Glass Sneakers

22nd ♕

22nd ♕

"I'm not going back with you!" Mom no. 1 screamed behind the closed door of my room.

With an equally loud voice, Roger replied, "You're going back with me this time. Three weeks is long enough. I've already given you time to think about things. Do not be stubborn."

"They might call! I have to—"

Roger replied, "Megan, they won't call. Can't you see it? Your daughter is not the princess-in-training anymore. Whose fault do you think that was? If you didn't irresponsibly open your mouth, George might have not been disqualified. Can't you see that? You ruined her life. That's what you did. If you should be eager for something, it should be apologizing to your daughter."

"Oh, don't you dare talk about ruining her life. I'm not the only one in that boat, and you know that. And you don't understand a thing. This is what I want. You don't know anything," Mom no. 1 sobbed.

I sighed.

It was as if her thoughts and intentions were a mystery. She had so much conviction. What we couldn't figure out was where she was getting all that.

Three weeks ago, Roger hadn't succeeded on taking Mom no. 1 home. She insisted on staying with us, hoping for another do-over. We already moved back from Burchett Hotel to our old house a week ago, since the news had died down. But that didn't stop Mom no. 1 from pleading Mom no. 2 to let her stay with us for several days.

As per Mom no. 1's request, the twins had also stayed with us. Hearing his parents' fighting, Jerald started sobbing quietly. We were watching TV, and he was enjoying it until the fight had started.

"Here, don't cry." I picked up Jerald and placed him on my lap, while I took a seat on the floor. "Do you want to play with big sis? Do you want to watch cartoons?"

His eyes lit up at the mention of cartoons.

I took that as a good sign. But as I was about to switch the channel, the interview I'd been waiting for had started. Covering Jerald's ears, so as to prevent him from hearing his parents' argument behind the thin walls, I said, "Just a minute. I just want to watch this."

"Good morning, Triavia!" Richard Reynolds appeared on the set, as the camera circled towards the audience and back to him. "You won't believe who are guests are this morning."

Cheers echoed.

"I know. I know. You've seen the preview. It's not a secret anymore," Richard hushed the audience. "Should I call them right away? What do you think, Julia?"

"I think it's time," Julia replied. The response was booming claps from the audience.

"Without further ado, please welcome Prince Arthur of Triavia and Ms. Lovely Webb, our first-runner up for the princess search," Richard introduced, extending a hand to the couple appearing on the stage.

"Cartoon!" Jerald started pulling my hair. There was something with this twin and my hair that they loved pulling.

"Give big sis ten minutes, okay? Please? I'll get you anything you want later," I bargained with him. "Look at the TV, the girl is wearing a pretty dress, right? It's like the color in cartoons."

"That is not cartoon," Jerald pointed out to me.

I knew that. "Well, you should start recognizing the royalties' faces, unlike everyone else in the family. It's a great start. What we have here is very educational."

"No. Cartoon," he complained. Jerald, thankfully, wasn't the screaming type. The yelling side of the twin was still fast asleep on his playmat, and that was something to be relieved about.