Blade Silver: Color Me Scarred by Melody Carlson

Author:Melody Carlson [Carlson, Melody]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2008-05-03T15:20:00+00:00

thirteen

IT'S NOT EASY TELLING MY FRIENDS THAT I'M GROUNDED. FOR ONE TILING, IT sounds so juvenile. I don't know anyone my age who gets grounded anymore. At least not that they talk about.

"That is so lame," says Abby when I call her on Sunday night, after my dad's gone, and tell her that I can't ride to school with her anymore. "What difference does it make how you get to school? I mean, as long as you go."

"I know. It's totally ridiculous. But when has life with my dad ever made sense?"

"And until school's out? Man, that totally sucks. You're going to miss some really good parties, Ruth."

Right, like my dad even lets me go to "really good parties" anyway. But I just say, "Yeah, I know."

"What happens after school's out?"

I force a laugh that is unconvincing. "My dad has it all figured out. I'll be working the counter at the tire store. Full time. And lie's going to handle the money for me. Part of it will be used as my contribution to the household income, you know, since my mom doesn't work anymore. And the rest will be put into my college account. And, oh yeah, if there's any left over, and if I'm good, I will continue to get an allowance." I don't mention that I will be getting no allowance while I'm grounded-although I'm still expected to do the same chores. Well, the same plus Caleb's too.

"That's like slavery!" exclaims Abby.

"Tell me about it."

"Can't your mom do anything?"

Okay, I'm thinking Abby should know the answer to this by now. But in all fairness, her life is so totally different from mine that sometimes she just does not get it.

I try to explain that Mom is barely here. That she is the ghost mother, the green phantom, and I cannot expect one bit of support from her.

And finally there's a long pause. "Ruth?" she says in a serious voice. "How about, you know, the cutting thing?"

As much as I hate to lie to my best friend, I just cannot handle her getting on my case right now. "I'm fine," I tell her.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can see how stupid that was. Really, I'm okay. Well, other than being totally frustrated about being grounded."

"Yeah. It seems really unfair. I just totally don't get your dad, Ruth."

"You and me both."

The next day I tell Glen about being grounded. He seems to understand this a little better than Abby.

"It's just the way those messed-up kind of guys think," he tells me as he walks me to the bus after school. "My dad was the same wayy A real control freak. If Mom or I did anything he didn't approve of, man, you better watch out. We always felt like we were walking on eggshells when he was around."

"Yeah. That's exactly what it's like," I admit.

He looks at the big yellow buses lined up like kid-eating beasts, ready to devour the unfortunate losers who are forced to ride in their bellies. "I wish I could give you a ride home.

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