“Congrats, Gigi. At least you know Addy will visit a lot because her and her hot boyfriend can’t stay away from one another.” Coco pushed to her feet when my mother shouted for me down the stairs. Again.
Jett and I hadn’t discussed what would happen after this year. He never pushed me to choose where I’d go based on him. He just encouraged me to chase my dreams, and I loved him even more for it. It didn’t matter where we went. My heart belonged to him. It was that simple.
“Damn, the warden is on one tonight. Can you please have it out with her so we can be here without her yelling at you every five minutes?” Coco hissed as she made her way to the door.
“Hey, I got a weird text from Jett telling me not to come to his fight tonight. Do you know what that’s about?”
Coco shifted on her feet. “Shaw said there are people that aren’t happy with how well Jett is doing, and he needs to watch his back. He told me not to come tonight either.”
“Looks like we’re all going then. Can you sneak out?” Ivy asked as she hugged me goodbye.
“Yep. I’ll text you. The fight isn’t until eleven tonight. Are you sure you all want to go?” None of the girls had been out to the warehouse aside from me and Coco.
“Sounds like we need a united front. And it’s senior year. I’m in.” Gigi hugged me goodbye as she spoke.
“Co, are you driving? Just pull around the corner so my parents don’t hear your car,” Maura said, and Ivy chimed in with the same sentiment.
We said our goodbyes and I made my way upstairs.
“Mama’s been acting super weird since she got the mail today. Something’s up,” Clem whispered, as we both stopped in the bathroom to wash up before heading to the dining room.
“She got the mail today?”
“She’s been beating me out there every day this week.” My sister took her seat at the table. Clem or I always got the mail.
I held my phone in my lap and quickly logged into my TU account. I figured the status would be updated online since I hadn’t received a letter.
ACCEPTED.
The word stunned me, and I scrolled down to see that my acceptance letter had been sent a week ago. What the actual hell.
“Tell me about your day, girls.” Daddy dropped to sit at the head of the table.
“Um, actually, I have a question,” I said, passing the salad to my sister after I scooped some onto my plate and my gaze landed on Mama.
“Oh, you’re speaking to me now?” my mother said, dropping her napkin in her lap.
“I am. And my question is for you, Mama. Did you receive some mail for me this week?”
Her cheeks flushed and my stomach dropped. Would she really go this far? Did she honestly believe that keeping the letter from me would deter me?
“Savannah,” Daddy said. “Are you feeling all right?” He leaned over and used the back of his hand to feel her forehead.
“I’m fine. Yes. You’ve received some mail, but as your parent, I don’t feel that these letters are of any relevance to your life. You know where you’re going to school, and this is just you having a little temper tantrum because Alec messed up.” She pursed her lips before pushing the salad around on her plate.
“You took her mail?” Clem gasped. “Did you open it?”
“Of course, I did. I’m her mother.”
My father set his fork down on his plate and stared at her. “You opened Ladybug’s mail and didn’t share it with her? Why?”
“I believe one is an acceptance letter to TU. She doesn’t want me to go there, so she hid it from me. I’m guessing the others are acceptance letters as well.” Tears ran down my face.
“Mama, that’s actually against the law. Did she get into TU?” my sister asked.
My father pushed his chair back and the legs made a screeching sound against the floor. “Where are the letters?”
I’d never seen him so angry. Mama pushed to her feet and moved to the drawer in the dining hutch and tossed three letters on the table. The letter from TU was on top. I already knew what it said.
“Did you really think you could keep these from me? I have an account, Mama. I would have found out.”
She shrugged. “I’m doing what I believe is best for you.”
I rolled my eyes as a sob escaped my throat and tears made it impossible to see. “You’re doing what’s best for you. You’ve got a lot of secrets, don’t you? On top of hiding my mail, you also said horrible things to Jett, which is why he’s never come back here.”
“What did you say to Jett?” My father was still standing, his face in complete disbelief.
“I told him the truth.”
“No. You told him your truth. That his mother is trash, and he isn’t good enough for me. That he’s only going to college because he can throw a ball. He’s a straight-A student, Mother. A hell of a lot better student than Alec Taulson. He’s brilliant. And talented. But you are too blind to see that.” My voice quaked as I tried to get the words out. I pushed to my feet and swiped at the tears streaming down my face. “You’re a judgmental woman. You know nothing about Jett or his mother. You babysat Mae Stone when she was young, but you turned your back on her when she got pregnant. When she needed her friends most. Because you make up the rules as you go, and you treat people horribly. I’m disgusted by you.” I didn’t even recognize my own voice as I shouted ugly words at her, and my family watched me in silence.
I ran up the stairs and slammed my bedroom door. My mother was not who I thought she was. She’d hidden acceptance letters from me, she’d said horrible things to Jett. She’d turned her back on a friend. I dropped on my bed and sobbed as my door flew open.
“Ladybug.” Daddy’s voice startled me. He dropped down on my bed, scrubbing a hand over his face, and I pushed up to sit. He held three letters in his hands. “What your mother did is inexcusable. But right now, I’d like to look at these letters with you. Getting into TU is a huge accomplishment, and I will not have it overshadowed by your mother’s need to control your life. I won’t do it.”
I reached for a tissue on my nightstand and blew my nose. I pulled the first paper from the already opened envelope from Texas Central University and Dad and I read the acceptance letter together. I did the same with the letter from the University of South Texas, and I smiled past all my sadness, because I’d gotten in there also. I pulled the final letter from TU out of the envelope and read my acceptance aloud, as tears blurred my vision once again. Because it stung that my mother had done this. And the combination of sadness and betrayal mixed with pride and excitement were overwhelming.