“Mom, Dad wouldn’t—”
She glared at her.
Teal held her hands up. “I’m sorry. He’s, er, he’s not speaking to me either.”
“Don’t take it personally, honey. He just wants you to focus on your studies.”
Of course. That was the excuse they always made. They all just wanted her to focus on her studies. Those were the most important parts. Just her studies. Nothing else.
“How was school?” Bethany asked.
“Fine.”
“Good. Good.”
It wasn’t fine. Teal hated it. She didn’t mesh well. Making new friends had always been a challenge for her. At least at her old school, she was surrounded by people who seemed to understand her and get her. She was the weird one back in her old school. It didn’t sound like a lot of fun, but it worked for her. Boy, did it work.
She didn’t want to be sitting with her mother, so she did no more than grab her bag. “I’ve got some homework I need to do.”
“Okay, honey, you do that. Oh, I’ve got our neighbor coming around for dinner tonight.”
Teal stopped at the stairs. “Dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Mom, you don’t cook.”
“I know that, which is why I’ve ordered takeout.”
“Can you even invite someone over for dinner if you’re not cooking?”
Her mother snorted. “Enough with all the questions, Teal. I’m going to serve him food that he doesn’t have to pay for. Trust me, that is enough.”
“Why?” Teal asked.
“I’m being polite. Your father isn’t coming home just yet, but I don’t want to put this house on the market. Something is telling me to stay right here. You’ve got your studies to do, which is far more important. Your father may not see what is important, but I do.”
Oh, no.
Her mother was going to make it a parental contest.
“Do you think that is going to make Dad come home?”
“I don’t care about what he does. He needs to learn to forgive, but our daughter is what matters now. I know you’ve had a few trying times, but don’t worry, I’m going to make sure you get through this final year of high school. Your grades will improve and you’ll test well.”
This wasn’t good. Her mother was up to something.
“Go on. Go and do your homework. I want to see it after you’re done, so I can find out where you’re failing.” She wasn’t failing any classes.
Teal made her way upstairs, and as she did, she felt her cell phone beep.
Her dad’s name flashed across the screen with a brand-new text. Before her phone’s screen went dark, she saw that he’d asked how school was.
He hadn’t even bothered to text on Monday, or any other day. That could only mean her mother had used a new tactic when it came to earning back her husband.
She was using Teal, and Teal was pissed. She hated this.
Ignoring her father’s text, she threw her cell phone onto her bed and then quickly stripped out of her clothes.