I nodded in response. The bus ride home was quiet. Lamai could sense something was wrong, so she rambled on about sewing and some large fabric store in Portland. I thought the nightmare of a Monday was done with, but I was dead wrong. As soon as I got through the door, my mom pounced on me like a hawk.
"Have you seen your grades recently?" she demanded.
"Mom," I said, "I just got on the door, chill."
"'Chill'? You want me to 'chill'? How can I chill when my only child is failing a majority of her classes?"
"What?" I said, flabbergasted. I knew my grades weren't great, but I thought I wasn't failing them.
She waved a piece of paper in front of my face that showed all my grades. I wasn't failing; I had three B pluses, a B minus, and two Cs. "This is unacceptable," she said.
"Mom, I'm not failing," I started.
"Well, you're not getting the grades you need for college so you better shape up!"
"Mom,"
"Do you really think you can have a career in fashion design? If you don't get the grades, then you will have practically no future!"
"Mom,"
"Why can't you be like your friends? They get such good grades. I was talking to Mrs. Balangue and she said that Mila was getting straight As,"
"Mom, you can't compare me to my friends!" I looked over to my dad for help. He was sitting in the office connected to the front room reading the paper. He refused to make eye contact with me and acted like the Sports section in the paper was interesting which is complete bullshit because I know for a fact that he doesn't like sports.
"Why don't you get help from your friends?" my mom said, "I'm sure they'd be glad to help you out,
"I don't believe you understand the whole situation, Mom," I said calmly, "I am getting help right now; I'm going to the library at four o'clock-"
"With that Ben guy?" she snapped, "I don't think that he can help you; he's just a distraction that needs to be saved for when you have a 4.0 gpa,"
"Mom!" I shouted, "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm trying to help you," she said with a pure look of innocence.
"By belittling me? By making me feel like I have no future?"
"Well, honey, it's true," she said, "Designing clothes won't be enough to feed you, but a nice job at Microsoft or Amazon could,"
"I am not going to be some corporate clone that works a nine to five,"
"I'm just trying to help you have a successful future," she said, upset.
"Have you seen your grades recently?" she demanded.
"Mom," I said, "I just got on the door, chill."
"'Chill'? You want me to 'chill'? How can I chill when my only child is failing a majority of her classes?"
"What?" I said, flabbergasted. I knew my grades weren't great, but I thought I wasn't failing them.
She waved a piece of paper in front of my face that showed all my grades. I wasn't failing; I had three B pluses, a B minus, and two Cs. "This is unacceptable," she said.
"Mom, I'm not failing," I started.
"Well, you're not getting the grades you need for college so you better shape up!"
"Mom,"
"Do you really think you can have a career in fashion design? If you don't get the grades, then you will have practically no future!"
"Mom,"
"Why can't you be like your friends? They get such good grades. I was talking to Mrs. Balangue and she said that Mila was getting straight As,"
"Mom, you can't compare me to my friends!" I looked over to my dad for help. He was sitting in the office connected to the front room reading the paper. He refused to make eye contact with me and acted like the Sports section in the paper was interesting which is complete bullshit because I know for a fact that he doesn't like sports.
"Why don't you get help from your friends?" my mom said, "I'm sure they'd be glad to help you out,
"I don't believe you understand the whole situation, Mom," I said calmly, "I am getting help right now; I'm going to the library at four o'clock-"
"With that Ben guy?" she snapped, "I don't think that he can help you; he's just a distraction that needs to be saved for when you have a 4.0 gpa,"
"Mom!" I shouted, "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm trying to help you," she said with a pure look of innocence.
"By belittling me? By making me feel like I have no future?"
"Well, honey, it's true," she said, "Designing clothes won't be enough to feed you, but a nice job at Microsoft or Amazon could,"
"I am not going to be some corporate clone that works a nine to five,"
"I'm just trying to help you have a successful future," she said, upset.
