Chapter 2

I sat on the edge of the bed, the thin mattress creaking.

This time, no screaming match at a parade.

That just played into their hands.

I had to be smart.

My dad. Vietnam vet. Highly decorated.

His medals. I kept them in a box.

And a letter, a commendation from a Colonel Peterson.

Dad always said, "There are good men, Sarah. Men of honor."

Colonel Peterson. That was my new path.

But first, the scholarship committee. I had to try the official way, show I wasn't just hysterical.

"Kevin, get dressed. We're going to the town hall."

He looked at me, confused. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Just trust me, sweetie."

At the town hall, the air was stale.

The committee secretary, a woman with a tight perm and tighter lips, barely looked up.

"The decisions are final," she said, her voice flat.

"But there's been a mistake. My son, Kevin Miller, he earned that scholarship."

"Mrs. Miller, the committee has made its choice."

Just then, the door opened.

Mike strode in, Brenda glued to his side.

Someone on the committee must have called him.

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Mike' s voice was all fake concern.

Brenda started dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "Oh, Sarah, please don't make a scene. It's not good for Chad."

People in the hallway started whispering. "That's her, Mike Johnson's ex." "Always causing trouble."

Chad Smith, Brenda' s boy, swaggered in behind them.

He smirked at Kevin. "Guess you're not so smart after all, Miller."

Kevin clenched his fists. "Shut up, Chad."

Chad shoved Kevin. Hard.

Kevin stumbled back.

Mike rushed forward, not to Kevin, but to Chad. "You okay, son? Did he hurt you?"

He glared at me and Kevin. "See? This is what I have to deal with."

We were the aggressors. Again.

Mike then said, his voice low and "reasonable," "Sarah, let's not air our dirty laundry in public. Come back to the house. We can talk about this calmly. For Kevin's sake."

Brenda nodded, sniffing. "Yes, for the children."

The house. Their house now. I didn't want to go.

But what choice did I have? They'd already painted me as the villain here.