Olivia’s birthday was here.
As the party got closer, everyone in the Chiang
family was dressed to the nines.
I was wearing a snow–white dress that Olivia
had picked out, and my hair was styled with a
pretty bow.
But as soon as I put it on, David, wearing a suit, came in and ripped the bow off. He demanded, “Why is she wearing the same clothes as Amy?”
Olivia said, “Because she’s your sister now.”
David pointed at me. “She’s not my sister. My sister is dead.”
Olivia said coldly, “This family isn’t your domain,
at least not until I’m gone too.”
く
“Fine. Whatever.” David sneered.
He turned to me. “Jane, listen up. You don’t
deserve any of this.”
I didn’t say anything.
David stared me down. “Jane, don’t you have
any self–respect?”
I froze.
I finally understood why Summer had suffocated
in the Chiang household.
I could imagine what would happen if she were
here. The torrent of hurt would consume her.
But I guess I’m just a bit thick–skinned. The
insults just bounced off.
“Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time.”
<
David said to Olivia, “Mom, look at her, she’s
pathetic.”
Olivia frowned. “Jane, what did I tell you?”
Oh right, be like Amy.
I reached out. “David, can I have the bow
back?”
All I had to do was follow orders.
David flinched and threw the bow at me. “Don’t
ever call me that again.”
Nope, Olivia’s in charge here.
8
At the party, Summer showed up, since the
Chiangs and Petersons were close family
friends.
you leve, we
wallet. “Jane, I have so much allowance money
now! Did you get Aunt Olivia a birthday gift? A
gift is a must, and if you don’t have enough money, I’ll help you out.”
“No, it’s okay, keep it for yourself. Just in case…” I stopped myself. I almost said “Just in case the Petersons don’t want you.” but then I remembered Summer wasn’t me. The Petersons would love her.
I went on, “I already gave Olivia my gift.”
“What was it?”
“Olivia likes watercolor paintings, so I painted one.”
Summer said, “I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Before I gave it to her, I wasn’t sure if Olivia
would like it.
<
But this morning, when I saw the watercolor
painting in the trash, I knew she didn’t.
Oh well.
Summer and I were talking when Olivia came
over and pulled me away. She wanted me to
meet some of the guests.
Chapter 2
9
“This is our new addition,” Olivia said, all smiles
as she introduced me.
“Taking in an orphan, Arthur and Olivia? You’re
practically saints!”
“Look at her, so bright and pretty. You’d never
guess she’d had a tough life.”
As they were making small talk, one of the
<
women shoved her daughter forward. “Tammy,
you and Amy used to be so close. Jane is a
Chiang now, so you need to get to know her.”
Tammy, looked like she thought she was better
than everyone, was giving me the side–eye. The
adults pushed us aside so we could bond.
The first thing Tammy said was, “Take off your
dress and that ridiculous bow. What makes you
think you can parade around as Amy?”
I said, “They adopted me. What else do you want me to say?”
Tammy smirked. “Right, you’re from a…
background. I guess you know how to play people.”
Oh, she was calling me an orphan.
I said, “There’s a pool right there. I could push
you in.”
Tammy laughed. She leaned in and whispered,
“You won’t have to. Just wait.”
She didn’t even finish the sentence before she
threw herself into the pool.
Splash! She started thrashing and screaming,
“Help me! Jane’s trying to kill me! Help!”
Everyone in the area turned to look.
Arthur and Olivia rushed over. Olivia glared at me as she passed.
I stood on the edge, watching as David ripped off his suit jacket and jumped in to save her.
Tammy clung to him, gasping and shivering.
After the maid handed over some towels, Olivia wrapped Tammy up. “It’s okay, honey. You’re okay.”
<
Before I could say anything, Tammy’s mom
jumped in. “Young lady, I told Tammy to come over and talk to you. If you have a problem, you can take it up with me. Don’t bully my daughter!”
People started whispering, “I knew there was something wrong with orphans. See? She’s already causing trouble.”
“Jane!” Olivia said, “What happened?”
I pointed at Tammy. “She told me to take off
my dress. I said no, so she jumped in.”
Tammy’s mom said, “Liar! Tammy would never
do that,”
Suddenly, Summer burst onto the scene, out of breath. “I was on the balcony upstairs, and I saw David looking at them.” She turned to
David. “So you saw something, right?”
<
78
David’s wet hair dripped onto his face, making
him look cold and distant. “I didn’t see
anything.”
The atmosphere got really awkward.
Everyone was trying to figure out if they should side with the Tams or the Chiangs.
Then, Summer’s mom stepped in and said, “Oh, calm down everyone. I just saw it. Two girls
were playing and one fell in. No big deal.”
Arthur caught on quickly. “The kids were being
careless. We’ll talk to them later.”
Tammy’s mom grumbled, “Fine, we’ll talk to them.”
After that, the party was over for me.
I got sent upstairs, but I wanted to say goodbye
to Summer before she left.
<
I heard Summer ask her mom, “You didn’t see
anything. Why did you say you did?”
