Chapter 4
I wondered if my parents would let anyone bully them.
Paisley gave a few awkward laughs after hearing my guess.
"Well, it's not really like that..." she said.
Then she leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Honestly, I think Mom and Dad are just people-pleasers. Whenever someone looks unfriendly, they always get flustered."
I frowned upon hearing that.
Paisley confirmed it.
Even though both Mom and Dad came from rich families, they were never really cherished at home.
Dad was born into the Taylor family that had deep roots stretching back a hundred years.
But since his mother died during childbirth, his father and siblings always kept their distance from him.
When my grandpa got sick, Dad stayed by his bedside the longest, taking care of him.
The rest of his siblings were all scrambling for the inheritance. They claimed Dad was just trying to curry favor, not that he actually cared.
The day before Grandpa passed away, Dad ended up with barely anything.
Thankfully, someone finally spoke up for Dad, saying it wasn't fair and would only break his heart.
The person who spoke up for Dad was actually the mother of his cousin, who showed up today asking for money, so their family kind of helped us out.
Grandpa changed his will at the last minute and made sure his eldest son, who inherited the family fortune, would take care of Dad. So that was why our family had some money.
The dynamics in Mom's family were less complicated, but it was even more emotionally damaging.
She was the middle child, stuck between her older brother, who got the family business, and her younger sister, who was always doted on.
So she grew up always eager to please and easily swayed by others.
Luckily, Mom and Dad really loved each other. Over time, they had grown a lot and become much stronger together.
They would never act timid around outsiders, but when they were with people they were close to or those on equal footing, they instinctively tried to please them, even if it meant doing things they didn't want to.
I realized what was going on.
I wondered if Mom and Dad were actually unwilling to make up for things with me.
Paisley caught my gloomy mood and asked, "Wanda, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick or something?"
I managed to squeeze out a smile.
"It's nothing, I was just wondering when I'll get to go to school," I replied.
*****
Mom and Dad transferred me to the high school Paisley went to.
I was already in my senior year.
Even though I was living with a rich family, I knew that having good grades and a strong academic record were the only things I could rely on.
The day before I started school, Paisley was practically bouncing with excitement.
She said she'd always wished she could have someone to go to school with.
Now we could wear the same uniforms, hit up the snack bar together during breaks, and walk hand in hand to and from school.
"Sister, isn't that awesome?" she asked.
Seriously, I can't even remember how many times she's called me that by now.
Half-asleep, I ruffled her hair and told her, who insisted on sharing my bed, to hurry up and go to sleep.
Paisley grinned and hugged my waist. "Got it."
The next day, when we set out for school, I was pretty nervous.
Whenever I got nervous, my face just went blank.
Paisley kept talking nonstop to help me relax.
She started telling me about what each teacher was like.
She also mentioned some of the fun classmates she had.
She said that even though we weren't in the same class, she'd already told her friends in my class to keep an eye on me and make sure everything would go smoothly today.
I nodded and thanked her again.
But as soon as I sat down in my new class, I immediately locked eyes with two people giving me some seriously hostile looks.
*****
"So you're Paisley's older sister?" one of them sneered.
"Sister? Come on, she's just some shameless country bumpkin trying to take Paisley's place," the other one scoffed.
The guy with the longer hair was Humbert Gardner, and the one with the longer face was Jeremy Francis.
They said they were Paisley's childhood buddies, supposedly here to watch over me at her request.
They claimed they'd help me pick up my textbooks.
But instead, they led me into an empty classroom and started threatening me.
I asked calmly, "Are you seriously saying Paisley told you to do this?"
They laughed like I'd just cracked the dumbest joke.
Humbert sneered, "What do you think?
"You're just some loser from nowhere, trying to take her place. She hates your guts, so of course we're here to settle the score for her."
My face drained of color in an instant.
My nails bit into my palm.
"So what exactly are you planning to do? If I don't return, the teacher's going to come looking for me," I said.
Humbert let out a mocking laugh. "Are you getting scared now?"
Jeremy casually threw an arm over Humbert's shoulder, grinning lazily. "Relax, we're not in any rush to teach you a lesson.
"We just want to make sure you act like a good little puppy around Paisley and don't try anything funny.
"As long as you behave, we won't mess with you. We're just good citizens, you know."
But just as I was about to leave, Jeremy sneakily stuck out his foot, sending me sprawling to the floor.
Humbert laughed, "Look at how stupid she is.
"Is she gonna cry because it hurts? What a wimp," Jeremy snickered.
I swallowed my tears, holding onto my sore arm, and walked out with big steps.