Knock. Knock. "Diana?"

"Come in, Susan."

She entered, smiling at me. I was curled up on my bed, reading one of the books she'd given me.

"I meant to talk to you," she said. "Um- do you mind helping me with the laundry? I don't mean to interrupt..."

"Of course not. I'll help," I obliged. I put my book down and got off my bed. I followed her into Kyle and Jack's room, a laundry basket on Kyle's bed.

Susan handed half the pile to me and we started folding. "So... the school year's starting in a couple weeks," she started. "From what I saw, you've been sort of... in and out of school?"

I glanced up at her. "Yeah, sort of," I said. "Sometimes I'd be in a homeschool program, or online. I've been online lately, especially after the pandemic."

"When was the last time you went to school? Face-to-face?"

"When I was 11. I was with the Thomas's. They made me go to this 'special' private school. They were nice to me, it's just that they wanted me to have friends and stuff. But then I got into a fight, they expelled me, and the rich fat cats running the school got me moved into a group home."

Susan gazed at me as she folded a shirt. "I... I'm sorry that happened to you."

I shook my head. "It was a long time ago."

She remained silent for a few moments. "Well... I wanted to ask you if... you would be okay with attending high school. Since you finished 9th Grade online, you could just enroll and go the first day."

At first, I couldn't answer. My mind short-circuited as my stomach churned at the thought.

"But if you're not comfortable, it's alright. They offer a virtual program

Going to school? All my life, I'd hated school. Every time I went, I was always tortured by everyone else. "Um... would I go with your sons?"

She hesitated. "Kyle and Jack are in college. Tommy's a senior in high school and Harry's a junior. They go to R. T. Summit High. Although, considering the tension between you and them, I don't know if you'd like to go with them. You could go to a different school, if you want. Lawson High is in our district."

If Tommy and Harry went there, they'd for sure make my life even more miserable. There was no way I'd go through that. scary.

"Um... I think I'd rather go online," I said.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I... school and I don't really get along." I piled up all the clothes I folded. Susan stared in surprise, probably wondering how I finished so many so quickly.

"I see..." she trailed off, her shoulders seeming to relax. "I understand, Diana. All you have to do is enroll. I'll lend you Davis's laptop later on, and you can take a look at the curriculum."

"Oh, yeah, sure," I said. "Thank you, Susan. I appreciate it."

~~~

I sat in the dining room with Davis's laptop, browsing R.T. Summit High's website. They had some pretty interesting electives. A shame the Cooking elective wasn't offered online; that sounded awesome.

I was going to enroll in a virtual high school, but I was curious about the boys' school. It seemed to have more, but most of the things I wanted were face-to-face.

The boys laughed as they came from the backyard, teasing Tommy about something. Kyle twirled his football in his hands and playfully bounced it off Tommy's head. He tried to punch him in response.

"What's up, Diana?" Jack asked me.

I didn't look at them. "Nothing." They came over to me, Kyle holding the football against the dining table surface. They all wore identical smirks as they gazed at me with ridicule.

Harry scrunched his eyebrows with curiosity. "What's that?" He leaned over and read the contents of the computer screen. "Our school website?"

I sighed. "Yeah, what's it to you?"

They glanced at each other. I looked at them. Tommy paled while Harry covered his face.

"Wait- no! You're not... no way!" Tommy shook his head.

"What?" I stared at them.

His hands flew to his forehead, the color draining from his face. "No. No way. No way. No. No."

Harry wiped his hand down his face. "When did you- how..."

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Mom didn't say anything about this," said Jack.

"She never says anything! Bro, no..." Tommy paced. "They can't do this. They're crazy."

What were they freaking out about? Me going to school with them? I wasn't, but... why were they getting so crazy?

"Guys-"

"We're done. We're done. Our parents are officially crazy," said Harry.

"Guys-"

Tommy glared at me. "You can't go to school with us."

"Would you listen?!" I snapped. "I'm going online. I was just looking at the curriculum." I shook my head. "Sheesh..."

They stopped, obviously embarrassed, and relaxed. Kyle and Jack were less tense, but still upset. What did they care? They were in college.

"Y'all need to chill. What was the big deal?" I asked.

They shifted. "Nothing," Harry muttered.

"Well, if you're embarrassed about having a foster kid in your house, relax. I'm staying here, so you don't have to worry about ruining... whatever 'reputation' you have." Sarcasm was heavy in my voice.

Susan soon came into the dining room. "Diana, is there-" She stopped short, seeing their agitated faces. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tommy said. "We were just... asking Diana about school, that's all."

"Oh." She walked in. "They're not bugging you, are they, Diana?" she asked.

"No, they're fine."

"So... you're going online? Not... hybrid, or anything?" Tommy approached me as he spoke.

I huffed, peeved. "No, I'm not. It's all online." I returned to the laptop, reviewing the electives. I bit my lip as I clicked on the 'Cooking' tab and read the description.

"Did you want any help? Any questions about... anything?" Susan asked me.

"No, I'm good. Thanks, Susan."

She smiled, gave the boys a warning glare, then left. After a few moments, I looked at them with question. "Do you need anything?"

They seemed to snap out of a daze. "Nothing. Let's go, guys." Kyle led them out of the room.

I wasn't going to get used to their weirdness. They couldn't be that embarrassed about having a foster sibling. They were hiding a lot from me. Normally I wouldn't be digging around for secrets, but it really felt like it had to do with me. But what kind of secrets would they have related to me?

Dismissing my thoughts, I opened another tab and searched, 'Virtual public high schools Idaho'. There really wasn't anything else I could do.

Jewel Prep Online School... Kooskia Virtual Academy... Medley Online High School...

"Diana! Get us some Cheez-O's and Oni-O's!" Kyle suddenly called from the den.

For some reason, irritation rose within me. "Get it yourself, I'm busy!"

"We're busy, too!"

"Just pause the game!"

"Just get it!"

I ignored them and continued browsing. I returned to the boys' school page. There was an advanced Literature class? That sounded cool. Was that offered online?

Tommy and Harry came into the dining room. "Diana."

"What?"

"The snacks?"

"Get them. Kitchen's right there." I pointed.

They glared at me. "You always get us stuff," Harry said.

"I'm busy, so get your own snacks."

There was a long pause before they finally left to the kitchen. I sighed, relieved. Finally.

I did what they said before. I tried to give them a chance. I didn't want any bad blood or tension around the house. But I was somehow reaching my limit.

After all I suffered, this was what pushed me to the edge? I didn't understand myself.

The boys came out of the kitchen with their snacks. But instead of heading back to the den, Harry came up to me...

... and poured sticky orange soda over my head.

I simply sat back, waiting for the sweet, cold liquid to stream down my hair and soak into my clothes. The trail stretched all the way down to my lap and stained my jeans. Harry crushed the can— or tried to, at least— and put it down.

I chuckled, slamming my hands on the table and standing up. Harry smirked, looking down at me from his towering height. Tommy stood behind him with a bowl of chips and soda cans in his arms, also smiling.

They didn't want me at their school, huh?

Don't do it. Don't you dare, my conscience whispered. This isn't worth it. It's a petty prank. Just brush it off. Don't you-

I inhaled to speak, pausing for just a moment. "I think I'm gonna go to school with you guys."

And... you just screwed your life up again.

Both their smiles vanished. "What?" they said.

"Yeah. Maybe it won't be that bad. I mean, it gets pretty boring just sitting around here, you know? Plus, you guys are gonna keep treating me like dirt whether or not I go to school, so what's the difference?"

I walked around them, soda dripping from my hair. "Why shouldn't I go? I can take all the classes I want." I gasped dramatically. "I can take Cooking class now! I love cooking! I was so sad just now, thinking I wouldn't be able to take it because I would be in a virtual school. But now I have the opportunity!"

I turned around to smile at them. They stared at me with pure horror, faces as pale as ghosts. The bowl of chips slipped out of Tommy's elbow and spilled onto the floor.

"I have you to thank," I said sweetly. "You've illuminated me! I shouldn't miss out on a chance to have a... somewhat normal life, especially when I only have six months here! Who knows when I'll have another chance at a real education?"

"N-no, no, no. No." Tommy held up a finger. "Just stick with the virtual program, okay?" He chuckled nervously. "High school... it's boring, It's-"

"Maybe to you, but to me..." I took a deep breath through the nose. "It'll be a whole other world to explore."

"W-well... go to a different school! They have the same-"

"Now, why would I do that? I don't want to start off not knowing anyone. You'll keep me company!" I smiled sweetly at them. "Thank you so much for finalizing my decision." I twirled my sticky hair around my finger. "I'll just, uh..."

I took one of the cans away from Tommy and opened it, letting it hiss. I sniffed it a bit, nodding approvingly, and took a sip. He only stared at me, seemingly paralyzed.

With a smile, I threw the rest of the soda into Tommy's face.

"Hey-" Harry approached me. I turned the can on him, wetting his shirt.

I dropped the can with a clatter and crushed it under my foot. "You, uh... have something on your face." I pointed at them. "Too bad it's not egg." I giggled as I left them frozen in place. "Make sure to clean that up before your parents see it."

I would regret this decision. But despite the stupidity of my petty revenge...

That... felt... good.

I'm guessing you felt satisfied LOL. What do you think of Diana's decision?