The Year I Became Isabella Ande - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,39

mom worries go bye-bye as bigger, more wicked problems arise.

I think about staying in my room. Never going out. But eventually, I’ll have to face them, so might as well rip off the Band-Aid now. Besides, maybe I can get to the bottom of where the hell my drawings ended up.

Mustering up every ounce of courage I gained on the trip, I square my shoulders and march downstairs. But when I enter the living room and see my dad, Lynn, and Hannah all chilling on the sofa, surrounded by tons of shopping bags, chatting about orientation, my confidence goes see ya later.

I start to turn around to leave, when I hear Hannah say, “What the hell happened to you?”

Summoning a deep breath, I turn around and face them. “Hey.”

“Um . . .” Hannah stares at me with her jaw hanging to her knees, totally speechless.

I fight the urge to cross my arms and try to cover myself up. “So, yeah, I’m back.”

“We can see that.” Lynn stares at me with an unwelcoming expression, and even though it doesn’t seem possible, I swear her eyes carry more hatred for me than they ever have.

I hold her death glare, though, even if my insides are jiggling around like a bouncy house. I know who you really are. Know where that look of hate comes from. Trust me, I get it. Dad cheated on you, and you hate me, but you know what? You had no right to treat me the way you did, and one day I’m going to let you know that.

The longer I look at her, the more she grinds her teeth, until she finally removes her eyes from me and focuses on digging around in the shopping bags.

“You look,” my dad scratches his head as he stares at me, “nice.”

“Henry,” Lynn warns, blasting him with a scowl that could kill. “I thought you said you had stuff to do for work.”

“I do.” His eyes linger on me a beat or two longer then he stands up and says to Lynn, “I’ll be in the office if anyone needs anything.” He crosses the room, patting me on the shoulder as he passes. “It’s nice to have you back,” he whispers before hurrying down the hallway to his office.

Lynn must have heard him, because her attention zeroes in on me. “So, Isabella,” she says my name in the craziest way, like it’s an insult. “I see you had a pretty fun trip and got yourself a little makeover.”

“You could say that,” I reply dryly, sensing a punch line coming.

Her face pinches as she purposefully takes in my outfit. “You should’ve taken my advice. Dresses don’t suit you, hon.”

Hannah snickers as she takes out a pair of high heels from a box. “Don’t be an idiot, Mom. Nothing suits her.”

“Be nice, Hannah,” Lynn says, smiling. “She can hear us.”

I roll my tongue inside my mouth. I won’t cry. I won’t. “What happened to my room?”

Lynn exchanges a fleeting glance with Hannah then looks back at me. “We decided to get it ready for when you move out next year. We’re going to turn it into a guestroom.”

My fingers curl inward and pierce into my palms. “Okay. But where did you put all of my drawings and posters.”

“I threw them away.” She pulls out a silver dress from one of the bags. “They weren’t in the best condition anyway. Most of the corners of the posters were torn, and those drawings . . .” She lays the dress down. “ . . . well, I’ve been telling you for years how much I don’t like those drawings, and decided it was time for them to go.” She looks at me with her hands in her lap, her back straight, trying to appear so proper, the innocent victim.

But she’s not fooling me. I can see the evil villain hidden inside her, the one who hates me and has been trying to ruin my life for the last fourteen years. Maybe that’s why I’m really here. Maybe she wanted to punish my dad for cheating on her by torturing me.

“Awesome. I’ve been meaning to redecorate anyway.” I plaster on a smile that only grows when both their jaws drop.

I should feel more satisfied than I do. I mean, I finally struck them speechless. In the end, though, I have to return to my room, where all I have left is the suitcases of stuff I brought back with me on my trip. Sure, it could