Page 6 of Satan's Spawn

Not that I’ve built a substantial amount of relationships here, either. Probably because my high school is made up of different cliques and I was too lost in my textbooks to try getting into one.

The closest I came to a friend was Joanie from middle school, but she moved to Colorado with her parents.

All of this was fine for me, though, because I always preferred it to be just mom, dad, and me.

Then just mom and me.

Her shoulders fall. “It’s an amazing opportunity for all of us. I grew up in that city. I loved it. I know you will too.”

The fuck I will, I barely own any other shoes besides flip flops.

Plus, if she loved it so much why the hell did she agree to move out here with Dad?

“I have plans, mom, that are all based around this side of the coast.”

“Nobody is stopping these plans, Bex,” Roman cuts in, “you can still go to Stanford after graduation. In fact, I can help you get in there. We’ve planned it all out.”

I’m gladtheyplanned it all out.

Where the hell was I in this conversation?

“How the heck can you do that from New York? I’ve been working like hellhereto keep up public school grades to get in.”

They both share a look, which has mine thinning into a glower.

“A friend of mine can get you into the highest rated preparatory school in the city. Just two years there will have your transcript sitting at the top of Stanford’s list. With my contacts and your grades, we can make sure of it.”

As enticing as that sounds, I don’t know if it’s worth giving up the only life I’ve ever known.

The only climate I’ve ever known.

The onlyhomeI’ve ever known.

My mother steps up to me, rubbing both my arms with her hands. “Trust me, my love, I wouldn’t decide to uproot you unless I knew it would keep your dreams intact. Think about it…” Her voice turns serious as she squeezes my forearms. “Your 4.0 GPA has made me so proud, but to a college like Stanford? They have hundreds of those sitting on their desks. Riverside Prep will make you stand out astronomically. Especially in junior year.”

Riverside Prep.

Give me a break.

I fight the urge to whip out my phone and Google the school, because let’s face it, if she told me it was somewhere in California, I’d be twitching with excitement.

Dragging them out of the house to enroll me.

But it’s not, which is why my mother is continuing to plead her case, and I’m grinding my molars with every word.

“Their dorms are exquisite, Bex, and we already have a condo lined up when you come home on the weekends. It’s right on the river, gosh I know you’ll just love it.”

I should argue I love oceans, not rivers, but what’s the point? Her mind is made up, and I am in no financial position to argue on my supermarket salary.

I’m not even eighteen yet, therefore unable to live anywhere on my own. Unlesson my ownconsists of a private school I’ve never heard of.

As much as I love the idea of independence, jumping into it right now was never an option. Until now, I guess. But this feels a lot more like a requirement than an option.

“So not only am I moving across the country, I won’t be staying with you guys?”

“This school is board only. We tried to get them to make an exception for you. But they said it’s part of their social program,” Roman says as Mom wraps an arm around him.

Awesome.