All Chapters of One Hundred Reasons To Leave My Mother: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When I got home that evening, the kitchen smelled of roast chicken and creamy mashed potatoes.Mom had changed out of her suit and was sitting at the table in an old sweater. Two places had been set, and my favorite childhood apple pie sat between them.“You’re home.”Her eyes flicked to the lunch detention notice in my hand.“Sit down and eat.”I took the seat across from her without a word.When I was younger, Mom always made one of my favorite meals after punishing me publicly at school. She never apologized. This was her way of telling me that Dean Hart at school and Mom at home were two different people.But I was the same person she had humiliated.Halfway through dinner, she finally spoke.“Don’t take what happened today personally.”“Which part?”She frowned.“Sophie, I know you’re upset. But I’m the grade dean. Everyone is watching me. I have to be harder on you to protect both of us.”I set down my fork.“You heard them say I knew what would be on the test.”“It was a joke.”

Before lunch was over, the video of Mom taking my pin had spread across the entire school.The caption read:Grade Dean Catches Her Own Daughter Cutting Class to Hook UpWhen I left the classroom, two boys deliberately blocked my path.“Have fun in the equipment room?”“Who was the guy? Too embarrassed to even tell us his name?”I walked around them and went to Student Services.I placed the Honor Council locker key on Mom’s desk, along with the notebook documenting all one hundred punishments.“I’m filing an appeal with the school board.”Mom’s expression changed.“You’re going to destroy my career over one disciplinary decision?”“The library login records will prove I was there. I also want the security footage reviewed.”“Olivia saw you.”“So you’d rather believe her than investigate?”Mom pointed toward the glass room in the center of the office.“Your punishment stands until the investigation is complete. Go inside and write a statement explaining what happened.”I spent the next

For one second, Margaret Hart didn’t move.She remained on her knees beside the broken railing, staring into the empty space where Sophie had been.One of the security stills fluttered against the yellow caution tape.“Sophie?”Her voice was barely audible.Olivia backed away, both hands pressed to her mouth. “I didn’t mean to—she slipped.”Mason grabbed her arm. “The railing broke. That wasn’t our fault.”Margaret turned toward them so slowly that everyone fell silent.She had seen Olivia shove Sophie.She had seen the torn sleeve, the stolen notebook, and the evidence scattered across the terrace.But the last thing Sophie had heard from her mother was an order to back down.“Sophie, let go of Olivia.”The principal and the two board members reached the terrace entrance. One of them looked over the edge and immediately called emergency services.The other board member ordered campus security to seal the terrace and keep every student there. Mason tried to step toward the door, but a

The red light above the trauma operating room burned for hours.Margaret sat outside with the principal and one of the school board members. No one tried to comfort her.Shortly after midnight, a trauma surgeon came through the double doors.“I’m Dr. Price. Are you Sophie Hart’s mother?”Margaret stood so quickly that the chair struck the wall. “Yes. Is she alive?”“She is, but her condition is critical. She has an acute subdural hematoma, a lacerated spleen, a severe lung contusion, and an unstable pelvic fracture. We need to operate immediately to control the bleeding and relieve pressure on her brain.”Margaret gripped the back of the chair. “Will she wake up?”“I can’t answer that yet. Tonight, our job is to keep her alive.”A nurse handed Margaret a consent packet, but before she could sign, a hospital social worker approached with a folder from the school nurse.“Mrs. Hart, because Sophie is a minor and this injury occurred during an alleged assault, we’re required to complete a

At the police station, Margaret gave a statement that lasted nearly four hours.She described the exam, the lunch detention, the forced apology, the false accusation, and the moment she learned Sophie was innocent. She admitted she had refused to restore her daughter’s Honor Society membership because protecting her reputation mattered more than clearing Sophie’s name.She did not ask the detectives to leave anything out.When she finished, she returned to Westbridge and placed her resignation on the principal’s desk.Classes were changing, but the hallways were unnaturally quiet. News of Sophie’s fall had spread overnight.Students stepped aside when Margaret passed.“Is Sophie going to die?”“Olivia pushed her.”“Dean Hart knew Sophie was innocent.”Each whisper followed her to the AP Statistics classroom.Sophie’s seat was empty. The surface had been wiped clean, and her name was still taped inside the corner of the desk.Margaret stood in the doorway for a long time.She did not gi