Trigger Warning.
"Good morning my dear sister." Katelyn's face smiled through my phone screen.
"I don't even need an alarm clock anymore." I gave a half grin before untangling myself from bed.
"I know, I'm such a great sister." She blew a kiss and I made my way to the bathroom.
"What are your plans for today?" I asked before grabbing my toothbrush.
"Shoe shopping for shoes." She replied and I frowned.
"What other reason would you shoe shop for?"
"Shut up, I meant for prom." She rolled her eyes and I stuck the toothbrush in my mouth with a smile.
"It sucks that our proms are on the same weekend. I wanted to come down and help you get ready."
"Not necessary, I have my dress, shoes and accessories. All I have to do is put them on, put on a dab of makeup and do something with my hair." I shrugged before spitting in the sink.
"No way, you need to go full out on your only prom night. You need to dazzle Liam." She wiggles her eyebrows.
At the sound of his name, my heart dropped.
"Liam isn't my prom date." I told her before rinsing my toothbrush and putting it away.
"What?"
"Quite frankly, he won't really look at me." I shrugged.
I don't really blame him, but it hurts.
Last week for example, we were suppose to do lab work together and he asked to work alone.
To anyone else, it's not that big of a deal, but for Liam Powers, the school's biggest 'people person' to choose to work alone rather than working with me. Well, that unheard of.
"What happened? Is he still mad at the laughing gas confession?" She asked and I shook my head before going downstairs with my phone in my hand.
Today, dad has a meeting with his current client about their court date in a few weeks.
Also known as Liam Powers.
"No." I told Katelyn before opening the refrigerator for some berries.
Grabbing a packet of instant oatmeal, I added some water in a bowl before popping in the microwave.
"What do you do when you've hurt something that was kind of good?" I asked and she gave me a frown.
"I'm not making any sense." I nodded and she gave me a sad smile.
"What's going on Rose?" She asked and I tucked my hair behind my ear.
"I though Liam did something bad and based on what I believed, I kind of attacked him for a confession." I told her and she nodded.
"I had already accused him but instead of talking to him about it, I kind of demanded a confession and an explanation."
Exactly like my father does anytime he suspects I did something wrong.
"And now he's mad at you?" Katelyn asked and the microwave beeped with my breakfast.
"I think he's more hurt than mad." I told her. "I was pretty cruel."
She gave me another sad smile. "With my expertise on hurting people's feelings, I think you should try to apologize."
"Dad told me I wasn't allowed to talk to him." I replied before grabbing a spoon.
Katelyn moved around in her room before going and closing her door.
"If you didn't already know, your dad is an asshole." She said and a laugh left my mouth.
"I thought you liked him?" I questioned and she gave me a shrug.
"Yeah he's a good guy and I don't hate him, but that doesn't change who he is." She smiled.
"I think you should apologize to Liam." She said and I nodded.
That probably won't happen anytime soon. He can't even look at me, how is he suppose to listen to what I have to say.
"Okay." I nodded with a toothless smile.
"So if Liam isn't your date, who is?" She raised an eyebrow at me.
"Landon Uni."
"The asian Donald Trump?" She asked with wide eyes and I choked on my oatmeal.
I grabbed napkin to wipe my mouth before looking at her with wide eyes.
"Excuse me?" I coughed.
"That guy is such a dick." She explained.
"You only know him through what I've told you." I told her and she nodded.
"And you haven't said anything nice." She raised an eyebrow.
Well, she's not wrong. Anytime I leave a Young Debaters meeting I'll call Katelyn with a new story of how Landon was a jerk.
My phone started ringing and and my father's caller ID came up and I let out a sigh.
"Hey, my dad is calling. I'll talk to you later." I smiled at her before a quick goodbye.
"Hello." I placed the phone to my ear.
"I need you to book two flights out to New Hampshire for the Friday after next." He told me without a greeting.
"Okay." I replied before his words actually registered.
New Hampshire is where Dartmouth is. He's going to make me go to Dartmouth.
"May I ask why?" I asked before pushing my breakfast away.
"What other reasons would I need two tickets to New Hampshire?" He asked and I shrugged.
"I don't-"
"We're visiting Dartmouth!" He replied with excitement and I let out a sigh.
"Will we be traveling in the evening?"
"Yes, after school."
"Okay." I nodded before running my hands through my hair.
"I have to go." He said before hanging up.
"Bye." I muttered before placing my phone down.
My breakfast no longer looked appetizing, so with a sigh I walked up o the trash and tossed it before washing the bowl and spoon.
Making my way back upstairs, I changed out of my pjs and into a light long sleeve blouse and a pair of leggings before going to my desk to work.
After booking to flights for New Hampshire, I got on the Dartmouth's college website.
Then I got on UCLA's.
And I as I browsed, I found myself clicking on the application link.
[0]
"Today we're doing an obstacle course and you're going to need a partner." Mr. Sharon announced after our warmup.
Everyone, including myself let out sound of protest.
"Why Mr. Sharon?" Francesca Belly whined.
"Because I realized you're all graduating and I have limited time to torture you." He smiled and I let out a sigh through my nose.
"Okay, here are your partners."
"You're picking our partners for us?" Liam asked and I glanced up at him for a brief second.
He's been quiet all class period. Ignoring me as usual.
"Yes, I've see you all work with partners all of this semester, and the one you work with the best is who I'm choosing." Mr. Sharon announced.
"And your partner is," he looked through his clipboard.
Please don't say my name. Please don't say my name.
"Rose." He said and I looked up at Mr. Sharon.
Perfect.
"Can I get a different partner?" Liam asked and I froze.
"You got a problem with Rose?" Mr. Sharon asked and I looked down at my feet.
"I just don't want to work with her. She's too fast at jumping to conclusions." Liam replied and my cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
Last time he opted out of working with me, he didn't make a scene of it.
Now there are over fifteen students staring at me and I can already feel my vision blurring with tear.
"Wow, you're being an even bigger asshole today." Ben Spence pointed out and Liam scoffed.
"Liam, Rose is your partner and that's final." Mr. Sharon said and before he could go on to the next pair of students, I turned on my heels and walked out of the gym.
Mr. Sharon called out my name but if I turned back around, my entire gym class would see tears streaming down my face.
[0]
"Hey." Mia said carefully as she took her seat next to me.
From the tone of he voice, I can tell that she already know of the little disaster that happened in gym class.
"Hi." I mustered a smile.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She frowned. "I know you're not a talker, but we can if you wanna?"
"I just made an accusation and hurt his feeling, I guess he's retaliating." I shrugged.
"What accusation?" She asked and I fiddled with my pencil.
This isn't my story to tell. It is way too personal for me to tell Mia about Natalie Bell.
"It doesn't really matter what it was, what matters is that I was out of line." I nodded and her eyebrows pulled together before she glanced behind me towards, Liam's seat.
"Liam isn't mean. For him to have apparently made you cry with embarrassment..." she raised an eyebrow at me.
"It's not his fault that I'm sensitive." I told her and the tardy bell rang.
"You are the opposite of sensitive. You didn't even cry during My Girl." She raised an eyebrow and I shook my head at her as Mrs. Knowles walked.
"Today we're doing partner work." She announced.
Oh my God, no.
"With your table partners, not lab partners." She clarified and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Have you tried apologizing?" Mia asked quietly as Mrs. Knowles gave the instructions for our assignment.
"If you haven't noticed, he doesn't exactly want to speak to me." I whispered.
"Well then, make him." She told me.
"No, I don't like forcing people to do things they don't want to." I told her before letting out a sigh.
That's what got me in this situation in the first place.
"Rose."
My head snapped up to Mrs. Knowles.
"Yes?"
"Can I speak with you in the halls?" She asked and my heart dropped.
I gave her a nod before placing my pencil down and following her out in the hall.
"Is there any way that you could maybe meet up with Liam again?" She asked and I raised an eyebrow at her.
That what she wanted to talk to me about? It wasn't because I wasn't paying attention to the instructions? I thought I was in trouble.
"What?" I recollected my thoughts.
"His grades are slipping bellow the C average lines again and I'm trying to keep it above." She explained and her face turned into a pleading frown.
Liam's grades are dropping again?
Close to the end of me tutoring him, he was a few points away from a B.
"I don't tutor anymore." I said quietly before looking down at the ground.
The one thing I was good at, I don't do anymore because I'm trying to get my father's approval.
"I know, but all of his teachers have met with him and he's told us the same thing each time, you're the only one that can help him understand." She said and I looked up at her.
"What?" I asked and she nodded.
"Something about not waisting your time and magical flash cards." She explained and I let out a puff of air.
"I can try to make him some note cards for next week's test." I told her and she smiled.
"As for his other classes, I'll try to meet with his other teachers." I nodded and her smile widened.
"You are a life saver." She said and I nodded.
A grade saver.
With a smile still on her face, we walked back inside where the students weren't doing what they were supposed to.
They quickly shuffled around and got to work after a stern look from Mrs. Knowles and I made my way to my seat.
Before sitting down, I glanced in Liam's direction only to find his gaze already on me.
He looked away and I took and I took my seat with a sigh.
When I was working on homework in my room that evening, I heard my father slam the front door shut.
"ROSALEE." He shouted and my eyes widened and I quickly stood up and made my way towards the door.
But I wasn't even halfway across the room when my door ripped open and the door frame filled with my father's figure.
"Why the hell did Sharon leave a message on my phone telling me you walked out of his class?" He asked and I froze.
Mr. Sharon called my father?
"Answer me." He growled.
"I wasn't feeling well." I started but he held his hand up, shutting me up.
"Are you five? You couldn't ask for fucking permission?" He hissed. "Or are you just so set out on being a disappointment?" He asked before stepping closer and I steeped back.
"I'm sorry." I told him.
"Sorry doesn't do shit anymore. Why can't you just do something right?" He asked before taking tell long strides, closing the distance between us to only about six inches.
"You have been a mess this year and I need an explanation." He breathed out in frustration, blowing his breath in my face.
It smelled of liquor.
Closing my eyes slowly, I re-evaluate the situation.
"I'm sorry." I said slowly before taking a step back.
Don't anger him, Rose.
"Sorry doesn't erase two disciplinary phone calls from your school that will be on your records." He said before stepping forward again and I stepped back.
Those phone calls were from Mr. Sharon, he only calls you because he's a gossiper and he wants you to know about my behavior during school.
"Sorry doesn't erase a B from you school records." He stepped forward and I stepped back.
"Stop stepping away from me." He hissed before grabbing onto my arm.
"You're hurting me." I told him.
"Shut up." He slurred.
"I don't have a B anymore. I did extra credit and it's an A now, Señorita Martinez changed it. I told you that already." I reminded.
But because it wasn't a failure, he didn't even pay attention. He only pays attention to the failures.
"Why didn't you tell me that Liam Powers was in two of your classes?" He squeezed my arms and I gritted my teeth to keep from crying.
"I'm sorry." I said again in hopes that he will release me.
"Stop saying that!" His eyes bulged.
"It won't happen again." I plead.
"It won't happen again, I'll stop being a disappointment. I'll get better, I promise." I told him and he released me with a shove.
"Jesus, you're pathetic." He stepped back before running his hands through his hair.
"I never should've let your mother go inside after you. Then I wouldn't be dealing with the shits I'm dealing with today." He muttered and a slow, questioning frown appeared on my face.
"What?" I asked and this time, I took a step towards him. Realization of his words hit him, and he stood up taller.
"What did you say?" I asked and he scowled at me.
"Fix your academic issues, because I am tired of receiving phone calls from your teachers." He glared and my eyes widened.
"Did you send mom into the gas station after me?" I asked and his face darkened.
"Dad."
"Shut the hell up, Rosalee." He growled before turning around and walking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him.
As the sound of the door slamming rang in my ear, the information he just revealed churned in my stomach.
I swallowed down a sob before shakily reaching for my desk chair and sitting down.
Since the day my mother died, I was under the impression that she followed me into that gas station convince store because I was disobedient.
Now, over ten years later I found out it might've been because my father sent her inside?
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Coming up: Rose doesn't cry often but when she does... she's a mess.