The past-due notices rustled against her fingers.

She pushed past the envelopes and pulled out her small spiral notebook.

She turned back to the page with the hotel math.

The numbers stared back at her in blue ink.

She could not afford the room rate.

She could not afford the gas to get home.

She owed Arthur money he had pulled out of thin air to pay their entry fee.

The whole weekend seemed designed to make her fail.