Page 374 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“Whatever,” I say. “It’s not like it’s playoffs or anything.”

“Good. I’d have felt bad if I had to miss an important game.”

My jaw clenches, but I force my attention back to my plate so I don’t glare at Dad. He used to come to every single Friday night game. And I never got the feeling he did it because it was expected of him, although which fatherwouldn’twant to watch his son the quarterback thrashing the other team? Back then, Dad even made a point to bring Rosie, although I know he hates trying to take her out because he never knows what to do when she has a meltdown in public.

That’s why she takes a bus. Dad doesn’t have the patience to sit through a tantrum en route to her special needs school on the other side of town. Not that Cinderhart is all that fucking big to begin with. He’s justthatunqualified.

Conversation moves away from football—not that it ever really sticks on it these days—and I pick at my food for a bit before I become aware of eyes on me. When I look up, Rosie is watching me intently. She takes after myrealmom. Bonnie had fair hair, brown eyes, and the most infectious smile I’d ever seen. Rosie’s eyes are wide as saucers, staring like she’s pleading for help. She does this a lot these days.

I wish I could figure out why.

We all took it hard when Rosie was diagnosed with intellectual disability and hypertonia. As a baby, that shit isn’t as readily apparent as it is with a toddler. Rosie just took longer than most kids her age to sit up, crawl, walk. Speaking, especially, she found hard to do. The doctors say she’ll reach a plateau one day, her own mental peak—and that day isn’t far off. I can’t imagine being trapped in the mind of a ten-year-old the rest of my life but, luckily, Rosie wouldn’t know any better.

I smile at her and then move my gaze to her plate. She widens her eyes at me and shakes her head.

No.

I look up, staring at my father then at Diana before meeting Rosie’s eyes again.

No one’s looking.

Rosie takes turns looking at everyone around the table, and then back at me. She bites her lip, ducks her head, and pops a potato into her mouth.

No one notices.

No one cares.

Dad says something almost witty, making Harper and Diana fake-laugh. I pull a face at Rosie, scrunching up my mouth and nose like I’m going to puke. My little sister bursts out laughing, spraying half-chewed potato all over the roast chicken before she can clap her hands over her mouth. In the sudden silence that follows, her shoulders collapse like she’s deflating from the inside.

“Time for bed, Rosie,” my father says in a steely voice.

Rosie keeps her hands over her mouth as she slips off the chair and scrambles up the stairs to her bedroom.

I sit back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. “She wasn’t done eating.”

My father leans an elbow on the table as he makes eye contact with me. He grabs his wine glass, studying me with his head tilted to the side as he brings it to his mouth as if daring me to turn this into a fight. And why not? Arguing seems to have replaced all of the usual family activities we used to have before the Sloanes arrived.

“You know, she could do to lose a few pounds,” Diana says. “We should dish up less carbohydrates for her tomorrow, Wayne.”

I stand up so fast, my chair tumbles to the floor behind me.

Diana gasps, a hand fluttering to her chest as if I’ve just taken out a fucking assault rifle.

“Time you went to bed too,” Dad says.

“Exactly where I was going.”

Diana is up in an instant. “I’m going to watch my show. Harper, clean the table.”

A cruel smile plays on my mouth as I watch my stepsister’s face fall. “But Mom, I?—”

“Don’t worry, Jude can help,” Dad says.

My smile evaporates.

Of course I can. My only mission in life is to make Harper more comfortable. We watch as my dad and her mom leave arm-in-arm, taking the bottle of wine and their glasses with them.

Harper reaches for her wine glass, but I snatch it away before she can grab it. Gone is the attentive, perky little smile and glittering eyes. She’s scowling like a demon, her true face revealed now that our parents aren’t in the room anymore.

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