looked at me. “What happened?” “I don’t
know,” I repeated. “Mom, let’s go home,” Lily
said angrily. “I don’t want to be around
Ashley. She’s a liar.” I stayed silent. Mom
looked at me apologetically. “Ashley, I’ll take
your sister home. Why don’t you go hang out
somewhere for a bit?” I nodded silently,
<
watching them leave. I turned to find Ethan
looking at me. “I’ll get out now,” I mumbled.
“Get out? Why?” he asked, leaning his chin on
his hand. “Come up front.” I hesitated. Was I
really going to do whatever he said? After a
moment, I climbed into the passenger seat,
my face carefully blank. Ethan drove, his arm
casually draped over the steering wheel, eyes
on the road. I didn’t ask where we were going.
He wasn’t going to kidnap me, right? “Can
you play pool?” he asked after a long silence.
I blinked, shaking my head. I hadn’t done
anything fun in years. Three years of constant
studying, prepping, and testing. It had been
stressful, but every step closer to Ethan felt
like a victory. “Want to learn?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. He paused. “A
く
couple of my friends are going to be there, is
that okay?” “That’s fine.”
The pool hall was downtown, already buzzing
with activity. There were two guys there, one
in a Hawaiian shirt, the other with a buzz cut.
Hawaiian Shirt saw Ethan and started to greet
him, then noticed me. He grinned. “Finally
brought your girlfriend around, huh?” Ethan
slung an arm around his neck. “Dude, shut up.
This is my… sister.” Buzz Cut spoke up. “I
thought you were an only child?” Ethan let go
of Hawaiian Shirt. “There are other kinds of
sisters besides blood relatives.” Hawaiian
Shirt was the chatty one. Buzz Cut was
quieter, but he had a knack for dryly
interjecting at just the right moment. Ethan
taught me how to play pool, his voice calm
<
and patient, just like when he used to give
speeches in student government. I kept my
cool, playing the part of the obedient younger
sister, even managing to keep my eyes from
lingering on him too long. We played for
hours. When Ethan dropped me off at home
that evening, he suddenly stopped. “Wait,” he
said. He got out of the car and opened the
trunk, pulling out a paper bag. “Here.” I stared
at it. “What is it?” “A dress,” Ethan smiled.
“My mom bought dresses for you and Lily. I
already gave Lily hers.” So that’s what it was.
I tried to suppress my smile. “Thanks,” I said,
taking the bag.
Inside the building, I couldn’t resist peeking
inside the bag. It was a black pleated skirt, the same style as Lily’s, just a different color.
<
When I got home, Mom, Dad, and Lily were in
the living room. Lily was sprawled on the
floor, leaning against Mom, looking utterly
miserable. Dad sat opposite them, looking
concerned. They all turned to look at me as I
walked in. Dad frowned. “Ashley, come here,”
he said sternly. I walked over, feeling like a
criminal being interrogated. “What did you do
to your sister?” Dad asked. “Look how much
she’s been crying! Her eyes are all swollen,”
Mom added. Lily sniffled, glaring at me from
Mom’s lap. “I didn’t do anything,” I said, trying
to sound calm. “Mom, she’s lying! She’s been
lying this whole time! She lied to me, and she
lied to you and Dad!” Lily sat up, her voice
rising. Dad looked at me. “How did you lie to
your sister?” Before I could answer, Lily
く
wailed, “It doesn’t matter! The point is, she
lied! Lying is wrong!” Mom patted her
shoulder. “Honey, it’s okay…” “I didn’t lie,” I
clenched my fists. “Ever since the SAT scores
came out, none of you asked me my actual
score. You only asked if I got above average.
I said yes. You assumed I got a 1000. That’s
your fault, not mine.”
Lily’s chest heaved. I could tell she wanted to
deny it, but she didn’t know what to say.
Mom froze. “You didn’t get a 1000? What did
you get?” She and Dad stared at me. Lily
quickly looked away. “1580,” I said calmly.
Mom and Dad were speechless. Then their
faces lit up. “Really?” Mom asked. “I think the
state’s top score was a 1580,” Dad said.
“Really. I just did a TV interview about it. Lily
く
saw me and thought I was lying.” Mom turned
to Lily. “Honey, you misunderstood your
sister.” Lily’s face crumpled. She ran to her
room. Mom and Dad looked happy. Dad
started calling people, bragging about my
score. Mom came over to me, as if to hug
me, but I stood up. “I have things to do. I’m
going to my room.” “Okay,” she said, looking
a little awkward. Back in my room, I took the
skirt out of the bag and examined it. I put it
back, deciding to wash it tomorrow.
Mom knocked on my door. “Ashley, your
sister didn’t do well on her SATS. She’s been
upset lately. She didn’t mean it. Try to
understand.” My blood pressure spiked.
