It was about 9 o'clock. Lindsay was in her room studying when her dad, Richard, walked in. "Hi dad," Lindsay said, turning slightly to acknowledge her father's presence. This was pretty much a nightly routine. "Good girl," he said, "you need to keep those grades up if you're going to get into Harvard." Lindsay gave her dad a half-smile. They both knew she could get into Harvard. "Are you ready for school tomorrow?" He asked. "Yeah," she said, "I just have to do my French homework, but that's easy. I've been speaking French since I was 4. I'm practically fluent." Richard smiled at his daughter. "Good night, Lindsay." "Good night, dad." As far as Richard knew, Lindsay would finish up her homework, maybe talk to her friends for a little while, and go to sleep. But about 20 minutes later, Lindsay was opening up the doors to her balcony as quietly as she could. There was a tree right next to her room that had a tire swing attached to it that she and her sisters, Danielle and Ruthie, had stopped using years ago. Lindsay climbed down the rope and ran across the half-acre or so of grass between her house and the street where her boyfriend, Michael, was in his car waiting for her. She got into his car and they drove to his house.
It was after midnight when Lindsay got home. She figured that everyone was asleep, so she used the front door. She was being quiet though, so she wouldn't wake anybody up. However, Danielle, the older of her two younger sisters, was up and waiting for her. Danielle was sitting on the couch in their ballroom-sized living room. "Not now, Danielle," Lindsay said. "I saw you," Danielle said, "Would you like a medal?" Lindsay replied sarcastically. "No," Danielle said impatiently, "I want to know why you sneak out. Mom and dad love Michael. I'm sure at least mom has already figured that you two are having sex. So, why?" Everything Danielle said was true. Their parents did love Michael, but they wouldn't if they really knew him. He drinks like a fish. The only reason he's passing any of his classes is because his parents donated a ton of money to the school. Worst of all, he turned her parents' perfect daughter into a bad girl. Lindsay sighed, "Danielle, please just forget this happened, okay?" "Fine," Danielle said, "I'll pretend this didn't happen. You're welcome for disabling the alarm by the way." Lindsay gasped when Danielle said that. She didn't even think about the alarm. She should've gone back in the way she went out. Danielle continued, "You should be more careful about coming home after midnight." "Thanks, Dani," Lindsay said, "for everything." Danielle just nodded. The two girls tiptoed up the steps and into their respective bedrooms, and went to sleep.
Two days later was Sunday. For the first time in quite a while, the entire family was eating brunch together. The family was chit chatting. Lindsay had a full plate of scrambled eggs, French toast, and fresh fruit, and of course a mimosa. Her parents were also drinking mimosas. Danielle and Ruthie were drinking straight orange juice, but their parents felt that Lindsay was old enough to drink alcohol responsibly. "So, did you get that essay back, Lindsay?" Her father asked. "Yeah," Lindsay said. "How did you do?" he asked. "An A," Lindsay replied. Of course, Danielle thought as she rolled her eyes, but no one was paying attention to her. "That's my girl," he said, "So, what are your plans for the day?" "I'm going to hit the gym, then I'm going to the library to meet with the kid I'm tutoring for History." "You don't usually tutor on Sunday," their mom, Victoria, commented. "Yeah, Lindsay said, "he has a test on Monday, and he wants to make sure that he's ready for it." Victoria and Richard both just nodded. They all continued to eat and talk. No more than ten minutes later, Lindsay said, "Excuse me." Her plate was clear even though she hadn't eaten two bites before that exchange, and her champagne flute was empty.
Lindsay went down the hall to the half-bath on the first floor. Typically it was only for guests, but Lindsay didn't want to run upstairs to her bathroom. Lindsay turned on the faucet, so she wouldn't be heard. Then she stuck her finger down her throat, and threw up everything she just ate. The guilt she felt from lying to her parents helped Lindsay get everything up for some reason. After she was done, Lindsay took some mouthwash out of the cabinet under the sink and rinsed out her mouth. It was mostly to get that disgusting taste out of her mouth, but also so her family wouldn't be suspicious. Lindsay joined the family again. She continued to chat with them, but this time she wasn't eating anything.
A few hours later, Lindsay had finished her workout at the gym. She headed up to the second floor of the library to meet Michael. Michael really did need a tutor for history, but that wasn't what Lindsay was there for. Michael was sitting against the wall. He was playing a game on his phone. Lindsay joined him, and they started making out. They were in the back of the library. Although there were bookshelves and desks for studying, no one ever went back there. Except for today, of course. Lindsay's youngest sister, Ruthie, was walking over to the table right next to them. Ruthie cleared her throat to get their attention. Lindsay and Michael stopped making out and looked up. "Lindsay!" Ruthie almost shouted. She had realized she was in a library just in time. So, it came out as more of a harsh whisper. "Ruthie," Lindsay said, "What are you doing here?" "I have a group project. We decided to meet here," Ruthie said. "Who drove you here?" Lindsay asked. Ruthie rolled her eyes, "George." George was the family's driver. "I thought you were tutoring," Ruthie said. Lindsay felt her face flush. She really didn't want to have this conversation with her eleven-year-old sister. Lindsay stood up and pulled Michael up with her, so they could go somewhere else. "You'll understand when you're older," Lindsay said. "You don't really think it's going to be that easy, do you?" Ruthie asked. Lindsay had walked past Ruthie. She turned around. "We'll talk later, okay?" she asked. "Fine," Ruthie said. Lindsay and Michael walked away. Ruthie didn't have any intention of letting this go, but she had to for now.