Things only got worse as the school year went on. Other kids' parents chaperoned field trips, volunteered in the classroom, and attended the Christmas program. Billy was the only one whose parents never came once.
He asked Charlie at one point why he couldn't come and the response he received was "ain't got the time, kid." After that he didn't bother asking anymore.
If seeing other students' parents participate in school activities was bad, it was nothing compared to summer vacation. Jean spent most of the day out of the house leaving Billy to fend for himself again.
He was not about to spend the next two and a half months doing nothing but watch reruns. He figured out where the spare key was kept and started using it to let himself out once he was sure Jean was gone. She rarely returned before 6 PM so he usually came back by 4:00 to be safe.
