The Cell Phone Lot. Greta Gorsuch

him to the back office.

      “Explain this,” he said. He pointed at her bag. It was full of makeup and perfume from the store! How did it get there? Jessica didn’t know.

      “I didn’t put that there!” she said.

      “Please leave,” the manager said. “I’m calling Dallas.”

      And now Jessica’s life was over.

      Chapter Three

      Sitting in her new red car, Jessica felt sick. She wanted to see her dad. She wanted to tell someone what happened, ask someone what to do. She didn’t take anything from the store! She was pretty sure Cammie put the things in her bag and then told the manager that Jessica took them. She had her notes about Cammie. She would call the main office in Dallas! She would tell them what happened.

      Jessica drove home. She walked to her apartment. She didn’t see any of her neighbors. They were all at work. Jessica called the main office in Dallas. She asked for the extension for Mr. Stamps, the man who hired her.

      He came on the line. “Jessica, a manager just called us. He said you took makeup and perfume from a store. Is that true?”

      Jessica did her best to explain. She had her notes. But at the end, she started to cry.

      “Ms. Vasquez,” said Mr. Stamps, “this is a serious matter. I’ll make some phone calls. But I have to tell you, it doesn’t look good. Wintergreen Drug Store has rules. Even if I can hire you back, it will take a month or more. I think you need to look for another job.”

      Jessica hung up. She sat down and cried. It was all so wrong!

      After a few hours, she started making phone calls, trying to find another job. She got an interview at a department store the next morning. The manager asked why she left Wintergreen Drug Stores.

      “What we pay is only half of what you got at Wintergreen,” he said. “This job is sales only. Are you sure you want this job?” Jessica told him yes. But the next day, when she called to find out if she got the job, the man told her, “We called the manager at Wintergreen and he said you stole from the store. We can’t have employees who do that.” And he hung up.

      Two weeks went by. Jessica had two more interviews. But she didn’t get either job. Both times, someone called Wintergreen. No one believed Jessica.

      Jessica began to run out of money. She had payments to make on her new red car. And her one-room apartment was expensive. She quit smoking because she didn’t have the money for it. Life was very hard! To save gas money, she began to walk everywhere. At least that helped her to stop smoking.

      During one of her walks to the grocery store, she decided to stop at a small park. As she sat in the sunshine, she saw a car drive by. It had a sign on the windshield that said, “Ryde Driving Service.” It was just a medium-sized gray car. A lady was driving it, and someone was sitting in the back. Jessica watched as the car pulled up next to a house. The man in back got out. The driver got out, too. She opened the car’s trunk and took out a large suitcase. The man took it and handed the driver some money. Then she drove away.

      A driving service! Jessica thought. Of course! I can work for them driving my own car!

      She found the Ryde Driving Service’s website and signed up to be a driver. Within an hour, someone from Ryde called her. “We got your application,” said the young man. “And we need another driver in your area. But you’re driving a very small car, with only two doors. Usually, people who pay for a ride want a larger car, where they can sit in back.”

      “Oh,” said Jessica. She thought for a minute. “So, if I have a larger car, I can drive for you?”

      “Yes, I think so,” said the Ryde employee. “You can start tomorrow if you want.”

      Chapter Four