The card has my face on it and Jeremiah replaces the one hanging off my lanyard.
‘How do I explain any absences to the school?’ I say.
‘The school believes you’re interning. I’ve structured your shifts for weekends solely.’
‘What do I tell Derek?’ Jeremiah lifts his eyes at me, so critical and biting I turn mine away, saying the answer and saving him the breath. ‘Right. Nothing.’
He straightens to a stand when he fixes the card into my lanyard. ‘Does lying make you feel guilty?’
‘It weighs on me.’
‘Any emotion can weigh on you.’
Not some, I want to say, but I doubt if Jeremiah has ever felt the liberation of joy or any emotion that doesn’t compound. I lean against the wall with my shoulder. ‘Anxiety.’
‘Good. That’s natural at first. But no guilt?’
‘It depends on who I lie to and
