After coming inside my house, I almost crashed on my dad as he came into the corridor. He was closing his briefcase as he walked, and I was with a bit of a rush to go to my room to get my swimsuit, so none of us was really looking to where we were going.

  “Whoa now! Do you have to always be running about?” he scolded me.

  “Sorry dad. Say, do you think I can have my allowance back?”

  He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. Before discussing whether or not I’d have my funds back, he wanted to know a couple of things. Number one was if I already knew my exam score.

  “Yup, I apparently had a nineteen.”

  “Apparently?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

  I began telling him about the girl I had just met, but he cut me short. He was in a bit of a hurry to go back to the office before mum started calling, so I just told him she checked it for me.

  “And you trusted her?”

  “I mean, she did run after me when she thought I had forgotten and possibly lived far.”

  He still wasn’t a hundred percent convinced, but he only told me I should check it for myself and not to mention having believed a total stranger to mum.

  “So? Can I have it again?”

  “You know that ultimately depends on your mother.”

  “But you will talk with her in my stead, right?”

  “Yes, yes, you know I will. Why are you in such a rush anyway?”

  I held on to one of his jacket sleeves for bance and pointed at one foot I had floating in the air. I wiggled it and the sole made a motion like it was a mouth.

  “See? I can’t go on my morning runs with shoes like this.”

  “You should take better care of them if that’s the case.”

  “But I do! You know I do! It’s just, they don’t st all that long with how much I move about.”

  “You should buy better ones them.”

  “…Mum gets mad if I do…”

  And I was sure she would once she learned these ones were busted and needed repcing.

  “…Haah, look, how about I reglue the soles? I have a very strong glue, that should fix it.”

  That would be ideal, in a way. These shoes would st a bit longer, so mum wouldn’t have to be bothered by this issue.

  “In that case you can forget the allowance.”

  “Are you sure?”

  It was for the best of us all. Mum was always busy, and probably still crossed that I failed math. It’d be better if dad didn’t bring that matter up until she decided the punishment had been going on for long enough.

  I thanked dad with a hug and walked past him, thinking we had talked everything we had to, but he called out to me.

  “We’ll be visiting some business partners for lunch and your mother wants you to come along too.”

  “Oh dad, do I really have to?”

  That was a futile question, of course I had.

  She wanted me to start getting involved with those matters since I was going to start high school soon and it wouldn’t be that long for me reach adulthood. Like everything in my life, it was all directed to a singur destination: joining mum in running her company.

  Having to go to such a boring event was already bad enough, but then he also told me I had to put on a dress and makeup.

  “But dad, I—”

  “Please Abbigail, don’t start. You know you’re not the only one she chews on whenever you…” He paused and shifted his weight about as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Look, just do put up with it for today and I’ll see if I can convince her to let you have an extra day off. Deal?”

  “…Fine…”

  “…I’m sorry sweety, I really am.”

  I knew he was, but that didn’t help me in my situation.

  He excused himself once his phone began ringing and I retreated to my room where I dropped my body on my bed.

  “…I’m so stupid…”

  Why did I expect to have a nice day? Every time I thought I’d have one, things always went wrong. When would I learn?

  Soon, I’d hope, since it wouldn’t be that long until we’d have to leave. It was better for me to get ready now and avoid upsetting mum ter.

  Out went my comfortable clothes and shoes and from the closet came the dress she had gotten me and the matching high heels.

  I hated that dress dearly, but I also had some love for it too.

  It was one of the rare gifts I got from mum. She took me to this store where the dies who worked there took my measures in the early morning, and by the end of the afternoon, we got back and I tried it on. She told me I looked beautiful in it. That was… It made me happy, to hear her say that.

  But I still hated it.

  It was restrictive, with its pencil skirt, or whatever it is called, forcing me to walk in a weird way, one leg crossing over the other. “It makes you walk more elegantly” she told me when I first tried it, but I couldn’t understand what made it look attractive to anyone, nor what was wrong with my normal way of walking.

  It also squeezed my chest, not enough to hurt, but I disliked how it called to attention the cleavage I had. I wasn’t particurly heavy chested, nor was I ft. I’m way under the normal heigh for someone my age, but despite that, my chest was average. That damn thing was trying to sell me as being at least a size above of what I was.

  It was a pretty and expensive dress, and I’m sure many girls would love having one just like that, but watching me wearing it as I spun around to make sure she couldn’t point out defects made me feel cheap. It only got worse once I put on the shoes.

  Next was the makeup. I was hopeful she’d approve today’s choice. A bit of a discreet gloss over the lips, another bit of pencil and shadow around the eyes and transparent varnish for the fingernails.

  “…This is ok, right?”

  I was closing my makeup kit while thinking that out loud when the door opened and mum came inside like she owned the pce. I mean, of course she did, it was her house, but still. Some privacy would have been appreciated.

  Don’t you ever knock?

  She stared me up and down as I got up.

  “Let me see it.”

  By that, she meant she wanted me to spin around for her and walk around for a bit. She gave some tugs to the fabric to see if it was properly zipped and that the top part wouldn’t roll down and show my bare chest to our hosts before giving a short approving nod.

  I let out a small sigh of relief, but it was short lived.

  She grabbed my face with one hand and moved it side to side.

  “No, this won’t do,” she chided.

  Still holding my face, she opened my kit again. She rubbed my lips clean without much care if she was hurting me or not and applied red lipstick. It was one of the darker shades I had, but I have no idea what that colour in particur is called. Then, she applied blush to my cheeks until she was pleased with her result.

  “See? Is it that hard?” she asked, pointing at my reflexion.

  I felt like a clown, and I couldn’t exactly tell if the reddish tone of my cheeks were due to the embarrassment that caused me, or if she had given me a retively thick yer. Either way, surprise of all surprises, I hated it.

  “I’m sorry, mum.”

  I could never tell what I truly thought to her face though, so I simply fell in line, like always.

  “And don’t forget to smile.”

  Right, I can’t forget that.

  As I was ordered, I gave her the best smile I could. That too got her approval. Only thing left was walk after her to the car and be done with it.

  Very early in the next morning, my phone woke me up with its ringing. Arm it was not, because I was blessed with the skill of going to bed thinking I needed to wake up at a certain hour, and I’d most certainly do so. It was practically always me shutting it off before it could even produce a sound.

  It was as I had predicted, a phone call from my friend, Paul.

  “H-hello? Is everything ok?” I asked, feeling worry over such a sudden and rare call.

  “You forgot, didn’t you? About us fishing today.”

  I had, in fact. I also chuckled when admitting that to him, much to his annoyance, and me expining him that I ughed because I was initially worried something had happened to him didn’t help much. His st words before ending the call were for me to get there quick.

  Like I had told that girl, fishing was something I found boring. Anything requiring me to sit still is.

  However, I liked Paul’s company, and I had the day off thanks to dad—somehow—so why not?

  After the day I had yesterday, my only pns had been to mop around in bed, but at least this way I would somewhat enjoy my free day before being put through whatever mum had pnned out for me. Would I even be able to go to the pool this year? It was hard to tell.

  I put on my running shorts and a short tank top, grabbed my now repaired shoes, stuffed a banana, apple, protein yogurt and a bottle of water in my backpack, and jogged my way to the fishing spot.

  The sun was still only peeking over the horizon, but the air was already stifling. Such was our summers.

  I neither enjoyed, nor did I dislike it since it had its goods and bads.

  The sun was up early, so I could go for a jog like today with plenty of light while there still being no people on the streets, and swimming and pying in the pool were super refreshing. There was also the ice cream.

  Winter however had puddles for me to jump on, the air felt nice to breath in while running, there were plenty of tasty hot foods to warm me up, the smells of wet dirt and grass when it rained, and there was also the Christmas decorations and music around town.

  Paul had prepared for me one of those foldable stools that I thanked him for after sitting down by him.

  I sat and enjoyed my breakfast and view. The pond’s dark surface glistening with the early morning light and the trees surrounding it were very serene. It kinda helped me to sit a bit more still than my normal.

  Paul looked the same as usual as he sat by me. Unmoving. Focused. Silent. There were only three years of difference between us, but I always felt he was much older because of that.

  “How’ve you been doing?”

  “Ok,” I told him before getting excited. “Hey, hey, so, yesterday, I—”

  “Shh, not so loud,” he told me.

  Was he aware it was a myth the fact people talking by the water scared the fish?

  Anyway, I resumed telling him about the girl I had met yesterday. Why that in particur?

  It had been the high point of my day, that was why. She made so many funny expressions in those ten minutes we sat together after all. In fact, it was the high point of my week… perhaps even, my whole month.

  Isn’t that kinda depressing?

  I shook my head to scatter those thoughts and returned him the question, sure that he had an equally boring tale to tell.

  “Well… I’ve got a girlfriend now.”

  “No way!” I shouted.

  “Shh! Not. So. Loud.”

  How could I not react that way? The man only had fish in his head! A girlfriend, huh? Did he fish her out of this pond?

  “In a way. She came with me one day and asked if I thought she was a good catch. Then, she grabbed my hook and stuck it to herself.”

  “Aww! That’s so… actually… it’s sweet—super sweet, but a bit sad at the same time.”

  “How so?”

  “That was probably the only way she found to finally get your attention.”

  “…”

  His silence spoke volumes.

  Still, a girlfriend, huh?

  I was so happy for him to have found someone he liked and was liked back. It sounded so magical, especially when compared with what I had.

  …Ah! No good Abby. Smile, remember? Smile.

  “What’s she like? Is she pretty? Is she—ouch!”

  “Not so loud,” he told me again after giving the back of my head a tap.

  “You jerk, that hurt!”

  It didn’t really hurt all that much, but I’ve had had enough of that yesterday.

  He apologised profusely when he saw me tearing up, promising he’d give me ice cream as payment. I told him I wasn’t a kid, but I still accepted it. I’m quite the sweet tooth, and I still had my allowance frozen since I didn’t perform as well as mum wanted during that business lunch, so it would still be a while.

  “Make it double,” I whined, still rubbing the spot I was struck.

  “Don’t push it.”

  Seriously, this guy got himself a girlfriend?

  It wasn’t impossible. He was good looking, reliable and a really nice guy, taps to the head notwithstanding. I guess It had been only a matter of time until a girl swooped along and took him.

  …Then… won’t he leave me behind too?

  I thought he would. It wasn’t right for him to be dating someone and still hang out with me, right? Not that there was ever any interest in any of us towards the other, oh no. We were like… somewhere between brothers and a cousins, at least to me.

  …I’ll be completely alone…

  “Abby? What’s up?”

  Smile, you idiot! Smile!

  “Nothing, I was just in deep thought. Hey, you should introduce us.”

  He knew me well enough to not fall for such obvious lies, but he also didn’t press on the issue any further. He simply kept the conversation quietly going until I was summoned back to my home.

  It appeared like my day off still had some obligations attached.

  I didn’t even got to have that possible st ice cream I could have with him.

  But such is life. Right?