Don't Kill Dinner (The Rules Trilogy) by Jennifer Martinez Page B

blanket. She watched the twinkling of the stars, the slow crawl of the clouds as they raced across the sky. She watched as the dark sky lit with streaks of grey. Kate lay back and watched the heavens change colors, creating new images like a kaleidoscope. She lay there for a while, watching the sun crawl over the horizon, admiring the change from violet to tangerine to canary. 
    When the sun had fully risen, Kate rose too. She trudged back up the sandy expanse, not eager to see the day starting. She found her mother in the kitchen, mixing something in a metal bowl, and her father sat at the table with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands, his laptop in front of him. He glanced up at Kate when she walked in and smiled. She offered one in return, although it wasn’t as genuine as his, considering the night she’d had.
    “What’s wrong sunshine?” he asked her, closing his laptop, showing Kate that she had his full attention.
    Kate’s father was always there. His career was as demanding, if not more at times, than Kate’s mother’s, but he had always managed to be there for Kate. Kate hated to admit it sometimes, because kids weren’t supposed to have favorites, but she loved her father best.
    Kate sat down next to Aaron and poured herself a cup of coffee. He raised an eyebrow and watched her take a careful sip of the steaming black liquid, before pushing the sugar and cream toward her. She took it and poured small amounts of each into the coffee until it was a warm caramel color. After taking another, larger sip, she looked up into his eyes. Her father looked older than usual this morning. His usual sparkling gaze looked hollow, his green eyes tired. He must not have slept much either.
    Kate took a moment to glance at her mother, Blaire, who was humming while she made pancakes. Blaire had already showered, her chestnut curls drying around her shoulders, frizzing in the humidity of the morning. She was wearing her typical clothing, ripped jeans and a scruffy button up top. Her sneakers were worn but told a tale of adventure and discovery. She hummed as she flipped the pancakes. Kate watched her breathe in the scent of blueberries and syrup, almost like she enjoyed the way they blended together.
    “Kate, honey, I asked you what was wrong,” Kate heard her father say, real concern evident in his tone.
    “I’m sorry,” Kate said, focusing on her father. “I couldn’t sleep last night so I went out and sat on the beach.” Kate looked at the glossy wood of the table before continuing. The warmth of the ceramic mug suddenly felt too hot in her hands and she let go of it, tracing the floral pattern on the handle instead. “I know you guys think that it’s okay to sleep with the windows open but I don’t think I can do that. I didn’t sleep at all,” she added, hoping that would open up a renegotiation.
    “It must have been the new bed,” Blaire said absently, interrupting Kate’s silent plea with her father. Blaire turned around then, and looked at her daughter in between flipping pancakes. She glanced at the mug in Kate’s hands. “You shouldn’t be drinking coffee,” she said before turning back around, ending the conversation.
    Kate looked back down, defeated. She didn’t much like the taste of her coffee anyway. She stood up then, pushed the steaming mug away, and walked out of the room in protest. As Kate walked by, she commented on how it might be easier to sleep during the day anyway, since she was alone. Stunned, Blaire turned to watch her daughter leave, and then slowly turned back to her cooking. She began to hum again, almost as if the argument hadn’t taken place at all.
    Upstairs, Kate flopped down on her bed, tears burning in the back of her throat. Her mother was making her favorite food for breakfast, and even though Kate was angry, she couldn’t erase the feeling of guilt she had for storming out. She lay there for a moment, relishing in her suffering, and then shifted so that she could