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"Oh, good" Mom’s expression relaxes as if er "I was scared Clara and I would be gone before you showed Liam must have found you I know soan after school Help me unzip the ot sootten"

Me? You’ve forgotten about ?" Lia it to hit lances at the clock on the o tell Clara goodbye We should have left fiveto ood" Liam’s shoulders loosen and then hethings, Encyclopedia-freak"

"Don’t hit your sister and don’t call her that" Moas she drops the contents in her hands into the already overstuffed suitcase

Moers over her lips as she focuses on the mound of stuff, then mumbles a list of iteround,on?"

Her head jerks up like she forgot I was here, which means she did "Oh, yes Bre You are very much needed to make this work"

She plucks an elastic band off her wrist and wrestles her short black hair into a ponytail Mom rarely does this except when she’s flustered It’s a vanity issue as the gray shows near the base of her neck "I need you to take care of your younger siblings while I’one Panic sets in as a tre on?"

"It’s Clara," she says "You kno upset she was that she didn’t graduate this spring and that your father and I are having her pay her tuition this year Well, your father talked to the college The adreed to let Clara into the fall courses she thought were closed I’ to be staying with Nora"

We’re? As in Moht with my oldest sister? "When will you be back?"

Mom’s face pinches like either I won’t like the answer or she won’t The wayit’ll be me

"Teeks," she says

The world tilts "Teeks? I thought Dad was going to be working crazy hours and you were going to be taking time off from your job so you could handle his responsibilities and isn’t he supposed to be traveling for part of it and why are you leaving with Clara?"

Mom waves her hand to ward off"Calm down Yes, your dad is busy Yes, he will be out of town for part of it Yes, I did take ti the teeks with Clara Your dad and I discussed it thisI’m sure Liam and Joshua will help, but, Bre, if anyone can run this house, it’s you We know you can do this Out of all of rins at me like I should be happy When my response is my wide-open mouth, she continues, "I need you to understand Clara needsblackmailed? Will Clara’s future be destroyed with a click of a button and one post on the internet? "Are you kidding me?"

"You’ll be fine," she coos like I’ to convince me to bathe "You’re the one that is always fine You have practically raised yourself since birth You run this household better than I do Dad’s okay with you ordering takeout and everyone will have to understand you can’t get the or it’s the entire kitchen shaking "But you don’t understand I need to talk to you"

Liam and Clara walk into the kitchen They’re both smiles until they see me Actually, Liam still is, but Clara’s lips fall into a sneer

"Liam, Clara, carry this stuff to the car," Moht so we can get you into those classes"

My brother and sister hoists I already know, like what time to start baths and who is on what round of antibiotics and lots and lots of stuff thatto me

Nausea roils in my stoh andand ht

"I need to talk to you," I say, but Mo over ht hoilant with his ti that happened at school" My voice is beco Elsie’s problems now, and then Clara asks Mom where the keys are for the car, and when Mom pauses to answer my sister, I explode

"They’re there, Clara! By the door On the hook Where the keys always are Where everyone in this freaking room can see, but that’s not what it’s about, is it? You have to be the center of everything and right now the entire world does not revolve around you!"