back.

I glanced at him, patted his shoulder gently, and signaled him to let it go.

Teacher Chavez looked mortified and quickly clapped her hands, trying to smooth things over.

"Everyone, we're only recording the vehicles to help direct traffic. It has nothing to do with seating."

She turned to me, a trace of apology in her face.

"Ryan's mom, a bus is fairly large and needs to park in a dedicated oversized space. Could you give me the plate number so we can register it?"

I nodded and read out a string of characters, unhurried.

"White plate, red lettering. New York V0007."

Teacher Chavez paused, as if something didn't sit right, but she wrote it down all the same.

The board director's wife leaned over to peek at it and burst out laughing on the spot.

"If you're going to make up a plate, at least make up a believable one. Do you forge fake IDs on the side?"

"Or did you just steal it out of the bus depot?"

A few parents nearby laughed along.

I sat there without a flicker of expression and said nothing.

There was no point explaining to a room of people who couldn't tell what kind of vehicle that plate belonged to.

The board director's wife saw I wasn't giving her the time of day, felt slighted, and her face darkened.

She came around the desks, walked to the very back of the room, and pointed at the corner where the trash can sat.

"Charlotte, let the boy sit right here."

"Trash belongs with the trash can. Perfect match."

Teacher Chavez was sweating with panic. She stepped down from the platform and pleaded in a low voice, forcing a smile.

"Ma'am, that spot is too close to the trash can. It's always been left empty."

"And Ryan is short. He won't be able to see the board from the back. Maybe we could go by height—"

She didn't get to finish. The board director's wife's face dropped in an instant.

"I told you to seat him there, so you seat him there. Where do you get off talking back?"

"You're a hired nanny, nothing more. You think I can't have you thrown out by tomorrow?"

Teacher Chavez flushed scarlet under the tirade, her lips trembling, unable to get a word out.

I eased Teacher Chavez gently behind me, took a step forward, and fixed the board director's wife with a cold stare.

"Where my son sits is not for you to decide."

"This is a school. It runs on fairness in education. It is not a place for you to throw your weight around."