I roll over, staring at the photo of Dad.
I think there’s a part of me that’s worried I’ll forget him if I let someone take his role in my life. Adam has been in my life for a while now, and I’ve accepted his presence. I recognize he isn’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him. He isn’t my dad.
April 4th, 2024
My whole body is sore from yesterday. Like I’ve been run over by a bulldozer and dragged through a minefield. I tried to sleep last night, but every time I closed my eyes, my mind ran wild. I kept falling asleep only to be awoken by nightmares of being caught in my lie.
My drive to school goes by too fast and I sit in my car, resting my head on the steering wheel because I’m not ready to face a new day yet. My brain hurts from being torn in so many directions.
There’s a tap on my window and I jump.
Mallory stands on the other side of the door in her crisp uniform. There are bags under her eyes and a coffee in her hand.
Even her hair is a little messed up, which is unlike her. It’snormally pulled tightly into a ponytail, but today loose hairs frame her face, making her look more like her sister than usual.
I prop the door open because I know I can’t hide from her. “Hi.”
“Why aren’t you answering my calls?”
I grab my bag and trudge out of my car, practically falling onto the pavement. “Because I already know what you want.”
She grabs my arm. “And? Do you have it?” she asks with an urgency in her voice that worries me. Why does she need it so badly? It’s just a test.
“I’ll get it.”
She bites her lip. “You swear?”
“I need your help.”
Her eyes widen and she crosses her arms. “Why?”
“I’m not a miracle worker. I don’t know how it’s possible for me to get Mrs. Humphrey out of the room without her locking it and keep her distracted long enough to grab the test.”
Mallory’s jaw rocks as she absorbs what I’m saying. She’s a logical person so I know she’ll understand how unrealistic this is.
“You have to.”
I blink, processing how quickly she disregarded my concerns. My head pounds trying to wrap around this impossible task when I have one day left to achieve it. It’s outrageous.
“Are you serious?”
Her nostrils flare as her eyes water like she’s about to cry. “You want to keep playing baseball, right?”
I don’t answer because she already knows I do.
“Then get me that test,” she says. There isn’t an ounce ofempathy when she speaks. Her tone is as cold as the arctic, and I can’t help but wonder what’s gotten into her. She used to take pride in herself for all her hard work. Why is she so determined to cheat all of a sudden? It doesn’t make sense.
As a kid I remember when she’d spent hours in her room creating her project for the science fair. She chose to do her project on biodegradable plastics and how much better they’d be for the Earth. While I played with Emma in the room across from hers, I caught glimpses of Mallory cutting up pieces of bottles and gluing them to a giant poster board. I remember construction paper, scissors, and countless plastic bottles surrounding her on the floor. There was a glow about her as she put her project together, smiling as she held a piece of paper up in the air as she cut it.
She won first place, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as happy as she was that day. There was a gold medal hanging from her neck and she wore it proudly as her dad hugged her.
“There’s my little genius,” he’d said, patting her head.
She smiled up at him with stars in her eyes, like she had the entire world.
But as Mallory stands in front of me, there isn’t even a hint of that joy left. Her eyes are bloodshot, and there’s a heaviness pulling all her features down. Like she’s exhausted and it’s taking all her energy to stay awake.
“There’s got to be another way,” I say. “Maybe you can talk to Mrs. Humphrey and get extra credit or something—”
