The Limit Read Online Free

people would be able to manage their accounts.” He snatched up the gallon of milk he’d set on the conveyor belt and walked away to find another line.
    The next lady banged into the display rack as shetried to maneuver her cart backward. “Stay home and stop shopping if you think you’re getting close to your limit,” she snapped at Mom. “It doesn’t take a college degree to figure that out.”
    Mom stared straight ahead. Her lips trembled. Part of me wanted to follow those people and yell at them that they couldn’t talk to my mother that way. A bigger part needed to stay right where I was and find out what would happen next.
    “Don’t you worry, ma’am,” said Checkout Lady. “People always act like they’ve been robbed when they have to wait five minutes longer than they thought. Don’t take it personally.”
    A sharp, metallic tune made Mom jump. She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone.
    “Hello?” Her eyes got big. “Yes, it is. Listen to me. There must be some mistake. My husband said a deposit . . .” Mom’s voice trailed off, and her cheeks flushed red. “It’s an automated message,” she said in an unsettled voice to Checkout Lady.
    Mom listened silently for a few minutes, taking in quick, shallow breaths. All the color drained from her face. “I need to talk to someone,” she said into the phone. Frantically, she pounded some of the buttons. “Let me talk to a real person!”
    The pages of
COMP
wrinkled in my grip.
    Lauren clamped down tighter on my arm.
    “It’s okay,” I told her. I’m such a liar.
    Mom’s head jerked back an inch, and she lowered the phone. She’d been disconnected.
    “I’m sorry, ma’am,” said Checkout Lady. “Is there anything I can do?”
    Mom sniffed and shook her head. She glanced at me. Checkout Lady, gnawing on her lip again, turned to follow her gaze. When they saw me looking back, they quickly turned away.
What? I didn’t have anything more to do with this than the girls. Why single me out
? The crackers I’d eaten in the car on the way to the store turned to rocks in my stomach.
    Grabbing Abbie around the wrist, Mom scurried around her shopping cart. “We’re getting out of here.” She snatched up Lauren’s arm as well and dragged her along behind her. Mom couldn’t have walked any faster without breaking into a run.
    “What about my bubbles?” asked Abbie, reaching backward.
    I took a look at the cart, which bulged with shopping bags. Just a few seconds ago we’d thought we desperately needed every single item in there. Now all I could think was how those unnecessary purchases had put us over the limit.

LAUREN WRENCHED HER ARM FREE before we left the store. Mom walked through the parking lot so fast Abbie couldn’t keep up. Mom didn’t even notice when Abbie’s arm slipped out of her fingers. I scooped up my little sister and slung her around to ride piggyback on me.
    “Who called you?” I asked Mom. She stood by our car urging us forward with frantic waves of her hand. “What did they say?”
    “Get in,” she said, pressing the keyless entry button. “Quickly.”
    What? Were we bank robbers now, making our getaway?
    I slid Abbie into the backseat and climbed in the front. Mom didn’t wait for us to fasten our seat belts before she ripped out of the parking space. I hadn’t even closed my door.
    Mom reached inside her purse with one hand, steering with the other as she zoomed through theparking lot. She yanked out her cell phone at the same moment she pulled onto the road. A car screeched and swerved to avoid hitting us. A loud horn blast bawled us out. Mom didn’t even blink.
    “Slow down,” I said, looking over my shoulder to make sure Lauren and Abbie had buckled their seat belts.
    “Where are we going?” asked Lauren, noticing—as I did—that we were headed in the opposite direction from our house. We weren’t driving toward Nana’s house either.
    Mom’s trembling fingers struggled to dial her