All Chapters of I Only Had to Die for Mom to Stop Pretending: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

A gust of icy wind swept past, and my chest tightened. Every breath felt like shards of glass in my lungs.I clutched my chest, my knuckles turning white as I looked at my mom with pleading eyes."Mom—I mean, Ms. Wright." I quickly corrected myself, my voice shaking so hard I could hardly get the words out. "My chest hurts so much. Can I please sit this one out?"The woman standing before me was my mom, Jennifer Wright, who also happened to be my homeroom teacher.At that moment, she was busy signing an excuse slip for my class president, Quiana Sullivan.Quiana's cheeks were rosy with health as she pouted. "Ms. Wright, it's that time of the month, and my back is just killing me. I don't think I can handle the run.""Of course, dear. You need to take care of yourself during your cycle."Mom offered her a warm, doting smile as she scribbled her signature on the slip. She even reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of candy, and pressed it into Quiana's palm. "Go rest on the

Quiana stood beside Mom, daintily sipping her honey water with a faint smirk playing on her lips.She cast a glance toward where I lay, her eyes gleaming with undisguised mockery.A few bugs crawled across my face. I wanted so desperately to reach up and brush them away, but my body remained leaden and motionless.Finally, the physical fitness test came to an end.Mom dismissed the class, her face lighting up as she beckoned Quiana and the other student leaders over. "Come on, everyone worked hard today! Lunch is on me at the cafeteria to celebrate everyone finishing the fitness test!"A boisterous group of students surrounded her as they headed off toward the cafeteria.Not a single soul spared me a second glance. I was simply forgotten, left alone in the corner of the field.I drifted along behind them.Inside the cafeteria, the air was thick with the savory aroma of food.Mom picked out the largest piece of braised pork and dropped it into Quiana's bowl."Quiana is such a

As it turned out, in Mom's world, my life wasn't worth even a fraction of her reputation.A hollow ache tore through where my heart used to be, leaving a void for the cold wind to howl through.At the hospital, the doctor emerged holding a death notification form."The cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest," he said, "brought on by acute myocarditis."Dad's legs buckled. He collapsed to the floor like a wounded animal with its spine ripped out, letting out a gut-wrenching wail of despair.Mom, however, shot to her feet. She snatched the notification form from the doctor and tore it to shreds."I don't believe it! She ate two full plates of dinner last night and a big bowl of oatmeal this morning. How could she possibly have a heart condition?"She was right.I had forced down those two plates just to put her mind at ease—to show her I was healthy and wouldn't be a burden.I had choked down that bowl of oatmeal to build up enough strength to run a good time, just so she coul

Mom stumbled back, frantic mumbles spilling from her lips. "Why didn't she tell me sooner? Why did she have to lie to me?"Even now, she was shifting all the blame onto me—a corpse that could no longer speak in its own defense.She refused to accept the truth. She had to get to the hospital and confront the doctor face-to-face. She needed to prove it was all a misdiagnosis, and that I had been the one lying all along.Driven by a manic desperation, she stormed into the hospital and tracked down the middle-aged doctor who had treated me."It was you! You killed my daughter!"She grabbed the doctor by his collar, her face twisted into something barely human. "Why did you give her that fake diagnosis? Did Mateo pay you off?"The doctor simply looked at her calmly, his eyes full of compassion."Ms. Wright, please. Compose yourself."He reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a voice recorder, and pressed play.My voice, frail and pleading, filled the quiet office."Doctor, pleas

I drifted in the rain, watching the men in white coats hoist Mom into the back of the van.The moment the door slammed shut, I saw Dad finally shatter. He collapsed to the ground, sobbing like a child.Inside the psychiatric ward, Mom was confined to a private room. Her hysterical wailing had stopped; now, she just sat there in heavy silence.But every day, she would scream at the blank walls."Run! Keep running! Don't you dare slack off!""Four minutes and eight seconds! That's not good enough! Faster!"Her voice echoed through the empty room, sending a chill down the spine of anyone who heard her.Whenever a young nurse came in with her medication, Mom would lunge at her, dropping to her knees and frantically banging her head against the floor."Yvonne, I was wrong. Can you forgive me? I won't push you anymore. You can do whatever you want…" The nurses would turn pale at her outbursts, scrambling to set down the pills before sprinting out the door.Later, she began talking