"Hurry up and finish moving. Clean up the house; your brother's had a long day. I'm taking him out for dinner."
Johnny had barely lifted a few hangers on top of the two boxes I was carrying.
Thinking back, I was a fool, blindly craving any bit of motherly love from Karen.
I never stopped to question whether she really loved me.
It took losing my life to snap out of it.
Thankfully, fate didn't give up on me and gave me a second shot. I must cherish it.
This time, I'm putting myself first.
"Jessie Rivers, you think you're hot stuff now, huh? Get over here and help your mom!"
"What, you need an invitation?" Karen snapped, clearly exhausted from moving and irritated by my calm demeanor.
I chucked the apple core in the trash and flashed her a bright, innocent smile.
"Oh, Mom, look at me, just standing around. How could I have been so thoughtless not to help you move stuff?"
"At least you've got some sense. Now grab this box and get moving, my arms are killing me."
Karen tried to pass the heavy load to me.
I dodged swiftly, stepping aside at the doorway and nudging the box back into her hands.
She nearly toppled over.
I couldn't suppress a snicker.