Page 8 of My Blind Date is a Demon

“The teacher made me,” she says.

“Well, I think you should do it again. Like you mean it.”

“Fine,” she says.

“And you and Jenny got into a shoving match?” I’m surprised the school didn’t call me about that one.

“She was being rude,” Bella says.

“Oh? About what?”

Bella sighs and finally looks up at me. “Beverly said I should tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“There’s a daddy-daughter dance coming up at school.”

My heart seizes in my chest. “Wh-what?”

She slumps down in her seat. “Yeah. And Jenny said I should let her borrow my yellow princess dress since I won’t need it since I won’t be going.”

I rub my forehead. I’m going to have to call the school about this. What a stupid, antiquated tradition.

“Okay, first of all, if you want to go, your grandfather can take you.” Bella’s father’s parents have pretty much cut off all contact with us, but my parents still live in Mystic Cove. They are pretty busy people, but they do help out when they can. I’m sure this is an event that Dad can make time for.

“No,” she says, looking back at her paper.

“Well, what about Kate McGann? She has two moms. What is she doing?”

“I don’t know.”

“And what about Sarah Turner? Her dad is still on deployment, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know.”

I exhale and shake my head. This isn’t something a bunch of fourth and fifth graders should be figuring out on their own anyway. No wonder Bella’s been stressed out lately and acting out at school. It’s totally not cool for the school to be rewarding some students just for having a father and punishing—even unintentionally—those that don’t.

“I’ll call the school and see what they have to say. I’m surprised I haven’t heard about it yet. Did they send home a letter about it?”

“Not yet,” she says. “It’s not for another month. It’s just something people have been talking about.”

“Then maybe it’s not too late to have the school make some changes. Make it a dance for everyone.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she says. “Don’t make a big deal. I’m just not going.”

I sigh and go back to scrubbing the counter, rubbing it extra hard to let out my frustrations. I mean, yeah, life isn’t fair. And there are some things in life Bella’s going to miss out on since she doesn’t have a dad. Like the father-of-the-bride dance at her wedding if she ever gets married. But she’s ten! She shouldn’t be learning the “life isn’t fair” lesson now, should she? And I understand her not wanting me to go to the school and making a scene. She doesn’t want everyone to know that her mom was the one to get the whole dance canceled. But I don’t want it to be canceled. I just want it to include everyone. I really thought Mystic Cove was more progressive than this. But the school hasn’t sent home a note yet. Maybe I don’t have all the information. I just need to be more chill until I learn more.

“Here,” I say, opening the cookie jar and sliding it across the kitchen table toward her.

“Before dinner?” she asks, even though she reaches in and takes one without hesitation.

“You look like you need one,” I say. “It’s been a rough few days, huh?”

“Yeah,” she says.

“Look, your grades have been slipping and you haven’t been very nice to your classmates.”

She nods with downcast eyes, a chocolate chip stuck to the side of her mouth.

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