Chapter 1
I had been dressed for forty-seven minutes when Vanessa told me we weren’t going.
I knew because I had checked the clock every time its long hand moved.
My white blouse was tucked into my dark skirt. I had brushed my hair back twice, trying to make the ponytail smooth enough for a photograph. The invitation lay on the coffee table, where I could see my name printed above the words STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
I was twelve, and I had never been called onto a stage before.
“It starts in twenty minutes,” I said.
Vanessa sat on the sofa with Caleb and Ava. She kept her eyes on the television.
“We’re not going.”
I waited for her to smile. She didn’t.
“But the principal said my family could come.”
“It’s a certificate, Nia.”
“It’s the district award.”
Vanessa finally turned toward me. “You’ve told us. We don’t need to spend an evening watching you receive a piece of paper.”
I looked at Caleb. He stared at the carpet.
Ava sat up. “Mom, she worked hard.”
“Then Nia can be proud of herself.” Vanessa reached for the remote. “That should be enough.”
I picked up the invitation before she could cover it with a magazine.
I could have asked to walk to school. It was nearly three miles, and the ceremony would begin before I got there. I could have called Dad, but Vanessa had already told me what he thought.
He knows, Nia. He has work. Please don’t make him feel guilty.
I had believed her. Dad traveled often, but he called from airports and hotel rooms. He asked about my classes. When I told him about the award, I had expected him to find a way to be there.
I kept looking toward the door anyway.
A key turned in the lock.
Dad stepped inside with a small travel bag over his shoulder. He looked tired, but he smiled when he saw me.
“There’s my girl.”
I ran toward him. He put down his bag and opened his arms.
“You’re early,” I said into his coat.
“I changed my flight.” He stepped back and looked at my clothes. “Why are you still here?”
I felt the room go quiet behind me.
“You know about the ceremony?”
“Of course I do.” His smile faded. “I told Vanessa I’d meet you there if traffic was bad.”
I turned toward the sofa.
Vanessa had stood up. “We were just discussing it.”
“You said we weren’t going,” I told her.
Dad looked from me to Vanessa. “Why?”
“The children have had a long day,” she said.
“I’m not tired,” I said.
Vanessa folded her arms. “I didn’t say you were the only child in this house.”
Dad took the invitation from my hand. “It begins at seven. We can still make it.”
I swallowed. “Vanessa said you knew and didn’t think it mattered.”
He looked at me for a moment. I wished I could take the words back because of what they did to his face.
“Nia,” he said, “I came home for you.”
Vanessa stepped toward us. “Marcus, she misunderstood.”
“I asked you to bring them,” Dad said.
“And I was going to explain—”
“You told her I didn’t care.”
Caleb rose slowly from the sofa. He was fourteen and usually stayed out of arguments. I thought he was going to leave the room.
Instead, he said, “Dad, there’s something else.”
Vanessa turned sharply. “Caleb.”
He went to the side table by the window. I watched him lift a stack of catalogs and unopened mail.
A cream envelope lay beneath them.
Caleb held it out. “This came last week. It had Nia’s name on it.”
I had never seen it.
The school district logo was printed in one corner. Beneath it was my full name.
I reached for it, but Dad took it first.
“Why was her mail hidden?” he asked.
Vanessa’s eyes moved to the envelope. “I meant to give it to her.”
“Last week?” Caleb said.
She gave him a look that made him shrink back.
Dad opened the envelope. He pulled out two pages and began to read. His expression changed so quickly I took a step closer.
“What does it say?”
He read the top again. His hand tightened around the paper.
“Dad?”
His eyes lifted toward Vanessa.
“What did you do?” he asked.
She looked away. “It was a ridiculous offer.”
My heart began to pound.
“What offer?”
Dad knelt so I could see his face. “Your teacher nominated you for the district scholars program.”
I knew about it. Students could spend the summer studying at a university across the state. There were science classes, art workshops, and a visit to the state museum. I had wanted to apply, but the program cost more than Dad could spare. I hadn’t told him I was disappointed.
“They offered you a full scholarship,” he said.
I stared at him. “Me?”
“You were selected, sweetheart.”
For one second, I felt as if the floor had dropped away. Then I saw the date on the letter.
“What’s the deadline?”
Dad turned the page over. His silence answered me before he spoke.
“It was yesterday.”
I heard Ava say, “Mom.”
Vanessa lifted her chin. “Nia is twelve. She’s not going to spend the whole summer away because strangers sent a flattering letter.”
I looked at Caleb, who had found it. I looked at Dad, who was still holding it.
“You could have told me,” I said.
Vanessa’s face hardened. “I made a decision.”
Dad stood. “You made it for her while telling me there was nothing to decide.”
“I knew what you’d say.”
“Then you should have talked to me.”
He folded the letter and slipped it carefully back into the envelope.
I had a scholarship. I had missed the deadline. In the hallway, my award shoes waited beside Dad’s travel bag.
Dad took my hand. “We’re going to your ceremony. Afterward, we’ll call the program and ask what can still be done.”
Vanessa gave a short laugh. “You think they’ll change a deadline for you?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But Nia deserved the chance to answer for herself.”
May you like
He looked down at me. His eyes were wet.
“Get your coat, sweetheart.”
