DANIE
xhausted and on edge, Dani drove north through the smoky haze in bumper-to-bumper traffic up Sepulveda, Jack and Violet quarreling, while orange flames shot up, licking the darkening sky on the other side of the 405-freeway, closed due to another seasonal fire. d**k yowled inside his carrier. She turned up the air conditioner and swallowed a scream. What a life. They were making a wide detour first to Panorama City to pick up the rest of Violet’s clothes, toothbrush, and personal things from Monica’s before moving on to Dani’s place in Pasadena. Jack’s suitcase and twelve-pack, plus d**k’s cat food and litter box bumped in the trunk. Violet would have to transfer mid-semester, because her mother was still MIA, and Jack’s house had termites, rats in the attic, and black mold. The hou
