"It's Oliver's birthday today. Let's celebrate at that fancy restaurant downtown. Where are your mom and brother?"
He was all smiles, but of course, he couldn't remember my birthday.
Favoritism had woven a thick web around me, squeezing tighter by the day.
I was about to speak when a teacher whisked me away to the principal's office.
Dad, thinking I was in trouble, followed with a thundercloud for a face.
In the office, Louise didn't seem the least bit guilty. Instead, she brazenly lashed out at me,
"Sir, she's nothing but a liar. Her grades have dropped because she's dating Gilbert!
"I don't care about teenage romance? What about our top class? What about the school's reputation?"
Oliver shot me a contemptuous side-eye. "So you're not just a liar, but you're fooling around too?"
The cruelty of this mother-son duo chilled me to the bone. Why were they always so determined to throw me under the bus?
I turned to the principal, my voice steady. "Sir, I just took a test and got a perfect score. Why don't we have Oliver take it right now?"
Louise's face darkened. "Nonsense, you..."
"Enough!"
Alvin roared, his brows furrowed as he slammed his hand on the desk.