My Sister Got Two Pink Princess Rooms. I Got A Trash Bag Chapter 07
A month into the semester, my school had parents’ weekend.
My dad and mom both called the RA separately to ask if they could come.
They didn’t plan it. But they both showed up at the dorm at the same time.
My dad was holding a whole bedding set—gray down comforter with matching pillowcases. Still in the packaging.
My mom had two giant bags. One full of snacks. The other stuffed with new hoodies and jeans.
William was behind my dad, phone in hand, like he was about to show me something.
Logan was carrying my mom’s luggage. Hanging back at the end.
The four of them crowded under the oak tree by the dorm entrance. Standing at an awkward distance from each other. None of them looking at the others.
My dad spoke first. “Nora, come back with me for fall break. The attic’s cleared out. New bed’s already there. The mattress is the kind you used to like.”
My mom cut him off. “Why her place? I renovated too. Brand new closet and desk. She’s staying with me.”
The familiar fighting started up again.
Before, they fought over which house Claire should stay in. Now they were fighting over me.
But I knew the difference.
It wasn’t that they finally loved me more than Claire.
It was just that me leaving had made them look bad.
William pulled up a photo on his phone and held it out to me.
Dad’s place, freshly redone—the star lights gone, the walls painted light blue. The color I’d loved when I was ten.
I was eighteen now. They had no idea what color I liked anymore.
The room my mom fixed up was full of stuffed animals.
Unicorns. Bears in sweaters. Pink bunnies. Every single one something Claire would’ve picked.
They were so busy rushing to give me a room, they never even asked what I actually wanted.
Then my mom’s phone rang. Claire on FaceTime.
The minute she saw everyone at my school, her eyes went red.
“You guys said you were taking me to pick curtains today! Why are you all at Nora’s?”
My mom’s voice softened automatically. “Don’t cry, Claire. We’ll be back tonight to take you.”
But Claire spotted the blue room on William’s phone screen.
“Why did you take down the star lights in Dad’s house? That’s MY room!”
Dad tried to explain: “You already have a room at Mom’s. Your sister needs a place to stay when she comes back.”
Claire’s voice shot up an octave. “But you PROMISED both rooms were mine!”
“Mom said I’d always have a bed in her house. Dad said nobody could take my room!”
“Why does Nora get to come back and take my stuff away?”
Everything went quiet under the oak tree.
I watched my parents’ faces change and finally understood.
It wasn’t that they forgot about me.
They’d already promised Claire that both rooms were hers alone.
Mom hung up fast and turned to me. “Claire’s still young. She’s insecure. Those were just things we said to make her feel better.”
“So when you promised me a room too,” I asked, “were those just things you said to make me feel better?”
Nobody answered.
Dad shoved a key into my hand. “Let’s not dwell on the past. The room’s ready. You can come back whenever you want.”
My mom pulled out another key. “Same at my place. Anytime.”
I looked down at the two brand-new keys in my palm.
They reminded me of those old keys I’d found at the bottom of a box in Long Island—tarnished copper, rusted, not opening any door anymore.
What I’d always wanted was a place that was always mine.
Not a room someone had to move out of after I left. A space I had to earn back.
Those spots were never meant for me in the first place.
I handed both keys back.
“Claire’s right. Those rooms were promised to her. I don’t want them.”
My mom’s eyes went red and her voice shook. “Then what do you want us to do to make it right?”
I shook my head. “I’m not waiting for you to make it right. I just don’t want to come back.”
Across the lawn, some students were gathering for the parents’ weekend group photo.
My three roommates waved at me from the crowd.
One of them jumped up, calling my name. Their parents shifted sideways, leaving a spot open, waving me over with warm smiles.
“Come on, Nora! We’re waiting on you!”
I turned and walked toward them.
Behind me, my mom and dad were left out of the photo frame for the first time.