4
The fight landed us all at Midtown Police Precinct.
Ethan sported a few bruises, but Rocco looked worse–his nose broken as he whined to
the officers.
When my parents arrived, they were livid.
“You’re not only ruining yourself, Hazel, but dragging Ivy down with you. How many times do I have to tell you to stop being a bad influence?”
My mom tried to slap me again, but an officer stopped her.
“Mrs. Bright, please calm down. Things aren’t what they seem.”
Before the officer could explain, Ivy burst into tears.
“Mom, I’ve been trying so hard to help Hazel. She’s improved her scores recently, so I thought if I kept her away from gaming, she could do even better. I saw her at Cyber Zone again tonight and tried to bring her home, but then she got involved with this guy, and things escalated.”
“Maybe you should send her to Internet Addiction Rehab. Once she’s better, she can take
the SAT again and aim for Harvard–MIT!”
My mom sighed heavily. “Maybe that’s the only way. Hazel used to be so bright, but
2
The fight landed us all at Midtown Police Precinct.
Ethan sported a few bruises, but Rocco looked worse–his nose broken as he whined to
the officers.
4
When my parents arrived, they were livid.
“You’re not only ruining yourself, Hazel, but dragging Ivy down with you. How many times
do I have to tell you to stop being a bad influence?”
My mom tried to slap me again, but an officer stopped her.
“Mrs. Bright, please calm down. Things aren’t what they seem.”
Before the officer could explain, Ivy burst into tears.
“Mom, I’ve been trying so hard to help Hazel. She’s improved her scores recently, so I thought if I kept her away from gaming, she could do even better. I saw her at Cyber Zone
again tonight and tried to bring her home, but then she got involved with this guy, and things escalated.”
“Maybe you should send her to Internet Addiction Rehab. Once she’s better, she ca the SAT again and aim for Harvard–MIT!”
My mom sighed heavily. “Maybe that’s the only way. Hazel used to be so bright, but uming has ruined her. I’ll call the rehab center tomorrow.”
Ethan, head bandaged, rushed to defend me.
“Mrs. Bright, Ivy’s lying! She’s the one who dragged Hazel to Cyber Zone tonight. She even set Hazel up with Rocco, trying to force her into being his girlfriend. Hazel refused, and that’s why I stepped in!”
Ivy’s face turned pale as she stammered, “Ethan, I know you like Hazel, but you don’t have to make up stories for her. Why would I ever associate with someone like Rocco?”
“If Hazel’s such a saint, why does Rocco say she’s been hanging around him for ages?”
21:29 Mon, Nov 25 @
O
fo
My mom, without waiting to hear more, slapped me.
“I’m so disappointed in you, Hazel. If you won’t focus on school, at least stop hanging out with these kinds of people. You’re going to Internet Addiction Rehab tomorrow. And you’ll
cut ties with Rocco.”
Behind my mom, Ivy smirked triumphantly.
