Read Online Daisy by Josi S. Kilpack - Free Book Online Page A

inappropriate for me to ask. I had no power anymore; I’d shattered it when I’d dared say those things about my daughter out loud. Even if she hadn’t been there to hear them, they were mean, and as much as I wanted to take them back, words weren’t retractable.
    “Good deal,” Jared said.
    I’d been trying hard to find something in his tone or approach to take offense to, to hold against him and use as a step to put myself higher, but not a single thing had invited my cynicism. In fact, I could turn things around and see myself reacting to the situation much worse than he was. I appreciated him handling this the way he was, even if I didn’t like the result.
    We finished the call, and I sat there, trying to figure out how I felt. Was I sad? Embarrassed? . . . Relieved? I clenched my eyes shut, berating myself for being so selfish. I tried to read again, but the realization that my little girl wasn’t coming home made me feel raw inside. Paul was spending the day with his brother, so the house was empty. I walked to the doorway of Stormy’s room and tried to be rational as I looked at the space she was leaving behind and attempted to tell myself this was okay.
    I packed up some boxes and bags, and when Paul came home, I gave him the details, and he assured me that everything would be okay. Stormy and Jared came around five o’clock. Paul and Jared set about loading up the car, while Stormy and I sat on the back porch and I tried to redeem myself. I’d made some lemonade and sipped it while trying to have a very awkward conversation. Stormy was polite and respectful, but closed off. I apologized and explained how tired I was and how overwhelmed I’d felt to be called in to the school for something so out of character for her.
    “You’ve been such a good kid, Stormy,” I explained. “And I’m so proud of you for all you’ve done. It undid me to face something like that, but I should never have said what I said, and I’m so sorry.”
    Stormy looked up from her lemonade, and I was surprised to see that her mouth was tight and her eyes narrowed. An apology wasn’t supposed to get that kind of reaction. “You never asked me if I did it.”
    I blinked and felt a sharpness in my chest. “I saw the papers, and Mr. Keets said you had claimed I’d helped you with your homework to get the grades, but I hadn’t.”
    “I have study hall this term, and I used it to study specifically for that class. I knew I couldn’t be in the school play if I didn’t get my grades up; it was a big deal when they made that policy last year. It took me a while to get into the class, but then I realized that history is really like a whole bunch of stories—like a novel—and systems—like math. I did good on those assignments because I’d studied, Mom, and I said you helped me because I could tell they didn’t believe I could have done it myself. They think I’m stupid.”
    “But he said he’d sent a note home a week before. Why didn’t you give it to me when you knew they suspected you?”
    “’Cause they were wrong,” she said loudly. “I didn’t even know those other kids outside of class, and I thought they would figure out I didn’t do it.”
    I was horrified, and yet I hesitated to believe her. Mr. Keets had said all the answers were the same on all the students paper. “I—uh—did you tell them all of this?”
    “Yeah,” Stormy said, standing up from the patio chair and glaring at me. She took the last swig of her lemonade and put the glass down on the wrought-iron table between us. “They didn’t believe me either.”
    She walked past me into the house, and I stared straight ahead. No way had that just happened. I finally pulled myself back together and hurried into the house. I didn’t see Stormy right away, but Jared caught my eye as he carried a box of Stormy’s clothes out to the car. He knew. I could see it in his face. He knew that I’d not only said those terrible things about my daughter,