Daisy stood before her teacher, enduring the lecture. She didn’t lower her head, though; she looked the woman straight in the eye.
— You have no shame, — Mrs. Sterling said. — Just look at yourself. You look like you rolled out of a gutter. Don’t tell me you didn’t know this school has a strict dress code. And your Algebra grades? How do you expect to graduate? You think life is just going to hand you a pass?
— I’ll graduate, — Daisy replied shortly.
— Don’t you use that tone with me. Miss Straight-A-Student thinks she’s special. You’re heading straight for the streets, Daisy. Nothing good ever comes from girls like you. You’re going to end up exactly like your mother.
— We’ll see about that. — Daisy tossed her head back defiantly.
— Such insolence! — Mrs. Sterling shrieked.
The teacher opened her mouth to say more, but Daisy was already out the door. Mrs. Sterling pressed her lips into a thin line and retreated to her office, fuming.
The night before, her son, Ethan, had confessed he was in love with Daisy and that they were seeing each other.
— How could you, Ethan? — his mother had gasped. — Don’t you know what that girl is? Look at her family. Don’t even think about it.
— Mom, you can’t help who you love.
— You most certainly can. You’re a senior, Ethan. You have your whole life ahead of you—college, a career—but you need to focus on your SATs. Do you understand? That girl will be lucky to get a GED. I’m surprised she can even read. Even her name sounds like something you’d call a dog.
— Don’t talk about her like that, or we’re going to have a problem.
— We already have a problem if you’re acting like a fool. You need to think about your future.
Ethan looked at his mother but said nothing. She had always been this way; even his father didn’t argue with her. He sighed, thinking that his dad probably became a long-haul trucker just so he wouldn’t have to come home every night.
Mrs. Sterling poured herself a tea, sat at her desk, and plotted how to break them up. She couldn’t think of anything clever, so the next day, the moment she saw Daisy, she simply snapped.
Daisy wasn’t offended; she understood the score. That evening, when she met Ethan, she told him it was over.
— What are you talking about? — Ethan asked, trying to pull her into a hug.
— You know what my parents are like. Your mother throws it in my face every chance she gets. What am I supposed to do? Is it my fault I was born into this?
Ethan couldn’t find the words. He just held her.
— It doesn’t matter, — he whispered. — We’ll stay together. I’ll finish school, go to university, and then we’ll get married.
— See? You’re going to a university. I won’t even make it to community college. I’ll graduate high school and go straight to work.
— Why?
— Because of my grandma. If I leave, my parents will pick her clean. I can’t leave her alone with them. That’s just my life, Ethan.
— It’ll be okay, Daisy. I promise.
After saying goodbye, Daisy went home. The moment she stepped inside, she heard the drunken shouting of her parents. She sighed.
— Will this ever end?
She was turning sixteen in a few days. Not that her parents would remember. Daisy had forgotten how to cry a long time ago. As a child, her father’s temper meant any tears were met with a heavy hand. Her mother would scream at him for it, but that only started a new round of fighting.
She slipped past the kitchen into the small corner room where her grandmother had been bedridden for days.
— Oh, Daisy, you’re home, — the old woman said weakly. — They’ve been at it since this morning.
Daisy winced. — I’m hungry, Grandma.
— My poor girl. Listen, go get your mother. I need to tell her something.
Daisy never found out what her grandmother said, but soon enough, the “party” moved elsewhere. Daisy was finally able to go to the kitchen, fry a couple of eggs for herself, and heat up some soup for her grandmother. She fed the old woman, ate her own meal, and sat by the bed to do her homework.
She loved her grandmother, but she felt nothing for her parents. They never worked; they just took odd jobs mowing lawns or doing manual labor, spending every cent on various vices. The only “holiday” in the house was the day the Social Security check arrived.
When graduation day came, Daisy didn’t stay for the party. She didn’t see the smug look on Mrs. Sterling’s face. The teacher had finally found a way to end it.
Daisy found out about the plan from Ethan that same night.
— Why didn’t you come to the dance? — he asked.
— I didn’t have a dress, Ethan. And no money for a ticket. You know that.
— I didn’t think… — Ethan went quiet. — I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. I’m moving in with my sister in the city. My mom said they found tutors there to help me prep for my entrance exams.
— When are you coming back? — Daisy’s voice was hollow.
— I’m not, Daisy. I’ll finish my senior year there. And then college… you know how it is.
Daisy leaned against his shoulder and took a shaky breath. Why was everything in her life so hard? How was she supposed to keep going without the one person she loved?
Ethan leaned in to kiss her. — I want to say a real goodbye, — he whispered.
But Daisy stood up and gave a sharp, bitter laugh. — Let’s skip the formalities, Ethan. Let’s not ruin the memory. Goodbye. Have a nice life.
Daisy walked away. For the first time since she was a little girl, she cried until she fell asleep into her pillow.
Three months passed. Ethan left and never called. Maybe the city life had swallowed him whole. Daisy didn’t have time to dwell on it. She worked from dawn until dusk at a local farm. She only ran home to feed her grandmother and give her medicine, but by the end of August, the old woman finally passed away.
Every cent Daisy had saved over the summer went toward the funeral.
After that, she packed a single bag and headed for the city. She got lucky; she found a job as a floor worker at a food processing plant that offered dormitory housing. Her roommate was Lexi, a twenty-two-year-old beauty who worked in the plant’s accounting office.
Lexi liked Daisy’s quiet, sensible nature immediately. Daisy, in turn, admired Lexi’s boundless energy and toxic optimism. Despite the age gap, they became fast friends.
— You’re so old-fashioned, — Lexi said one evening, fixing her hair. — You need to catch guys while they’re flying by. You’re waiting for some Prince Charming who isn’t coming.
— I’m just not like you, Lexi. I had someone once… he moved away. I still think we’ll meet again. I don’t know how you go out with one guy today and another tomorrow.
— Easy! Look, two days ago I went out with Tyler, and now I have this bracelet. This makeup kit? That was from Mike, — Lexi laughed. — Tonight, I’m seeing Mr. Harrison, the floor manager. And tomorrow…
— How do you even keep their names straight?
— If I forget, I just call them “Babe” or “Honey,” — she giggled. — They love it. And look at all the stuff I have. You have nothing.
Daisy shook her head. — Lexi, one day you’re going to fall head over heels, and I want to see what you say then.
— Whatever! When I fall, I’ll let you know, — Lexi waved her off. — Until then, I’m off to see Harrison. He promised me a new bag.
Daisy watched her leave and sighed. — One of these days she’s going to meet a real jerk and end up in tears. It’s a shame; she’s flighty, but she’s got a good heart. She’d be a good mother if she settled down.
Lexi cycled through men every week, looking for someone to take care of her forever. But none of them were looking for “forever.” So, she changed her tactics, staying longer with the generous ones and ditching the cheap ones instantly.
Six months went by. Nothing changed. Lexi finally gave up trying to find Daisy a boyfriend.
— You’re a lost cause. You act like you’re a hundred years old.
Daisy laughed. — Why a hundred?
— I don’t know. You just do.
In truth, Daisy felt older than her years. After her grandmother died and she left home, her parents had spiraled. One morning, they simply didn’t wake up.
One evening, Lexi came home sobbing uncontrollably.
— What happened? — Daisy rushed to her.
— Caleb dumped me! — Lexi wailed.
— Who’s Caleb?
— My boyfriend! I went to his place and there was another girl there. He screamed at me and kicked me out!
— Then forget him.
— I can’t! He’s rich, Daisy… and I’m pregnant.
Daisy gasped. — Did you tell him?
— Yeah. He didn’t believe me.
Nine months later, Lexi gave birth to twins. As it turned out, Caleb wasn’t the father. Lexi cried for days, but Daisy comforted her, telling her that children were a blessing and that she should be happy they were healthy.
— I’m not a saint like you! — Lexi snapped.
Then, in the middle of the night, Lexi packed her things, left a note on the table, and vanished.
Daisy was woken up by the crying of the two-month-old babies. She got up to help Lexi, but the bed was empty. She picked up the scrap of paper.
I’m leaving you my “blessing.” Do what you want with them. I’m gone for good.
Daisy didn’t hesitate. She took the babies and went back to her hometown.
The gossip was brutal. No one was louder than Mrs. Sterling. She called Ethan and told him that Daisy had crawled back to town with her tail between her legs—and two kids in tow.
Ethan’s life hadn’t turned out the way he’d dreamed. His wife only cared about his potential income, and when he struggled to find a high-paying firm to take him, the marriage fell apart. He ended up following in his father’s footsteps, driving a truck to pay the bills. He still carried a torch for Daisy, and when he saw her again, he realized he still loved her.
But he was too late.
The Mayor’s son, Ben, had started courting her. Everyone said he treated her like a queen and was helping her raise the twins.
Ethan sat at a booth in the local diner, dropped his head into his hands, and wept, cursing his own cowardice and the mother who had led him away.
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