Cat was helping her dad fill a inflatable pool with ball pit balls. It was Sammi's first birthday. She was having a party, even though she wouldn't remember it. There wasn't really going to be that many people there, a few of the moms and babies from the play group, but that was it. They didn't have other family. Janet's parents were dead and she didn't have any siblings and Will didn't speak to his parents. So it was really just their family, but Jason had a game, so he wasn't going to be there.
" What's next, Daddy?"
" Bubble machine"
" Ok, I'll get the bubble soap."
" Thank you princess."
Once the party was going, it was really boring. Steven spent time in his room with his door closed, Cat tried to go in, but the door was locked. She tried to be outside where everyone else was, but no one would talk to her, she finally went to her room and pulled out a book, no one read to her anymore, so she had to read to herself. Mrs. Nugget was really proud of her, she was ahead of everyone in her class, she was reading at a fourth grade level. She felt comfort when she read her books, she could escape into the story and not have to be in her world.
" Cat, Steven,please get down here, it's time for cake and pictures." Of course, the only reason Janet wanted them was for pictures. Cat came down quickly before she could yell, and grabbed Steven on her way down.
" Thank you" Janet said sweetly. They could tell that she was using her "nice voice", the voice she used when other people were around. She was angry, but didn't want anyone else to know.
They gathered around Sammi as they gave her her first piece of cake, she loved it. She wanted to give kisses to everyone so everyone ended up covered in frosting. Sammi wanted Cat to hold her, but that upset Janet. Janet was very possessive of Sammi, she was hers and no one else's. Janet kept trying to take Sammi from Cat, but every time Sammi would start to cry, so Cat ended up holding her for the rest of the afternoon.
As soon as Sammi went to bed, Janet started to yell at Cat and Steven, " Why the hell weren't you two down at the party, do you know how that looks having all three of my children, not at their sisters party?" They were about to respond, but Janet cut them off, "Jason has an excuse, you two don't."
" I'm sorry." Cat said
" Well you're always sorry aren't you"
" Yes Ma'am" Cat said yawning.
" Darling, let Cat go to bed, it's almost 8:30"
" You're always on her side, we are not done with this young lady."
Cat walked up the stairs and closed her door before she started crying. She put on her nightgown and grabbed a book and laid in bed. It was hard to read with tears in her eyes. She got lost in the pages of magic adventures until she wasn't crying anymore and eventually fell asleep.