Terribly sorry that this took so long, but I was away for a week, and had absolutely NO access to a computer what-so-ever...
After narrowly avoiding my elderly neighbor and her pet parakeet, I tumbled into my house and slammed the door shut behind me. Whilst somehow managing to trip over a small dust particle. Which was quite odd, frankly… Our humble abode was usually cleaner than that…
My observation on the cleanliness of our house was abruptly interrupted by an annoying tapping noise. From my clear vantage point on the floor, I saw the purple torture instrument more commonly referred to as a 'high heel' beating away on the poor, abused hard wood flooring. I looked up.
"Uh, hi Karen?" I managed a weak smile. She glared at me, and I practiced my innocent-cute-kitten face.
"Is something wrong?" I asked ingenuously as I stood up, and tripped over that infuriatingly annoying dust particle again.
"You're late." She snarled. I pretended to be confused.
"I'm a latte?"
"Nice try. You're grounded."
I swore under my breath, and then attempted to stand up again. Note 'attempted'. Bloody princess dress.
Karen's eyebrows drew together as she observed my ineptness.
"Why were you late?" She asked as I finally succeeded in standing up.
"I was… meandering." I proclaimed dramatically as I swept down the hallway, and up to the stairs. Just before I reached the safety of my bedroom, my father wandered out of a spare room, and keenly observed that I hadn't been eaten by tigers on my way home.
"Sarah, you're twenty minutes late."
"We've already established that, Henry." Karen snapped from the ground floor.
"I'm sorry." I said, after Karen had rudely finished interrupting me. She gave me a dirty look, and decided it was time to start lecturing.
"Sarah, you're father and I never go out…"
I rolled my eyes.
"What about last weekend?" I asked, leaning over the railing. Karen glared daggers at me.
"Last weekend was different."
"And the weekend before that?" I inquired, my voice lilting.
"I always ask you if you have plans before I have you baby-sit!" Karen argued feebly.
I rolled my eyes again.
"It's not like I force you to baby-sit your brother!" Karen protested angrily.
Wow, I was really getting good at this whole eye rolling thing. Unfortunately, Karen didn't agree with me, and she pouted.
"Fine, be that way. Henry, I'm going to go wait in the car." She turned and flung open the door, slamming it on the way out.
My father sighed. I looked over at him.
"I overdid it this time, didn't I?" I asked dryly.
He nodded.
"Sarah, you at least have to try to give her a chance to be your mother…"
"She's not my mother." I said coldly.
"Sarah…"
"She's not my mother."
I turned, and walked down to my room, and slammed the door behind me.
Hey, sorry if Sarah sounded a little bratty this chapter, but she's only human, and a teenager at that... And now you know why she's like that. Hopefully, if you were paying attention, you will know why. If you do, I will give you a pet goldfish to love, and to keep, and to call Bob...