When Jane couldn’t wait any longer, she asked her mother flat out if she had gotten the letter. “Yeah,” her mother said, all casual. “I don’t know, Jane. It sounds expensive. It sounds like a scam.” Jane explained that the program was free, the books and everything, even transportation. “Nothing’s ever really free,” her mother said. “They’re using you.” “For what?” Jane said, indignant. “You’d still have to have a summer job,” her mother said. “You can’t skip out on that.” “When have I ever skipped out on anything?” Jane said.
