Chapter 2

The moment Bria's graduation party was over, the entire household shifted into full wartime mode.

Every dinner conversation revolved around the same three things: Graymont, the move, and meal prep. On Saturday morning, Dad's voice rang out from the living room.

"Honey, what do you think about this place? Two bedrooms, fully furnished, and right across from Graymont. It’s a ten-minute walk. Bria can come home for a nap during lunch break, and we'll be right there for whatever she needs."

Mom leaned over to look at the tablet screen and nodded eagerly.

"This one's nice. It has great natural light. But we'll need to swap out the bed in Bria's room for a solid wood frame. Her neck's been giving her trouble, so she can't sleep on anything too soft.

"Oh, and how big is the kitchen? The next three years are make-or-break. I need to be cooking for her every single day, and I can't do that in a cramped little kitchen."

The two of them sat on the couch, planning with the intensity of a power couple mapping out a multimillion-dollar project. I walked right past them, but Dad did not so much as glance up.

"The rent's not cheap, though. It’s $4,500 a month."

Dad sucked in a breath, doing the math in his head.

Mom did not hesitate.

"We'll sell the house if we had to, for the sake of Bria’s grades. Besides, it's not like we can't afford it. Paige can stay here in the old place by herself. She's got senior year coming up. She can study anywhere. It's quieter here, anyway."

I stopped walking and stood in the shadow of the hallway.

There it was. I had never been part of the plan.

"True."

Dad nodded and finally turned to look at me.

"Paige, did you hear that? We're moving at the beginning of next month. You'll be on your own here, so act like it. You're a senior now. Don't give us anything extra to worry about."

I did not argue. I just gave them a quiet ‘okay’ and kept walking.

July 15th was an ordinary Tuesday.

My phone rang. It was the mail carrier.

"Paige Sumner? Your university acceptance letter is here. Bring your ID down to sign for it."

I hung up without even stopping to change out of my slippers and ran straight downstairs.

When the carrier handed me the envelope, my hands trembled. It was heavy and stamped with a gold-embossed university crest.

I tore it open and found a beautifully printed acceptance letter inside. My name was right there in clear type, along with the name of one of the top three universities in the country.

Back upstairs, I placed the letter in the dead center of the coffee table in the living room, right where no one could miss it.

Somewhere deep down, I was still holding on to a sliver of hope. It was faint and almost embarrassing, but it was there. I wanted to see what they would do when they found it.

At 4:00 PM, the front door opened. Mom, Dad, and Bria came through loaded down with shopping bags.

"God, I'm exhausted. It's sweltering out there." Mom kicked off her shoes as she complained, and she dropped two shopping bags onto the coffee table.

The bottom of one landed squarely on top of my acceptance letter.

"Paige! Get out here and throw the new bedding set in the wash!"

Mom's voice came from the front hall.

I stood at the bend in the hallway, staring at the pile of bags on the coffee table. The last fragile sliver of hope I was holding on to went out like a match dropped in ice water.

I walked over, calmly pushed the bags aside, and pulled the acceptance letter free.

Mom glanced over her shoulder at me and frowned. "What is that, junk mail? Toss it. We're taking Bria out to dinner tonight. Just make yourself a sandwich or something. You're going into senior year. Stop eating all that junk food."

"Okay," I said.

I did not say anything else. I went back to my room and tucked the acceptance letter into the very back of my desk drawer, as carefully as if it were made of glass.