Mira finished the unit and, for the first time, flipped to the back. English Discoveries: Answer Key. Her finger traced down the page. Question #14: had been waiting. Correct.
She felt nothing. No triumph. Just the hollow clink of being right in a book but invisible in real life.
At 3:47 a.m., the diner was empty except for Old Carl, who sat in the corner booth nursing a cold coffee. Carl never ordered anything new. He was a regular like the cracked vinyl seats.