Brat
178 words.
***
"Are you proud of me?" River asked, holding her breath without realizing.
It was a question that she asked from time to time, always hoping for something that she couldn't quite put into words.
"Of course we are, River. Why wouldn't we be?" said Regan, turning back to her guest list. "Should we invite the Devlins or the Changs, Gabriel? They're still annoyed with each other, so we can't invite them both."
Her parents never gave the answer that she was looking for. The words were there, certainly, but they were only words.
She found Simon in the library, nearly hidden from sight behind a stack of books. She hopped onto the table and peered over them. "I won first place again," she said.
Simon gave her that little smile that she adored. "That's good, River," he said.
"Are you proud of me?" she asked, holding her breath again, but not from hoping. She knew what came next.
"Of course I am, dummy. Now quit bothering me, I need to study," he said, only pretending to be annoyed.
She smiled, content.
***
"Are you proud of me?" River asked, holding her breath without realizing.
It was a question that she asked from time to time, always hoping for something that she couldn't quite put into words.
"Of course we are, River. Why wouldn't we be?" said Regan, turning back to her guest list. "Should we invite the Devlins or the Changs, Gabriel? They're still annoyed with each other, so we can't invite them both."
Her parents never gave the answer that she was looking for. The words were there, certainly, but they were only words.
She found Simon in the library, nearly hidden from sight behind a stack of books. She hopped onto the table and peered over them. "I won first place again," she said.
Simon gave her that little smile that she adored. "That's good, River," he said.
"Are you proud of me?" she asked, holding her breath again, but not from hoping. She knew what came next.
"Of course I am, dummy. Now quit bothering me, I need to study," he said, only pretending to be annoyed.
She smiled, content.