Frozen on Exam Day Chapter 08
She scrolled through the entries one by one.
The first one read, “My test scores came out today, but I can’t feel happy about it. Darren didn’t do as well as I did and I’m scared to go home. I don’t know what to say if Mom asks. I’m so scared she’s going to lock me in the freezer again.”
The second was, “She locked me in there, just like thought she would. She hit me over and over and kept demanding to know why I was trying to hurt Darren. It hurts so much. I really didn’t mean to.
“The freezer is so cold and I’m so hungry. Thank God Darren hid chocolate inside the bear. If I eat something sweet, maybe it won’t feel so bitter inside.”
The third was, “It’s the first day of school. The teacher asked me to be class rep. I said no. Iwas too afraid. The last time I got picked for class representative, Mom didn’t speak to me for three days. I can’t be better than Darren.
“But don’t understand. I’ve been so good. I’ve done everything they wanted. Why can’t Mom and Dad love me even just a fraction of how much they love him?”
The fourth one read, “Darren got third in the grade, I got first. The teachers praised both of us, but I was too scared to go home. I sat outside the school until it got dark. When I finally went home, Dad made me stand in the living room the entire night.
“By morning my knees were so swollen I couldn’t walk. Darren helped me to school. He’s six feet tall and he stood there crying in front of me, telling me he was sorry. But Darren, none of this is your fault. I’ll just be more careful from now on.”
The fifth was, “My teacher pulled me aside today. She said my competition scores were good enough to qualify for early admission to an elite university and she wanted to recommend me.
“I told her no. I didn’t tell her why. If giving all of that up means Darren stays safe, I’ll do it. Darren, please live a long, full life. Maybe by the time we’re old, Mom and Dad will finally love me too
Mom scrolled through them one after another. Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely hold the phone.
“Wes.” She pressed the phone against her face. “I was wrong. I was so wrong.”
Her voice was so hoarse it was barely recognizable. “Come back, baby. I’ll never lock you in there again. You get first place and I’ll be there clapping. You make class rep and I’ll show up for every parent meeting. You get into that school and I’ll drive you there myself.
“Please come back…”
Dad collapsed to the floor, rocking back and forth, slamming his fist against the tile.
“We were wrong. From the very beginning, we were wrong.” His voice broke apart.
“What have I done, Wes?”
My parents were taken into custody on charges of negligent homicide. On the day the verdict was handed down, a light rain was falling. A crowd had gathered outside the courthouse.
There were reporters, onlookers holding up their phones, and strangers who had seen the story on the news and came just tor
this.
The moment my parents stepped out of the courtroom, someone hurled a rotten egg at them. It burst against Mom’s hair and dripped down her face, mixing with the rain.
“Animals!” someone in the crowd screamed.
“You listened to some fraud and let your own son freeze to death! Are you even human?
“Eighteen years! Eighteen whole years! Do you have any idea what that kid went through?
“His grades were perfect! He gave up carly admission to a top school just so you could sleep at night! And what did you ever give him? Did you show him one single day of kindness?”
A middle-aged woman shoved her way to the front and threw an entire carton of eggs at both of them.
“I have kids of my own! I read the news and cried all night! You don’t deserve to be parents!
“You’re the ones who should be dead!”
They did not try to dodge. The stench of raw egg ran down their faces, but they just kept their heads down and walked, one step at a time, staring at nothing.
They were like two hollow shells with nothing left inside.
