Chapter 11
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Sunday morning started with Mom standing at my bedroom door. She was holding a piece of paper.
“Your new chore list,” she said, placing it on my desk.
I read through it. Kitchen cleanup every night. Bathroom scrubbing twice a week. All the laundry folding. Taking out trash. Vacuuming the living room.
“This is a lot of extra work.” I said.
“Actions have consequences, Avery.”
Ava appeared behind Mom in her pajamas. Her eyes looked red and swollen.
“I told them you didn’t mean what you said yesterday,” Ava whispered. “But they’re really worried.”
Mom handed me another paper. It had “house” rules which was weird because it clearly was for me alone.
No friends over until further notice. Bedtime at eight PM instead of nine. Phone time is limited to thirty minutes daily. Computer only for homework.
“This seems extreme for having an opinion.”
“This is what happens when you hurt your family.”
I looked at both papers. “What are Ava’s new rules?”
“Ava doesn’t need new rules. She hasn’t been causing problems.”
Ava shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe we could talk about-”
“No sweetie. Your sister needs to learn about responsibility.”
Mom left us alone. Ava lingered in my doorway.
“I’m sorry they’re being so harsh. I really did try to help.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“Maybe if you apologized, they’d go easier on you.”
“Apologize for what exactly?”
“For saying my friends don’t like you. That really hurt my feelings.”
I stopped organizing my desk. “But it’s true.”
“No it’s not, Avie. We all care about you.”
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Chapter 11
“Then ask Mom and Dad to treat me fairly.”
“I can’t interfere with their parenting decisions.”
How convenient.
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The new system started immediately. While Ava ate breakfast, I cleaned last night’s dishes. While she watched cartoons, I folded three loads of laundry. While she painted her nails, I scrubbed the upstairs bathroom.
By noon I was exhausted.
“You’re doing wonderful, honey,” Mom said, inspecting the sparkling kitchen. “This is exactly what you needed.”
Dad nodded from his newspaper. “Hard work builds character.”
After lunch, Ava got ice cream and a movie. I got handed the vacuum cleaner.
“Why doesn’t Ava have to help with anything?”
“Ava didn’t have an attitude problem yesterday.”
I sighed, pushing the vacuum around the living room while Ava sat on the porch swing with her phone. Through the window I could see her laughing at something on the screen.
The same phone I was now allowed to use for thirty minutes.
That evening, while I scrubbed pots and pans, my parents praised Ava for being so mature about her forgiving her difficult sister.
“You’re handling this situation beautifully,” Mom told her. “I’m very proud.”
“It’s hard watching Avery be so angry,” Ava sighed. “But I love her even when she’s mean to me.”
Mean to her. For wanting equal treatment.
“You’re such a good sister,” Dad said to her.
They spoke like I wasn’t standing three feet away, listening to every word.
At eight PM I climbed into bed while my family settled in for a movie downstairs. Their laughter drifted up through the floor.
The punishment wasn’t really about chores or bedtimes. It was about isolation. About showing me I didn’t belong unless I behaved exactly how they wanted.
Monday brought the same routine. Extra chores before school. A lecture about family loyalty at breakfast. Ava receiving praise for being so understanding about my behavior.
“Ava can have friends over after school today,” Mom announced over cereal.
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Chapter 11
“What about me?”
“You’re still grounded.”
“For how long?”
“Until we see real improvement in your attitude.”
“What counts as improvement?”
“No more questioning our decisions. No more making your sister upset. No more selfish behavior.”
That word again.
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After school, Madison and Sarah arrived to hang out with Ava. They claimed the living room, spreading nail polish and magazines everywhere while I cleaned the kitchen.
Their conversation carried through the doorway.
“Your sister’s been acting really weird lately,” Madison said.
“I know. My parents think it’s some kind of phase.”
“What kind of phase?”
“Like jealousy maybe. She’s been saying mean things about me.”
“That’s so bizarre. You guys used to be inseparable, with her sticking to you like a gum.”
“We were. But now she hangs out with those weird kids instead of normal people.”
Weird kids. That’s what she saw my friends as even while her friends were always weird towards me.
“Maybe she’s jealous because you’re prettier,” Sarah giggled.
“I feel sorry for her,” Ava said. “I just don’t know how to help anymore.”
Ava was really good at portraying the kind and understanding sister.
That night Dad cornered me in the hallway.
“Your mother and I are concerned about your new friends.”
“Why?”
“They’re clearly bad influences.”
“You don’t even know them.” I said.
“We know their type. Outcasts who turn kids against their families.”
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Chapter 11
“They didn’t turn me against anyone.”
“Then explain your behavior.”
I looked at him. He genuinely believed my friends had brainwashed me into wanting basic respect.
“My behavior comes from wanting to be treated fairly.”
“You are treated fairly.”
His face darkened. “If this attitude continues, the restrictions will get much worse.”
“How much worse?”
“We’ll separate you from those friends at school. Talk to your teachers about lunch arrangements.”
My stomach dropped. “You can’t do that.”
“We’re your parents. We decide what’s best for you.”
“Isolating me from good people isn’t what’s best.”
“We determine what’s best. Not you.”
The threat hung between us. Submit or lose everything that mattered.
“Do we understand each other?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now finish your homework.”
In my room, I stared at the wall and processed everything.
This was psychological warfare designed to break me down completely. Make me so miserable I’d beg to return to being their perfect, obedient daughter.
But they were totally oblivious to something.
I wasn’t actually twelve years old inside. I had an adult’s patience and perspective. I understood their tactics because I’d lived through worse.
And I had time. So for now, I’ll just let them believe their punishment worked and be the obedient daughter they know.
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Chapter 12
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
