Aurora

“Where do you think you’re going?”

As soon as I entered the hall, my mother’s voice cut through the air. I didn’t even bother to look at her. Was she blind? I was standing there, fully dressed with my bag slung over my shoulder, clearly ready for school.

I scoffed, fixed my gaze on her, and felt the weight of the vow I had made last night. I was done. Done caring about their words, their rules, and their suffocating expectations.

“As you can see,” I said, lifting my bag slightly as if she needed help identifying it, “I’m on my way to school. Unless you’ve developed eye problems...