Chapter 3
"Mr. Riley, the list of speakers has already been submitted and approved. It's against the rules to replace Jade with Lilith suddenly," Jack said.
My dad stepped forward.
His broad back blocked Jack's view. "Rules might be set in stone, but people can adapt.
"Lilith didn't perform her best, and she needs a chance to rebuild her confidence.
"They're both my daughters. Either one represents the Riley family."
I stepped out from the shadows.
My shoes tapped against the wooden floor.
Lilith stood behind our dad.
She was clutching a few sheets of printer paper.
They were my speech notes.
In bold at the top right corner, it read: "Class 1, Grade 12, Jade Riley."
She shrank back a little.
Her eyes were getting teary.
"Jade," Lilith whispered, her voice trembling. "I know I'll freeze up if I go up on the stage. Why don't you do it instead?"
Her knuckles were turning white.
The corners of the paper were wrinkled from how tightly she was holding them.
But she didn't pass them to me.
Phillip stepped forward.
He planted himself in front of Lilith, blocking her from me, cutting off my view.
"Jade, don't look at your sister like that," Phillip said.
He frowned. "She just got back from trying to clear her head. She's still not herself.
"You always have to be the best at everything. Can't you be a little more understanding today?"
My mom walked over.
She grabbed my wrist.
Her grip tightened, her fingers squeezing hard.
"You always ace your grades. There'll be plenty of chances for you to stand out," she said.
She leaned in and lowered her voice. "Lilith didn't make the cut. Let her have this spot. Think of it as a little comfort for her.
"Don't be so selfish all the time."
I looked at the three of them standing in front of me.
"The Outstanding Graduate Representative is chosen based on the score report," I said.
My throat was dry and sore from having a fever.
I blurted out, "My SAT score was in the top 1%. She didn't even qualify for a good college.
"Isn't it absurd to have her read my speech?"
My dad turned around.
His face darkened.
His hand froze in mid-air. "I'm your father, and that's why."
He lowered his voice. "After all that studying, you still don't understand what matters most?
"We're family. Stop making a fuss. Lilith is going up there today, end of story.
"Don't go out there and make a fool of yourself."
Jack cleared his throat.
He waved over the emcee and had the transition lines updated.
The opening music started playing.
The graduation party at the hotel kicked off.
My parents escorted Lilith, one on each side, shielding her as they walked out.
Phillip followed behind.
He bent down to smooth out the wrinkles in the hem of Lilith's dress.
The four of them headed straight for the front-row family table.
The backstage hallway fell silent.
Dust hung in the air.
I slipped around to the back of the party hall.
I picked a corner against the wall and stood there.
The lights in the hall dimmed.
A spotlight shone down on the small stage at the front.
Lilith, in that white designer dress, stepped up to the microphone.
She smoothed her hair, a faint smile playing at her lips.
Her voice rang out, even through the crappy speakers.
She began, "It's an honor to speak on behalf of all the graduates.
"Three years, I've been burning the midnight oil every night, never letting myself slack off for a second..."
I watched her up there.
That was the speech I'd pulled three all-nighters to write a few days ago.
While I was holed up writing those words, she was out blowing the family's money, catching the sunrise at the beach with Phillip.
As her speech wrapped up, only a handful of people bothered to applaud.
Lilith gathered up her dress and stepped down from the stage in her heels.
Phillip lingered in the shadows by the stage.
He handed Lilith a bouquet of sunflowers, slipping them into her arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
They smiled at each other.
I stood in the shadowy corner.
My gaze swept across the crowd and settled on the VIP seats in the front row.
My parents stood tall, applauding.
My mom pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes.
Some girls from my class were huddled together nearby.
"Wait, wasn't Jade supposed to be the one making the speech?" one of them whispered.
"Yeah, she read it in front of everyone during class. She wrote the whole thing herself," another girl said.
"Lilith's an art student who flunked out. Why is she up there representing the top graduates?" a third girl muttered.
They were whispering, but even from the back row, I could hear every word.
One of the girls with a ponytail turned around and noticed me standing against the wall.
"Jade? What are you doing here? Why weren't you up on stage?" she asked.
I looked at the bouquet of sunflowers up on stage.
"They gave it to someone else," I said. My voice was steady, without emotion.
The party was winding down.
Parents and students in the front rows rushed up to the stage.
They swarmed Lilith and Phillip, snapping photos.
My parents were mingling with the other parents nearby.
No one bothered to look back at the last row.
I turned around.
I pushed open the ornate double doors of the party hall.
The wall sconces in the hallway cast their light across my face.
It was a bit blinding.
I was done with everything that should've been mine.