Chapter 22
The walk home from school took twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of wondering if Principal Rufus would call my parents, if he hasn’t already. Twenty minutes of imagining what would happen if he did.
I unlocked the front door and stepped into the quiet house. Mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway. She wouldn’t be home from work for another three hours.
Three hours to wait and worry.
I dropped my backpack by the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. The cordless phone sat in its cradle on the counter. I checked to make sure the volume was turned all the way up.
If the school called, I’d hear it ring, that is if they didn’t opt for personal phones instead.
I pulled out my list of chores from this morning. Mom had left them written on a sticky note. Vacuum the living room. Clean the bathrooms. Start dinner prep.
Busy work to keep my hands occupied while my mind raced.
I plugged in the vacuum and started on the living room carpet. But I kept the phone within sight. Every few minutes, I’d stop and make sure it was still there. Still silent.
The bathroom cleaning took an hour. Scrubbing the tub, wiping down mirrors, mopping the floor. Normal tasks that felt impossible to concentrate on.
What if Principal Rufus was calling right now? What if I couldn’t hear the phone over the running water?
I rushed back to the kitchen. The phone was exactly where I’d left it. No missed calls on the caller ID.
For dinner prep, Mom wanted me to peel potatoes and cut up vegetables. I sat at the kitchen table with a bowl and a peeler, keeping the phone right beside me.
Peel. Check the phone. Peel. Check the phone.
The potatoes took forever. My hands were shaking slightly, making the peeler slip.
At four–thirty, I heard a car in the driveway. Mom was home.
I quickly put the potatoes in a pot of water and started rinsing the vegetables. Tried to look normal and busy when she walked through the door.
“Avery?” Her voice came from the front hallway. “What are you doing home?”
“Hi Mom.”
She appeared in the kitchen doorway, her purse still over her shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”
“I got a headache during fourth period. Really bad one.”
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“And you didn’t think to call?” She asked with a raised brow.
“I didn’t want to disturb you at work. I figured I could just walk home and rest.”
She set down her purse and felt my forehead. “You don’t feel warm.”
“It wasn’t that kind of headache. Just stress, I think.”
“Stress from what?”
I couldn’t tell her about the principal’s office. About Ms. Rachna’s suspicions.
“Just school stuff. Tests and assignments.”
“Hmm.” She looked at the vegetables I’d been cutting. “Well, at least you got some chores done.”
“I wanted to help.”
“That’s good. Go finish your homework. I’ll handle dinner from here.”
I went upstairs to my room, but I couldn’t focus on homework. Every sound from downstairs made me think the phone might be ringing.
An hour later, Dad came home. I heard him talking to Mom in low voices. Were they discussing a call from school? Were they planning to confront me?
“Avery! Ava! Dinner!” Mom called.
I walked downstairs slowly. Ava was already at the table, chattering about her day.
“And then in history class, Mr. Johnson said my presentation was the best one he’d heard all semester.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” Dad said.
I sat down and started serving myself from the dishes Mom had prepared. The phone hadn’t rung. Maybe I was safe.
“How was your day, Avery?” Dad asked as an afterthought of course.
“Fine until I got the headache.”
“You should take some medicine before bed.”
I nodded and took a bite of mashed potatoes.
“Oh!” Ava suddenly said. “I forgot to mention. Avery got called to the principal’s office today.”
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.
“What?” Dad’s voice was sharp.
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Chapter 22
“Yeah, right before she left school. The announcement came over the intercom….” She looked around with those pretend eyes. “….she didn’t tell you guys?”
Both parents turned to stare at me.
“Was I not supposed to tell?” Ava said again looking at me like a lost puppy.
“Is that true?” Mom asked.
I could feel my face getting hot. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“What do you mean it wasn’t a big deal?” Dad’s voice was getting louder. “You don’t get called to the principal’s office unless you’ve done something wrong.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then why were you called down there?”
I glanced at Ava. She was watching me with those calculating eyes, waiting to see what I’d say.
“Ms. Rachna was concerned about my English grade.”
“Your English grade?” Mom looked confused. “But you’re good at English.”
“I haven’t been participating as much in class.”
“Why not?” Dad demanded.
I couldn’t tell them the real reason. Couldn’t explain about their warnings not to steal Ava’s spotlight.
“I don’t know. I just haven’t felt like talking much.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Dad said. “You don’t get to just decide not to participate. That’s not how school works.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Because getting called to the principal’s office suggests you don’t know.”
“I’m sorry.”
Mom shook her head. “We raised you better than this, Avery. You’re not supposed to be a failure.”
The word hit me like a slap. Failure.
“I’m not a failure.”
“Then start acting like it,” Dad said.
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I looked around the table. At their disappointed faces. At Ava pretending to look sympathetic while secretly enjoying my humiliation.
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Chapter 22
“I was just trying to make sure Ava gets the spotlight,” I said quietly.
The silence that followed was deafening.
“What did you just say?” Mom’s voice was dangerously quiet,
“I said I was trying to make sure Ava gets the spotlight. Like you told me to.”
Dad’s face turned red. “Are you trying to paint us as bad parents?”
“No, I’m just explaining-”
“You’re making it sound like we told you not to do well in school.”
“But you did say-
“We said to support your sister. Not to become a problem child.”
“I’m not a problem child.”
“Getting called to the principal’s office says otherwise.”
I stared at my plate. There was no winning this conversation.
“I’ll do better,” I said finally.
“You’d better,” Dad said. “But not so much better that you overshadow Ava. We’ve talked about this.”
“I understand.”
Mom’s face softened slightly. “That’s my good girl. We just want what’s best for both of you.”
“I know.”
“Family harmony is important,” Dad added. “We can’t have one sister making the other look bad.”
I nodded and went back to eating my potatoes. They tasted like cardboard.
“Speaking of harmony,” Ava said brightly, “Sarah’s birthday party is this Saturday. The pool party, remember?”
“Oh yes,” Mom said. “We need to take you girls shopping for new swimsuits.”
“Actually,” Ava said, “I still have a swimsuit from summer….it’s not that old. But Avery probably needs a new one.”
I looked up sharply. Ava had three swimsuits in her dresser drawer. I’d seen them just last week when she was organizing her clothes.
But she was lying to give herself another shopping trip. Another chance to be the center of attention.
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Chapter 22
I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped myself.
“Perfect!” Mom smiled. “We’ll go to the mall tomorrow after school.”
“Just the three of us girls,” Ava added. “It’ll be fun.”
Dad nodded approvingly. “Good family bonding time.”
I ate the rest of my dinner in silence, marveling at what my life had become.
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A performance where I had to pretend to be grateful for scraps. Where telling the truth made me the villain. Where my own sister could lie right to our parents‘ faces and be praised for it.
Where I was called a good girl for promising not to outshine anyone.
I felt pathetic and to think I was grateful for this in my past life.
AD
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.
