Page 5 of Falling for the Forward

“You look so bad!”

“Not as bad as you.” Charlotte wrinkles her face in a sneer.

“Mom said we should never cut our own hair. Youruinedit!”

I put a hand up. “Okay, girls. Let’s not fight about it. It’s already done.”

“Give me the scissors,” Olivia says sharply. “You don’t get to have them anymore.”

Charlotte slams her juice down on the kitchen island, liquid sloshing out of the bottle. “Stop trying to act like Mom!”

Olivia narrows her eyes and gives me a look. “Aren’t you going to do something?”

“Like what? I can’t put her hair back.”

She pinches her brows together in an expression that reminds me so much of my sister I feel a tug in my chest. “You can’t just do nothing! Take away the scissors! Punish her!”

Charlotte’s hands are fisted at her sides. “It’s not your business, Olivia! You’re the one who should be punished for watching an R-rated movie!”

Olivia’s cheeks turn pink. I give her my best stern look. “You were watching an R-rated movie?”

“You’re such a brat!” she yells at Charlotte.

“Me? I w--”

“That’s it, girls!” I look between them. “Not another word out of either one of you.”

Charlotte locks eyes with me, glowering. Olivia’s gaze is fixed on the floor, her arms crossed. But they both stay quiet.

“Charlotte, you need to bring me every pair of scissors you have. From now on, you need to ask me before you use them.”

Her mouth forms an indignantO. “What? That’s not fair.”

“I’m the law in this house, so I decide what’s fair.”

That’s what my dad used to say when Rachel and I were kids. I hated it then, but it makes a lot of sense when you’re standing on this side of an argument with a child.

I look at Olivia. “And you aren’t allowed to watch anything on a screen without getting my permission first.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very serious.”

Charlotte starts to stomp off, but I say, “You need to clean up your mess.”

She gets some paper towels and wipes up the juice, scowling. Olivia walks over to the fridge and opens it.

“What’s for dinner?” she asks.

“I’ll order something.” I look at the clock and see that it’s almost 4:30 p.m. “Do you guys want me to order now?”

“Can we get pizza?” Hallie asks, still coloring.

“We just had pizza last night,” Charlotte says. “I want Chinese food.”

“That’s not healthy,” Olivia says.

I grab a fresh piece of paper from the package of computer printer paper I bought for Hallie to color on. If only I could manifest peace between these girls. They can go from hugging to arguing in five seconds flat.

---