"I slave away in the kitchen for you, and now I'm wrong for doing that? Is Jessica the only one who needs to eat in this house? Does everyone else not need to eat? So, everyone has to cater to just her, huh?"
She pointed to a small dish of vegetable salad at the edge of the table.
"Isn't this dish not spicy? Can't she just eat that?"
I was almost driven to laughter by the absurdity of it all. Out of eight dishes on the table, only one wasn't spicy, and it was just a plain salad.
Just as I was about to start yelling, Jessica tugged on my hand.
"Mom, it's okay. I can eat a little bit of spicy food. Don't get upset."
With that, she obediently placed my slippers by my feet and, still carrying her backpack, sat down at the table.
Mia let out a mocking laugh, lifting her chin like a triumphant rooster.
"Jessica said she can eat it, so why are you, as her mother, making such a fuss? So pretentious."
With that, she turned and went back to the kitchen.
"Stay calm, stay calm. There are two kids about to take the SAT in this house. No arguments, no arguments."
I tried to calm myself down, taking a few deep breaths before sitting down.
No sooner had I taken my seat than Sophia, who was eating with her head down, glanced at me with a smirk.
"I heard from my classmates that Jessica fell asleep in class again. Her classmates even gave her a nickname, 'Sleepyhead.'"
Sophia was a year older than Jessica.
After failing her SAT last year, she decided to retake it, so this year, she and Jessica would be taking the SAT together.
Since our house was close to the school, Mia had moved in with Sophia two weeks ago.
She claimed that since my husband, Robert Williams, was going on a business trip and I was busy with work, she could stay at home to cook, clean, and take care of Jessica as she prepared for the SAT.
Sophia and Jessica could study together and help each other improve.
But I knew the real reason was that Mia just wanted Sophia to sleep in a bit longer in the mornings, given our proximity to the school. That was why she insisted on staying with us.
At first, I wasn't comfortable with it, but Robert repeatedly assured me that Mia and Sophia wouldn't cause any trouble, so I reluctantly agreed.
But I hadn't expected that in Mia's eyes, only Sophia mattered, and Jessica was nothing.