Read Online A Girl by Any Other Name by Mk Schiller - Free Book Online Page A

problem, but there was something off about the way
    he treated her. It pissed me off.
    She sat back up on her bed, taking a deep breath. I wished I’d kept my big mouth shut. “I remind
    him of my mother. I look like her. I guess I should stop wearing her clothes. He probably thinks he’s
    seeing a ghost…or maybe a raven.”
    “You wear your momma’s clothes?” That explained a lot when it came to her wardrobe choices.
    “Yeah, it’s all I have left of her. He’s just sad that she died.”
    “How did she die, Sylvie?”
    “She got cancer. I don’t have anything else to say on it.”
    “I’m sorry. Do you want me to go so you can get to sleep?”
    “Will you stay with me until I do? I sometimes have nightmares.”
    “Sure, but I’ll stay on the floor, okay?”
    “I promise I won’t kiss you again.”
    “I’m not taking any chances, girl.” I chuckled, trying to lighten her mood.
    “Whatever.” She threw me a pillow and one of her blankets.
    She turned off her lamp and we lay there in the dark silence for a while.
    “Cal,” she whispered, right before I dozed off. “I’m sorry you missed the game for me.”
    “You can make it up to me.”
    “How will I do that?”
    “Don’t move.”
    * * * *
    The next day, I came home after several exhausting games of football to find Sylvie helping my
    momma in the kitchen.
    “What’s going on?”
    “Sylvie’s joining us for dinner.”
    “Oh.” This was surprising. Sylvie would come over and play with Mandy, but despite the
    constant invitations to Mr Cranston to join us for supper, he always declined. I guessed my mother
    should have just asked Sylvie by herself. It wasn’t like he would have cared.
    “Go take a shower, Cal. You smell like a gym locker,” Momma said, pinching her nose.
    She was right. I reeked something awful, even I could smell it.
    When I came back down, the table was set and my dad was home. “Hi, gorgeous, whatcha
    cooking for me?” It was his usual greeting to my mother, followed by a big hug and kiss. Gross.
    “Meatloaf,” she replied, smacking his hand away. “Let’s eat.”
    “Daddy!” Mandy squealed, bounding out of her room like a tornado.
    “Hey, princess,” my daddy said, scooping her up in his arms. He spun her around until her
    giggles turned into shrieks.
    He suddenly stopped in mid-turn, noticing Sylvie. “Hello, Sylvie.”
    “Good evening, Mr Tanner.”
    “You’re joining us for supper?”
    “Isn’t that obvious, John?” my mother interjected.
    “I suppose it is. Happy to have you.” I could tell my daddy was not happy. He regarded Sylvie
    and her father with reserved caution. I knew he disagreed with my momma’s opinion of her, but he
    wasn’t the kind of dad who would prohibit my friendship with her unless he saw a reason to.
    We sat at the table. My father said grace. I opened one eye to stare at Sylvie. She had her eyes
    closed tightly and was squinting her face like she was praying extra hard.
    “Sugar, this is really good,” my father complimented after he took his first forkful of food.
    “Sylvie helped me. She’s a very good cook.”
    “I helped too!” Mandy interjected.
    “Yes, you did. You did a very good job with shucking that corn for me, princess.”
    “You ladies all did a great job,” my father responded.
    “How was work?”
    “We caught some speeders on the south end of town. Nothing too exciting, but guess what
    happened after work?”
    “What?” my mother asked.
    “I headed over to Walmart to buy some batteries and I ran into Mona Simms. Boy, let me tell you
    she sure had an earful for me about our rude son.”
    I had almost forgotten. I cringed at the punishment that would surely follow my disobedience. I
    caught a glimpse of Sylvie. She looked more frightened than me, and I was the one who was going to
    get my ass beat in a few minutes.
    “What did Cal do?” my mother asked, narrowing her eyes at me.
    Before my father could answer, Sylvie interrupted. “Mr