Mom looked at my grades and forced a smile.
“I’ll get you some hot water.”
It was winter, and the snow was falling
outside.
The house was warm and full of laughter, but the guest house didn’t have air conditioning, so we had to use hot water bottles to keep
warm.
I sat in the guest house, studying for the fifth practice exam on the weekend.
I finished the last answer and looked at the
score.
く
Chad suddenly appeared outside the window.
I went outside. Chad stomped his feet and
frowned at me. “Willow, I heard your dad say
you’re doing badly in school, so he made you
stay in the guest house. Why can’t you be
more like Chelsea and try harder?”
“You have the same dad. Why is your brain so
stupid? Why can’t you learn?”
I used to apologize and say that I would try
harder.
But this time, I just laughed. “Is that what you
came here to say?”
<
Chad was angry at my attitude. He kicked the
snow and said, “I’ll tell you the truth. You’re
too stupid to be Chad’s wife! My dad has
already asked your dad to make Chelsea the
marriage candidate.”
I wasn’t surprised. “Did my dad agree?”
“Yeah,” Chad sounded guilty. “The
announcement will be made at Chelsea’s
graduation party after the SAT scores come
out.”
Chad turned to leave but came back and gave
me a notebook.
“These are the notes I took for you. I hope
<
you get better and better.”
Chad walked away, and I opened the childish
notes. I laughed to myself and tore them up in
the cold night.
It seemed that at Chelsea’s graduation party,
my dad not only planned to break up with my
mom but also planned to announce that I was
no longer the heir to the Sterling family.
