The first storm shook the trailer all night like it knew the day to come was important. Half-asleep Maya made burnt toast and scrambled eggs with surprise bits of shell. The OJ was bad, and the milk was empty. After breakfast, she sat at the kitchen table spinning a small white envelope between her fingers. Behind her the T.V. played some detective show she’d watched a million times. It was supposed to be her first day at Murphy prep, but the longer she sat there the less likely it looked she’d get to make the right first impression. Some flooding had closed the most direct route home from moms work and so Maya was barely getting in the car when the first bell rang.

“You still want to stop by the bridge?” Mom asked.

“Of course.” Maya lied. She wanted nothing to do with the bridge, but it felt like the right thing to do.

The bridge wasn’t very far, so it was a short trip. Mom mumbled along to her favorite CD and Maya doodled on her new school handbook. Their crest, a hissing snake-like dragon coiled to strike, looked much better with an apple in his mouth. Their motto Vivamus, moriendum est was better left a black box.

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“Shit.” Her mom said.

“Shit.” Maya agreed.

The storm had not spared Monie’s memorial. The flowers and cards left for her were scattered across the bridge and the awful portrait the school had left was missing. Maya and her mom spent about 10 minutes in the rain gathering everything they could into an old milk crate that was sitting in the back of the Subie. By the time they had everything they were both soaked to the bone and freezing cold.

“I’ll see if I can save any of this.” Mom said leaning over the crate. The hatchback offered some shelter from the rain. Maya squeezed in next to her to get a better look at everything in the box. Ink was running everywhere, and some cards had just turned into globs of mush.

“Not much worth saving to begin with.” Maya said. They didn’t really know Monie. No one did. That was just the kind of person she was. She smiled, she made bad jokes, she shut everyone out. Her mom closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Maybe. I’ll try anyway.” Mom said. She looked Maya over and smacked her teeth. “Where’s your rain jacket?”

“Home.” Maya said. She had forgotten to take it out of her closet in the morning haze. She grabbed whatever was by the door and ran into the car. It was not built to keep the rain away.

“We’re going back home so you can change out of those wet clothes.” Mom said. “Get your jacket too.”