Frozen on Exam Day Chapter 02
Author: Perfect Timing
“Mrs. Merritt.”
A soft, gentle voice stopped her. It was Nora Sinclair, the girl I had grown up next door to, the one I had promised to get into the same college with.
She was standing right there at the freezer door, talking Mom down.
“Wes has always been competitive. Anything you say to him right now is just going to go in one ear and out the other.”
She paused, then turned toward the freezer and softened her voice. “Wes, I know you think this isn’t fair, but your brother didn’t do anything wrong. He shouldn’t have to be the one who pays for your ambition. Just listen to your mom this time, okay?”
There was no answer from inside because I could not move anymore. My body was locked in place like a snapped icicle, still frozen in the position of knocking.
The blood from my forehead had sealed my eyes shut, and the warm trickle down one side of my face had already turned to ice. I stared through the crack in the door with everything I had left.
“Mom, just open it. You’re so close. I’m right here,” I murmured to myself.
However, the light disappeared. The door was shut again.
I heard Nora let out a quiet sigh on the other side.
“Wes, don’t worry. Once Darren gets through this safely, I’ll talk your parents into letting you retake the SATs next year. We can still end up at the same school.”
Footsteps faded away. All of them were gone, and the room went completely silent. I stayed there, locked in that same position, hand still raised against the door, and then I stopped breathing.
Mom was so close. Just a little more and she would have found me.
From somewhere outside myself, I watched them pile around Darren and load him into the car.
Mom straightened his clothes. Dad adjusted the seat for him. Nora handed him a bottle of water. They were all smiling, relaxed and relieved, while I was alone in the freezer, now a statue that would never speak again.
Mom and Dad predicted Darren’s death down to the day, but what about mine?
My soul followed Darren to the exam hall. Everyone around him was writing furiously, but Darren could not sit still and he kept glancing at the clock.
The first day of testing ended. He got back to the hotel and immediately grabbed our parents to go home.
“I’m still worried about Wes. He barely ate anything last night and didn’t have breakfast this morning. We need to go check on him!”
Mom frowned. “Check on what? He’s only gone one day without eating. Do you think that matters more than your exam?”
Darren’s eyes went red. He stood up to leave, but Mom slapped him.
Her voice cracked when she spoke. “Darren, your only job these next few days is to focus on your test. Otherwise your brother’s sacrifice would have been for nothing, wouldn’t it?”
Darren bit his lip. Then Mom added, “Stay here. I’ll run home and grab your thermos. I’ll check on your brother while I’m there.”
Darren finally exhaled in relief.
Mom was home before long. She picked up the thermos from the coffee table, then walked over to the freezer door and let her voice go a little softer.
“Wes, I know you’re upset, but everything we did was to keep your brother safe. Just hang in there a little longer. Once Darren’s done with his exams, we’ll all go on a trip together as a family. I’ll get you that model kit you’ve been wanting. How does that sound?”
There was no response.
Mom’s expression hardened. “Wesley.”
She dropped her voice low. “When are you going to stop making everything about yourself? You’d let your brother die over your pride? How can you be this selfish?”
She slammed her palm against the door with every word. Then her hand stopped. She frowned, muttering to herself.
“Why is it so cold?”
She reached for the handle and pulled. The door cracked open again, and a corner of my school uniform came into view.
