She nods, her expression shifting from annoyed to miserable. “Soph and me told Mom we don’t want to go there, but she won’t listen and keeps saying that Michael thinks it’s the best choice for us and blah blah blah.” She rolls her eyes again.
Hendrix Academy is an all-girls boarding school that has a reputation for being incredibly strict and isolating the students from any male influence. At least males their age. The staff is full of men, and the board of directors is mostly men, but they have strict rules about males under eighteen not being allowed on campus for any reason if they’re not related to a student, and even then, they can only visit the campus during scheduled family visitation times.
They’re also known for teaching purity culture like it’s going out of style. A lot of the girls who live in Belmont House here at Silvercrest came from Hendrix Academy, and some of the stories I’ve heard about how these girls are basically told that their virginity is sacred and anyone who even thinks about a man who isn’t their husband is ruining their chances at future happiness because no man will ever want them if they’re “used.”
Of course, that kind of teaching does one of two things: it either warps their perception of what is and isn’t okay in a relationship and creates a breeding ground for them to be taken advantage of when they leave the halls of Hendrix and go to co-ed colleges. Or it makes them rebel and seek out all the things they were told are wrong, and also makes them ripe for being taken advantage of when they go to college and are around males their own age for the first time.
The other thing about Hendrix is that it’s a grade six to twelve school, where most boarding schools start at grade nine. That means all three of my sisters could be sent there next year, even though Sophia is only going into grade eight, and Izzy and Olivia are going into grades seven and six, respectively.
There’s no way in hell my sisters are going to Hendrix, especially not when they’re this young, but instead of jumping in and trying to fix things for her, I keep quiet so she can keep ranting if she needs to.
“I hate Michael,” she grumbles. “I hate that he’s always telling Mom what to do, and he pretends like he cares about us, but he just wants to send us away. I should tell Dad about him.” She makes a face like she just found dog shit in her hairbrush. “But then Mom would get in trouble, and I don’t want her to get sent away. I can’t live here if she’s not here. I can’t.”
“I know, sweetie,” I say soothingly. “And you’re right, none of this is fair.”
“It’s not,” she agrees, her lip coming out in a pout. “I wish school was over and you already lived here again.”
“Me too,” I say. “But I’ll be home for good in a few months.”
“I know,” she says on a soft sigh. “It’s not fair that he’s trying to send us away just when you’re coming home. I don’t want to leave.”
“You won’t,” I assure her. “I promise none of you are going to Hendrix. Not next year, not ever.”
“But if Mom says we have to go, then what can you do? And it’s not like Dad cares if we get sent away or not, so he won’t help us. All he cares about is his dumb job, and it’s not like he’s ever home or bothers to pay attention to us when he is.”
“I’ll talk to your mom the next time I’m home,” I tell her.
“Really?” she asks hopefully.
“Yes. And I’ll talk to Michael too.”
“And you think you can make her change her mind?”
“I think so,” I say. “And if I can’t, then I’ll keep trying until I do.”
She gives me a wobbly smile. “Thanks, Damon. I’m really glad you’re my brother.”
“I’m really glad you’re my sister too,” I tell her, my chest warming at her genuine happiness. “I love you.”
“I love you too. And I love you too, Uncle West!” she shouts, like he’s across the room and not sitting three feet away from me.
He holds out his hand. “Give me the phone.” I pass it to him, and he holds it up so she can see him. “Love you too, kiddo. Are you feeling better?”
She must nod, because his smile softens. “That’s good. Now, can you give me a big smile?” He pauses. “Awesome. Do you want to talk to your brother some more?”
“No, I’m good now,” she says. “Bye, Damon!” she shouts through the phone.
West taps the screen, presumably to turn the camera around, and I wave. “Bye, Izzy.”
“Bye. And bye, Uncle West.”
He taps the screen again and waves. “Bye.”
“I take it Kaitlyn is still seeing that asshole?” he asks, all traces of his smile gone as he hands me back my phone.
I nod and toss it on the bed.
“It’s so weird that your stepmom has a boyfriend,” he muses. “And it’s not even this big, hidden secret, but your father still doesn’t know what’s going on.”
