3: 3
The living room was buried under my books and belongings.
Mom was in my room with a tape measure, taking measurements.
A bad feeling rose up in me.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Her hands didn't stop.
"Harper has so many clothes. We're clearing out your room to make her a walk-in closet."
"You won't be living here much longer anyway."
I was still wondering how she knew I was leaving when she went on.
"My friend Maggie Finch happens to be short on hands at her factory. Assembly-line work, three thousand a month, room and board included. You go work there, help out with the household."
Marvin stood in the doorway, confused.
"Mrs. Fox, Mia and I already agreed. If she's not going to college, she'll reapply."
"School's about to start. Is it even too late for her to take a summer job?"
"Reapply? Who said anything about reapplying?" Mom let out a cold laugh.
"Marvin, the private school Harper's in now costs over two hundred thousand a year in tuition alone. I can't put two children through school on my own."
"I raised her to eighteen. I've done my duty as a parent."
So it wasn't that she knew I was leaving. She was planning to throw me out.
She couldn't even wait a few days before clearing out my room.
Something roared in my head.
More than ten years of swallowed hurt broke loose all at once.
"Enough!"
"What gives you the right to run my life? I got into a good university and you wouldn't let me go, and now you want to take away my chance to reapply too?"
I screamed it at her, eyes burning red. It was the first time in my life I'd ever lost my temper with her.
Mom froze. She clearly hadn't expected me to talk back, but she quickly slipped back into that lofty air of hers.
"You've got no degree. What can you do besides the factory? This is a way out I pulled every string I had to find for you!"
"And you don't just fail to appreciate it, you lose your temper at me."
"What kind of daughter acts like this?"
Marvin stepped in fast to smooth things over.
"Mrs. Fox, Mia's grades are so good. It'd be a shame for her not to study."
"If she goes off to study, there's less left for Harper. Harper's been the apple of my eye her whole life. If she gets to Chicago and people look down on her, will you take responsibility for that?"
Marvin faltered, his eyes shifting between Harper and Mom.
After only a moment, he turned to me.
"Mia, Mrs. Fox has a point."
"Go take the job for now. I'm planning to come back after I graduate anyway. I'll take care of you then."
It was like being dropped into ice.
I'd known better than to count on him, and still it gave my heart a sharp twist.
I didn't say another word. I went back into my ransacked room and slammed the door shut with a bang.
From outside came Harper's startled shriek.
Then Mom and Marvin soothing her. No one spared a thought for me, one door away.
I leaned against the door. My phone screen lit up, and a message from Kayla James popped up at just that moment.
"When can you leave?"
"Anytime." Calmly I typed the one word and hit send.
The door flew open. Marvin's eyes swept across my phone screen.
He frowned. "What do you mean, anytime? Who are you talking to?"
