Q

by Christina Dalcher

I’ve heard of teachers in the green schools, like the one Freddie attends, who lose sleep over the numbers. One-tenth of a point makes all the difference. Freddie’s geometry teacher explained it all to me at our last meeting. “It gives them a chance, at least,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “And if they don’t have a chance, it gives everyone in the family time to deal with it. They can spend their last weekends together going on picnics, taking a final trip to see the grandparents, riding a roller coaster at the Six Flags park. All that shit they haven’t been doing for the past few years. That way, when the Q sinks below eight and the yellow bus comes, they’ve had some quality experiences. Memories.” It wasn’t always this way.