He Changed His Future For Her, Not Me Chapter 02
After I passed the interview, I started leaving early and coming home late.
One afternoon, Mom took Pippa shopping at the mall and happened to walk past the smoothie shop where I worked.
I was behind the counter in an apron, snapping lids onto cups for customers, when Mom’s face darkened.
She dragged Pippa into the store and hissed my name under
her breath.
“Lark, what are you doing here?” Mom asked under her
breath.
I wiped my hands on my apron. “Working.”
Her eyes flicked to the customers, then back to me. “You
couldn’t find a job that didn’t make us look like we can’t support our own daughter?”
“I need tuition money.”
Her mouth tightened. “Don’t be dramatic. You standing
behind a counter for everyone in town to see isn’t solving
anything.”
Pippa ordered a smoothie, then said softly, “Lark, don’t
work yourself so hard. I’ll talk to Dad when we get home. I’ll
ask him to pay your tuition.”
Mom smiled at once. “See? Pippa cares about you a lot.”
But that night, no one mentioned my tuition.
As always, no one cared.
I lay in bed, counting the hours listed on my paystub. Eight
hours a day, standing until the soles of my feet went numb.
But every time I saw the money in my account inch higher, I felt steadier.
The day I left was getting closer.
Over the next few weeks, I finally saved enough for tuition
and travel.
On payday, there were nine days left before cadet intake.
I stood in the alley behind the smoothie shop and opened the airline app. When the purchase confirmation popped up on my screen, I stared at it for a long time.
It had taken me eighteen years to win one answer for myself.
Leaving this house only required a plane ticket.
The next day, I cleaned a cheap silver bracelet with a tiny
star charm and set it on my desk.
It was the only gift Mom had ever given me.
She bought it for my fourth birthday, on one of the rare
afternoons when she took me out alone. We passed a little
jewelry booth at the farmers‘ market, and I looked at the
bracelet a second too long.
Mom bought it and fastened it around my wrist herself..
She said, “This is for my Lark. I hope my girl is always
happy.”
Just that once.
Just that one sentence.
After that, every birthday I had was swallowed by Pippa’s
checkups, medication changes, and hospital visits.
When I came home that evening, the bracelet was on the floor, crushed out of shape.
Pippa stood beside my desk with red eyes.
“Lark, I didn’t mean to. I came in looking for a charger, and
I stepped on it by accident.”
I bent down and picked up the bracelet. My thumb brushed over the flattened little star.
Pain rose sharply in my chest.
It wasn’t worth much.
But it was the only time Mom had looked only at me and bought something just for me.
It was the proof I had held onto all these years, the thing I used to tell myself that maybe Mom had loved me once.
Before I could say anything, Mom heard the noise and walked in. Her first look was already full of blame.
“It’s a cheap little bracelet from a market booth. Do you really need to stand there with that face? Pippa didn’t do it on purpose.”
I looked up at her.
For one second, I wanted to ask if she remembered what she had said that day.
I hope my girl is always happy.
But the words rose to my throat and slowly sank back down.
She had forgotten a long time ago.
I was the only idiot still clutching that tiny piece of expired
warmth, too stubborn to let go.
Dad sighed, already tired of me.
“Enough, Lark. It’s a bracelet.”
Pippa sniffled behind Mom, and his expression softened for
her at once.
“You know what happens when she gets worked up.
push her into an attack over this.”
Calder happened to be there.
up. Don’t
He came over and lowered his voice, like he was trying to be
gentle.
“Lark, come on. It’s not worth upsetting her. She feels worse
than you do.”
I looked at all of them and suddenly found it absurd.
In this house, even my hurt had to step aside for hers.
Grandma called from the living room, “You’re the older
sister, Lark. Would it kill you to let your sister have one
thing? You’ve been making drama out of nothing since you
were little.”
Pippa sniffled. “Maybe I should pay Lark back.”
Mom immediately pulled her into her arms.
“Don’t be silly. Why should your money go to her?”
All at once, I didn’t want to argue anymore.
I put the ruined silver bracelet at the bottom of my suitcase.
Then I paused and took it back out.
I wasn’t bringing it with me.
The warmth that belonged to me in this house had only ever
been that small.
Now even that was broken.