Only After I Died Did Mom Say I Didn't Need A Perfect Score

I was always the dumb child in the family. My sister, Chloe, was the smart one. Every time Chloe got a perfect score, she was allowed to take one of my belongings. The first time, she took my backpack. The second time, she took the necklace Aunt Valerie gave me. The third time, she took my bedroom. I cried and went to Mom to argue, but she only said, "When you get a perfect score, you'll get all of it back." From then on, I stayed up studying late into the night every single day after school. Finally, on my twelfth birthday, I got my very first 100%. Excitedly, I ran to show Mom my test paper. But to my horror, she snatched it and tore it to pieces. "You barely got a 60 last time. How could you suddenly get a 100%?" "I thought you were just slow, but I didn't think you'd actually cheat!" Without another word, Mom locked me out in the freezing sunroom and took Chloe out to celebrate. I pressed my face against the glass, screaming her name, but she never looked back. By the time I fell from the sunroom window, she was already long gone. When I woke up, I found myself standing right next to them. Only, they couldn't see me anymore. I watched my parents and Chloe sitting in a beautiful French restaurant. There was a cake on the table, Chloe's favorite flavor. I hid in the corner, listening to my parents sing the birthday song. And together with Chloe, I made a silent wish. They didn't notice me this time. Usually, if they saw me, Mom would pinch my ear and drag me away. I folded my hands. I wish... I could hold Mom's hand just once. Watching the movement of Chloe's lips, I blew out the candles with her. I followed them to the mall. Mom bought a pricey, gorgeous collector's doll. Chloe held it tightly, looking like she had just remembered something. "Today is Nova's birthday too. Aren't we going to buy her something?" Mom quickly swiped her card to pay and pulled Chloe to the side. "Don't say anything to Nova, or she'll throw a tantrum again." "Besides, Valerie will buy her something anyway." But Aunt Valerie had already moved to Europe after a huge screaming match with Mom. Valerie had called Mom crazy for making me sleep in the unheated sunroom during the winter. "You can't treat the kids differently just because of their grades, Eleanor! It's not fair to Nova." "If you don't want her, let me adopt her! I don't care if she gets straight A's. At least she will have a warm place to sleep in the winter." Mom had shoved her out the door. "Mind your own business. Nova hasn't complained, so why are you acting so dramatic?" "Your own daughter died, so now you're eyeing mine? Are you jealous because Chloe is talented, and now you want to tear my family apart?" Valerie's face turned white with rage. She packed her bags and left the country. Before she left, she slipped me a debit card and told me to buy myself some decent food. But Mom confiscated it the very next day to buy Chloe a new designer coat. I didn't feel much. It didn't matter. Whatever Valerie bought me always ended up in Chloe's hands anyway. But Mom was always bitter about it. Whenever Valerie tried to be nice to me, Mom would make passive-aggressive comments. One evening, Dad cooked a plate of garlic butter shrimp that Chloe loved. I reached out to try one, but Mom snatched the plate away. "You didn't get a perfect score, so you don't get to eat this. If you want it so badly, ask your precious Aunt Valerie to buy it for you." She shoved a plate of plain, cold boiled greens in front of me. I quietly ate the greens with my plain oatmeal. Chloe, on the other hand, was sipping creamy lobster bisque, surrounded by all her favorite dishes. Because of this, I was much shorter than Chloe. I was as thin as a twig, my face pale and sickly. Yet Mom would sneer, "Your grades are trash, but your face looks even worse than Chloe's. Anyone looking at you would think you actually study hard." So, when I finally got my first perfect score. Mom tore the paper on the spot and demanded to call my teacher to investigate. The phone rang for a long time. Losing her patience, she hung up and poked my forehead hard with her finger. "You? A 100%?" "Your math scores are usually in the 60s. Just to make a birthday wish, you've learned how to cheat!" Chloe laughed at me. "Nova, even if you wanted to celebrate your birthday, you shouldn't lie. After all, I only got all this because I actually earned my perfect scores." No matter how I begged and explained, they wouldn't believe me. They just found me annoying and loud. They locked me in the sunroom and drove off to celebrate Chloe's birthday. Recalling the moment the world flipped upside down, I suddenly understood. When they finished dinner and drove back, Mom was sitting in the back seat. Chloe rested her head on Mom's shoulder, and Mom held her hand tightly. I hesitantly reached out and took Mom's other hand. She didn't shake me off, nor did she yell at me. Even though I still didn't get my own birthday party, for the first time, my birthday wish had come true. Maybe being dead wasn't so bad after all.When they got home, the living room was pitch black. Only the light in the sunroom was still on. I nervously fidgeted with my fingers. "I'm sorry, Mom. I forgot to turn off the light. I'll remember next time..." Mom couldn't hear my apology. A flash of irritation crossed her face. She kicked her shoes off loudly on purpose. "I haven't even confronted her about her lying yet, and she's already throwing a fit? Doesn't she know her parents are home?" "And to think we even brought back a little gift for her. If she doesn't come out right now, she gets nothing." A gift? When did Mom ever buy me a gift? I desperately wanted them to go to the sunroom. I didn't want to hide, and I didn't want to reject the gift. Most of all, I didn't want to make Mom angry. But the only response to her shout was the flickering of the sunroom light. Mom scoffed and flipped the breaker switch to the sunroom. She even dragged the small space heater, the only source of warmth there, back into the living room. "Fine. If you want to be stubborn, stay in the dark." Chloe rummaged through the shopping bags. "Mom, which one is Nova's gift? I'll take it to her." Mom gently patted her head. "You're such a sweet girl. Not like your sister, throwing a tantrum over every little thing." "Give her this one. She didn't get a perfect score, so giving her anything at all is already a huge exception." The "gift" was just a cheap plastic keychain that came free with Chloe's expensive toy. Still, I comforted myself. This is the first birthday gift Mom has ever given me. I didn't have to get a perfect score for it. I didn't have to cry or beg. Mom gave it to me willingly. I promised myself I would treasure it. But Chloe suddenly threw the keychain into the trash can and ran out of the room screaming. Mom and Dad rushed out of their bedroom. "Mom! Nova said she doesn't want trash! She said I was showing off, and she pushed me!" There was a tiny scratch on Chloe's hand. It was just a light scrape from when she threw the toy away. Mom's anger instantly flared. She grabbed a wooden ruler from the counter and started searching for me. "Nova Carter! Do you have any idea how important Chloe's hands are? She needs them for writing! Just because you're stupid and jealous, you want to ruin your sister's life?" Dad tried to calm her down. "It's just a tiny scratch, Eleanor. It's not a big deal." Chloe sobbed dramatically. "Nova ran out. She said if you guys don't look for her, she'll never come back." Mom froze. "Fine! Let her run. Don't look for her! Let's see how many days she lasts out there!" I curled my shoulders and began to cry. Mom never believed me. The first time Chloe framed me, Mom had only asked, "What do you mean, 'your stuff'? Did you get a 100%? Only people who get perfect scores deserve to own things." But that journal was a gift from my classmate. Later, Chloe told everyone at school that I threw the journal in the trash. My friend stopped talking to me. When I told Mom, she actually praised Chloe. "Chloe did the right thing. That friend of yours had terrible grades anyway. You shouldn't hang out with losers." So I was forced to only play with Chloe. And Mom always took her side. If Mom had only known I really got a 100%, would she have believed me just this once? As if answering my thoughts, Mom's phone rang. Mrs. Gable's voice came through the speaker. "I'm sorry to call so late, Eleanor. Nova insisted that I call you today." Mom frowned. "What is this about?" "She wanted me to confirm that she really did get a 100% on her math exam."Mom went completely silent. Mrs. Gable sounded confused. "Nova said you might not believe her, so she asked me to call. I think the poor girl just really wanted to hear you praise her." Mom's face instantly turned bright red. After hanging up, Mom realized I still hadn't come home to apologize. She dialed my number. But a boy's voice answered the call. "Hello?" Mom's eyebrows knitted together. "Who is this? Where is Nova?" The line went dead instantly. Only then did I remember that I had sold my smartwatch to my classmate, Benny. The watch was an old hand-me-down from Chloe. I sold it for a hundred dollars, which I spent entirely on a bouquet of flowers for Mom's birthday. But Mom hadn't even looked at them. She said I was wasting money. Yet, when Chloe handed her a single wild dandelion, Mom called her the sweetest angel in the world. As for why Benny hung up so quickly—it was because Mom had gone to the school and threatened my classmates. "None of you failing kids are allowed to play with Nova! If her grades drop because of you, I'll hold you responsible!" After that, nobody dared to talk to me. I had to clean the boys' restrooms for two weeks just to get Benny to buy that watch from me. Dad looked out the window, frowning. "It's about to pour. Where could Nova have gone?" Mom squeezed back into the living room, dismissing it. "Don't worry about her. She knows the way. Once she gets wet, she'll come crawling back." This was the first time Mom had stepped near the sunroom since I was banished there. She immediately shivered. "Why is it so freezing in here compared to the rest of the house?" A flicker of awkwardness crossed her face. She was probably remembering my hands, which were always red and swollen from the cold. Back then, she had claimed I got them from playing outside too much and said it would teach me a lesson. The sunroom was piled with boxes of books. The most prominent thing was a family portrait resting on top of them. Mom and Dad were holding Chloe in the middle, smiling with pure adoration. I was barely in the frame, trying to squeeze my head in, looking like I was on the verge of tears. Mom put on a jacket and went downstairs to look around the block. She called my name, her tone unusually soft. She ran into Mr. Henderson, who was walking his dog. "I've been out here for an hour, Eleanor. I haven't seen Nova walk out of the building." Frustrated, Mom went back upstairs and started complaining to Dad. "Nova is getting stranger and stranger as she grows up. Who would have thought she actually got a 100%?" "I actually went down to look for her, but Mr. Henderson said she never even left. She must be hiding somewhere in the house, watching us worry and laughing to herself." Mom was right. I was indeed in the house. And watching them look for me did bring me a strange sense of comfort. Once, Chloe had hidden herself. Mom and Dad searched for a whole day, only for Chloe to walk out of the police station eating french fries and drinking soda. I had tried to copy her and hid, but nobody noticed I was gone for an entire day. It was only when my teacher called Mom that she finally noticed. Mom was so angry she slammed the kitchen table. Terrified, I had crawled out of the closet. It was so simple, yet they could never find me. I looked at my cold, darkening body wedged behind the outdoor AC compressor unit just outside the sunroom window. It really was the ultimate hiding spot. I wondered how long it would take Mom and Dad to find me this time.Mom quickly gave up on searching for me and went back to spoiling Chloe. Chloe messed up on a test and brought home a 90%. Mom barely even frowned. Instead, she immediately hired a private, live-in tutor. Chloe's bedroom door was finally kept open. Only then did I realize what had been hidden behind that closed door. The packed study schedule was filled with expensive tutors Mom had hired. Every time the tutors arrived, Mom would find some excuse to kick me out of the house. She would say the sunroom needed airing out. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. Chloe was never a natural-born genius. And I was never stupid. I had worked so hard to get that 100%, but I died before I could even taste a slice of birthday cake. Outside, the thunder roared, echoing my silent cries. Suddenly, I really wanted Mom and Dad to find me. I wanted to see if they would cry for me. Only then would I know if I was ever loved. I rushed in front of them, pushing them with all my might, but my hands passed right through their bodies. They ignored me completely. Even when Mrs. Gable called to report my absence from school, Mom remained perfectly calm. "She probably ran off to her Aunt Valerie's place. That's the only place she could be." Dad waved his hand in irritation. "Stop talking about her. We say two words to her and she runs away. If she's so tough, she can stay gone forever." That was until Aunt Valerie called. "Eleanor, Nova's phone is dead. Has something happened?" Mom snapped, "Who are you trying to curse? Are you just mad because my daughters are doing well?" Valerie choked back her anger but persisted. "Put Nova on the phone. Let me hear her voice, and I'll leave you alone." Mom laughed coldly. "Didn't Nova go to you? What, is she homesick now, so she got you to play along with this little drama to make us worry?" I didn't. It wasn't me. But Mom couldn't hear me. Even if she did, she wouldn't believe me. Mom slammed the phone down. "She's getting too good at lying. When she gets back, I'm going to teach her a lesson she'll never forget." I couldn't even force a smile anymore. But to Mom's surprise, Aunt Valerie flew back to the country just two days later. She stood at our door, accompanied by Mr. Henderson, and rang the doorbell furiously. Seeing them, Mom snapped, "You complained about a weird smell in the building, and I let you check our place. You didn't find anything, yet you keep bothering us." "First you brought the building manager, then the security guard, and now you brought my sister. What's next? Are you going to bring the police?" Mr. Henderson shrank behind Valerie, but Valerie pushed Mom aside and stormed in. "Nova! Nova!" She frantically opened every door, but there was no sign of me. Mom scoffed. "You don't have to put on such a show. Just tell Nova I forgive her. Tell her to come home." Valerie's eyes turned bloodshot instantly. "She is not with me! I just got off the plane!" Mom smirked. "Impossible. She has nowhere else to go." Valerie pulled up her phone, pointing at the digital boarding pass and flight times. "I left the country right after our fight! Nova never contacted me. I only flew back because her phone was dead and your attitude felt wrong!" Mom still looked skeptical. Valerie didn't waste any more words. She pulled out her phone and dialed 911. Mom screamed, "You're doing this on purpose just to humiliate me! All of this over a clogged drain smell?!" Dad ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Let her call. If Nova isn't with Valerie, where could a twelve-year-old go? She couldn't have vanished into thin air." "Let the police look. We searched, maybe she's just hiding really well." "Once we find her, we are locking her down. This is ridiculous!" The moment the police officers stepped inside, their faces paled. The unmistakable scent of decay hit them instantly. They immediately cordoned off the area. My parents' hearts skipped a beat. The officers systematically searched the apartment until one of them looked out the sunroom window. "We found a body!"