8
<
Mom and Dad turned to Lily, their eyes a
mixture of disappointment and disbelief. But I
knew they still loved her. Disappointment
comes with love. They’d always looked at me
with a flat, emotionless gaze, whether I was “good” or “bad.”
Mom finally reacted, slapping Lily across the
face. “Lily! How could you?! She’s your sister!
Why would you do this? Why would you lie?!”
She looked at Lily, pleading for an
explanation.
It was the first time I’d ever seen Mom hit
her.
Lily clutched her cheek, staring at Mom in
disbelief, a strange smile plaving on her lips.
<
Lily clutched her cheek, staring at Mom in
disbelief, a strange smile playing on her lips.
“You…you hit me…for her? That’s the first
time you’ve ever hit me…and it’s for her!”
Then she started to laugh. “Why? Because
you let me! You said she owed me! And now
she’s dead, and it’s my fault?” Her laughter
turned hysterical. “You moved the rocks! You
didn’t save her! Ha ha ha!”
Lily was right. Mom and Dad were the root of it all. Her words hit Mom like a physical blow. The realization of what she’d done, the guilt,
the belated rush of maternal love for the
—–
daughter she’d lost it all crashed down on
her.
She doubled over, sobbing. “Anna! Anna, I’m so sorry! I should have… I should have…”
く
so sorry! I should have… I should have…”
I smiled sadly. I had told her. But she hadn’t
listened. I remembered her words clearly:
“Flies don’t land on clean eggs. Why don’t
they bully anyone else? You must have done
something wrong. Look at yourself.” That was
the first, and last, time I’d confided in her.
She ripped the photos off the message board.
“Anna, I should have believed you! I’m so
sorry! I was wrong!”
“Anna! Forgive me!”
She remembered. But it was too late. If I’d
heard those words while I was alive…
I craved her love once. I envied Lily. But it
was too late. I was dead, and so was my
^
was lou lale. I was way, and su was IITу
heart. Yet, I didn’t blame her. She gave me
life. But I couldn’t forgive her either. She gave
Lily love, and left me starving for it. The
things we don’t receive in childhood haunt us
forever. A mother’s love. I chased it my whole
life, and never caught it.
A voice cut through the commotion. A police
officer approached Lily. “We’ve received a
report of bullying. Please come with us.”
Lily screamed. “It was just kids playing!
Nobody got hurt! You can’t arrest me!”
The officer showed her the video of me,
bleeding from a head wound.
Lily sneered. “I’m a minor! You can’t do
anything! Even if I did something, you can’t
charge mel”
anyuny: Even ii iuiu sumelniny, you call
charge me!”
L
The officer, enraged by her arrogance,
dragged her to the police car. I saw fear in Lily’s eyes for the first time. It was…
surprising.
Mom stopped crying, reaching for Lily, then
pulling back.
