They Sued the Wrong Daughter

Chapter 4

A week before the SAT, Eden's dance team qualified for a statewide competition.

The competition happened to fall on the same day as my SAT.

At dinner, my mother said, "This is a big opportunity for your sister, so we're going with her. Your test center is right here in town. You can take the bus, can't you?"

Then she looked back down at her phone.

I knew they had already bought their tickets.

My father added. "You're old enough to manage on your own."

I nodded.

My easy acceptance unsettled Eden. She lowered her head and picked at her dinner.

Later, she asked, "You seriously don't care?"

"No."

She looked like I'd taken all the fun out of it.

They'd already made the decision for me. All I had to do was play the mature one.

They were still home on the first morning of the SAT.

My mother made me two eggs for breakfast, but she kept rushing me as I headed out. "Hurry up. Your sister has a bus to catch."

I ate one egg and packed the other in my bag.

When I came home after the test that afternoon, the house was empty.

There was half a bag of frozen pizza and two tomatoes in the refrigerator.

A $50 bill lay on the table.

My father had left a note. Take care of yourself.

Once, that note would have made me happy. Now I folded it and threw it away.

A little after 10 p.m., my father texted to remind me to bring my admission ticket the next morning.

I was surprised they had remembered.

I replied.

I: Okay.

A few minutes later, he sent a photo of Eden's competition venue and complained about how expensive the hotel was. He promised they'd make me something good when they got back.

I didn't ask when they were coming home. On the final morning of the SAT, parents crowded outside the school. Some held sunflowers. Others carried signs with their children's names.

One father crouched by the curb to retie his daughter's loose shoelace.

I walked past them, knowing no one would be waiting for me.

I left the test convinced I had done terribly.

I sat at the bus stop for 20 minutes afterward and finally admitted the truth. It still hurt.

No matter how many times I told myself I didn't care, watching someone else get the support I never had still made me wonder what it felt like.

That evening, I heated up the frozen pizza.

There was only half a bag. Halfway through my meal, Eden sent me a photo.

Her team had received an honorable mention.

In the picture, my parents stood on either side of her.

The entrance to an amusement park loomed behind them.

My mother sent a voice message.

"Your sister did great. You focus on your test too, and don't stress yourself out."

They had forgotten that the SAT was already over.

After listening to the message, I turned off my phone.

The next afternoon, I went looking for a summer job. They still weren't home that night.

I ate a burger alone at a diner, then bought a black pen at a convenience store.

I didn't need anything. I just wanted to buy something for myself.

It cost fifty cents.

I tucked the receipt into my SAT admission ticket. Even after moving several times, I never threw it away.

On the third day, I walked out of a job interview at a coffee shop while it was still light out.

They finally came home that night.

My mother brought me a key chain from the amusement park. "This is for you. A little something to celebrate finishing the SAT."

It was cheap and flimsy, something they'd clearly grabbed as an afterthought.

Then she asked how the test had gone.

Before I could answer, she smiled. "I knew we didn't need to worry about you."

I put the key chain in a drawer.

It was still there when I moved out. I left it behind.

By then, I had made up my mind to leave the state.