Tiffany pretended to wrestle with the idea for a
minute before she turned around and went to
her room. She came back with a few sheets of
paper, handing them to Mom. Mom and Dad
took the papers, huddling together to read
them. You could see their faces darken with
every word. A major storm was coming. Tiffany
stood behind them, looking smug and cruel.
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embarrassed the Millers. What will people say?
And what about Tiffany? How will she ever face
anyone?” Mom was screaming, full of anger.
“Mom, Dad, please don’t be mad. Sarah knows she messed up. You should forgive her.” Tiffany said, her voice all innocent. “I just hope this doesn’t affect that person who is helping us out. I hope they don’t get the wrong impression of me because of this.” She bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. She was great at adding fuel to the fire.
“Kneel down! If you don’t tell me who that lowlife is. I’m going to break your legs today!” Dad exploded. He lunged towards me, aiming a kick my way. Tiffany watched with delight.
Of course. I wasn’t going to be dumb enough to
just stand there and get kicked by my so–called
father. I easily dodged it. I hadn’t forgotten the
pain from my broken ribs at age eleven. Not for
a second.
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“Mr. Miller, what if I don’t kneel?” I asked,
smiling.
“You dare to dodge me! I swear, if I don’t beat you to death, I’m not a Miller!” Dad got even
angrier. In his mind, I was always quiet and docile. My actions were a direct challenge to
his authority.
He chased me, but I dodged him, until Dad was
completely winded. Dad hadn’t been taking care
of himself, not with his drinking and partying.
He didn’t stand a chance against me.
“Tiffany, I’m giving you a chance here. Are you
sure this abortion paper is mine?” I smirked,
looking at Tiffany who was enjoying the show.
I was done pretending. It was time to go all in.
“You…! What do you mean? Would Tiffany lie
to me? Your name is clearly on it! You can’t
deny it!” My words set Mom off again
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deny it!” My words set Mom off again.
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Mom kept calling her own daughter names like
“slut” and “whore.” If I hadn’t already gotten a
DNA test, I would have thought I was adopted.
Ignoring Mom’s glare, I tossed a stack of
photos onto the table. They were all evidence of
Tiffany’s crazy life, with her using my name at
some shady clinic. The photos were pretty wild.
Tiffany turned ghost white, like she was going
to pass out.
Is that all it takes?
- 12.
“That’s not me! Those pictures are
photoshopped. Why are you trying to frame
me? Why can’t you just accept me?” Tiffany
sobbed, trying to deny it all.
Tears were always Tiffany’s weapon, and Mom
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immediately tore the photos into pieces. She
pulled Tiffany into a hug. “Don’t cry honey,
don’t cry. I believe you. It’s all fake, it’s all
fake!”
You can’t wake someone who pretends to be
asleep. I felt empty inside.
Tiffany cried louder and louder, her whole act
making me want to throw up.
“You filthy whore! You dare try to frame your
sister? Get out of my house!” Mom yelled, her
face red. Tiffany was her Achilles heel.
Dad, on the other hand, was silent. His face had
gone pale. He looked from Tiffany to me, lost in
thought. He wasn’t a dummy after all.
“I never want to see her again. Mom, make her go. I’m scared…” Tiffany was barely conscious, crying against Mom’s chest.
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“Get out! Get out of this house!” Mom
screamed.
“Is that how you feel, too, Mr. Miller?” I asked,
turning to Dad with a small smile. It was my last
chance for this family.
“Sarah, you’re the older one. After this, we’re
not talking about this again. The Miller family needs Tiffany. I’ll compensate you for this.”
Dad didn’t look at me or Tiffany. He had
decided it was time to play the “family” card. It
was his final decision, based on whatever was
best for him.
