You Thought My Turn Could Always Come Later Chapter 02
The next morning, my asthma inhaler was gone.
I searched my backpack twice. All I found was its cracked plastic casing in the trash can.
Chloe sat at the dining table, drinking milk.
The red gloves were on the floor by her feet.
I held up the broken pieces and looked at her.
“Did you do this?”
She bit down on her straw, her eyes wide and innocent.
“Do what? I’ve never seen that before.”
Megan immediately stepped between us.
“What is this, an interrogation? It’s first thing in the morning.”
“Chloe had a nightmare and was up until after midnight. When would she have had time to touch your things?”
I lifted my hand and pointed to one of the white pom-poms on the gloves.
There was a dusting of white powder on the yarn.
Chloe’s face fell.
Dad saw it, too.
The kitchen went silent.
“Chloe,” he said, his voice low. “Did you touch Sabine’s things?”
Her lower lip trembled, and tears instantly welled in her eyes.
“I didn’t know it was life-saving medicine.”
“I just saw Sabine hiding it all the time and thought it must be something important.”
Her voice broke. “After my dad died, everyone said I was a burden. Now Sabine hates me, too…”
She was trembling as she cried.
The anger in Dad’s eyes vanished.
He crouched down and pulled her into his arms.
“No one’s going to say that about you.”
“As long as I’m here, nobody gets to bully you.”
I squeezed the cracked plastic in my palm.
“What about my inhaler?”
Dad looked up at me, his tone softening into a plea.
“I’ll buy you a new one later today.”
“Chloe didn’t mean it. She’s new here, she’s scared. Don’t be hard on her.”
“She knew it was mine.”
“Sabine.”
Dad cut me off, his expression weary.
“Her dad died saving my life. A warehouse shelf collapsed, and he shoved me out of the way.”
“I owe him everything.”
“Please,” he begged. “Just think of it as helping me out, okay?”
I stared at him.
“So she gets to pay your debt with my life?”
Dad froze.
Even Chloe stopped crying.
After a beat, Dad’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t put it like that. It’s broken. I’ll just buy you a new one.”
My chest was getting tight.
I didn’t argue anymore. I just grabbed my backpack and left.
At noon, the school counselor, Ms. Ward, called me into her office.
An application form was on her desk.
“The state math competition,” she said. “First place comes with an eight-thousand-dollar prize.”
“There’s also a direct admission offer to Northwood Academy. Full scholarship. Tuition, room, and board are all covered.”
I stared at that last line for a long time.
“Do I need a parent to go with me?”
“No.”
“If I place, can I enroll and move to Boston right away?”
Ms. Ward looked surprised.
“You can. But it’s a long way from home. Will your dad be okay with that?”
I picked up the pen and signed my name.
“He’ll be fine with it.”
After school, I didn’t wait for him at the gates.
I went straight to the pharmacy.
A new inhaler was a hundred and twenty dollars.
At the register, I counted out the bills slowly.
The cashier gave me a strange look.
“Are you sure you want to buy this?”
I nodded.
Before I could leave this town, I had to stay alive.
On the way home, the old Honda drove past me.
Chloe was in the passenger seat, laughing.
The car was a dozen yards down the road before Dad seemed to notice me. He slowed, leaning his head back.
“Sabine, want a ride? We can squeeze you in the back.”
There was no room for me in that car.
Chloe was clinging to his arm and didn’t budge.
I held up my bus pass.
“No, thanks.”
Dad hesitated for a second.
“Okay. Be careful on your way home.”
The car quickly disappeared around the corner.
I watched it go, doing the math in my head.
I was still more than seven thousand dollars short.
But if I won, I could leave for good.