Chapter 26
“Mom, I’ve got it under control, don’t worry, it’s all good,” Summer said softly, pausing for a brief moment before continuing. “There’s something kinda bizarre though. Mom, didn’t you tell me that Mirabella’s grades were a total mess?”
Mandy’s eyes were closed in the bliss of her daughter’s massage. She took her time before responding in a faint voice, “Yeah, what about it?”
Summer’s hands didn’t cease their gentle motions as she prodded cautiously. “It looks like she’s about to enroll at Parkside High School.”
At that, Mandy’s eyelids snapped open, her body turning slightly to cast an incredulous glance at Summer standing behind her. “What did you just say?”
Summer watched the astonishment wash over her mother’s face, a hint of skepticism flashing in her eyes. “Emmitt came to me tonight. He mentioned that Mirabella’s going to Parkside High School and asked me to keep an eye on her, you know, on the down–low.”
With a flicker of curiosity, Summer asked, “Mom, did you and Dad pull some strings or something? How else could she get into Parkside High School?”
“How could we? With her grades, she’d be lucky to get into any regular high school, let alone Parkside. If your father and I had intervened, wouldn’t that be hurting the Gilbert family’s reputation?” Mandy scoffed lightly.
“So you didn’t help her? How did she get into Parkside High School then…?” Summer’s face was tinged with curiosity.
Mandy’s expression darkened, her tone matching her mood, “Are you sure about this?”
Summer nodded confidently. “I’m certain. Emmitt told me himself. He wouldn’t lie to me.”
Mandy sat up straight, silent for a moment, then reached for the smartphone on the coffee table.
Mirabella was tinkering with a collection of antiquated–looking gadgets when her phone, lying on the bed, began to ring. She paused, glanced at it, then continued working on her nearly finished project, ignoring the call. However, the caller was persistent, and the ringing continued without respite.
Focused on her task, Mirabella remained undisturbed. Soon after, she had carefully bottled the substance extracted from the apparatus and finally removed her gloves at a leisurely pace.
The phone was still ringing. This time, Mirabella didn’t ignore it. She walked over to the bed, picked up the phone, and, seeing the caller ID, she hesitated for a moment. With a quick swipe, she answered the call, only to be greeted by Mandy’s frantic voice. “I’ve called you countless times. Why haven’t you picked up?”
Mirabella held the phone away from her ear, countering her foster mother’s interrogation with a cool query. “Something up?”
On the other end, Mandy grew more irate “what is that.
Rubbing her temples, Mirabella had no patience for the nagging. “If there’s nothing important. I’m hanging up.”
Aware that her foster daughter had grown increasingly rebellious and unrecognizable over the past year, Mandy cut to the chase.
“I have no idea what you pulled to get a spot at Parkside High School, but I’m telling you now, I don’t want you there. Your presence would be the joke of Parkside, a stain on the Gilbert family’s name.
“Pick any other school in the city, and the Gilbert family can pull some strings to get you in. We’ll even cover the tuition. But on one condition–you never tell anyone you were once a Gilbert.”
At these words, Mirabella’s eyebrows arched with amusement, and she remarked rather earnestly. “Is the Gilbert family the richest in the world or something?”
