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    Bad Things that Happen to Girls
    Bad Things that Happen to Girls
    Bad Things that Happen to Girls
    Ebook94 pages1 hour

    Bad Things that Happen to Girls

    By Michelle Browne

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    About this ebook

    Tanis and Lila have learned to keep their heads down, follow their Mother's rules, and get good grades. Then Lila does the stupidest thing possible: she falls in love. The romance sparks an explosion within the religious, tightly-controlled family. As Tanis watches her family shatter, she tries to help her sister's fledgling romance survive...but maybe some things are meant to be broken.  

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMichelle Browne
    Release dateMar 6, 2016
    ISBN9781524231804
    Bad Things that Happen to Girls
    Author

    Michelle Browne

    Michelle Browne is a sci fi/fantasy writer. She lives in Lethbridge, AB with her partners-in-crime and their cats. Her days revolve around freelance editing, knitting, jewelry, and nightmares, as well as social justice issues. She is currently working on the next books in her series, other people's manuscripts, and drinking as much tea as humanly possible.

    Read more from Michelle Browne

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      Book preview

      Bad Things that Happen to Girls - Michelle Browne

      The day my sister fell in love was a gorgeous, sunny Tuesday afternoon in March. We were sitting on the roof of the shed behind our house when she told me about what had happened in school that day. I had gone off to the band room to practice, but she was sitting in Math class. Saarim and she were sitting in a cluster of desks. She reached for a pencil at the same time as he did, and their fingers brushed. He glanced at her and asked how to figure out the height of the cylinder based on the width of the base.

      That was it, said Lila, wrapping her fingers around her mug. I reached over to the shelf—the floor of our old treehouse, really—and pulled down a blanket to wrap around myself.

      Love? I whispered. Really? Are you sure?

      She nodded once, slowly. Mother is going to kill me.

      Only if she finds out.

      Her long, pale birch twig fingers drummed the mug. "How will she not? If we go on dates and stuff?"

      How do you know he even likes you back?

      She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and fixed pale blue eyes on the mug, thinking. My sister had the look of a fairy tale princess in those days, but stretched a little too thin, and faded, as if the story itself had forgotten her. Um, you do know we’ve been studying together for weeks, right?

      Sure, I lied. Though now that she mentioned it, I did remember a few things. But Lila was nothing if not close-lipped.

      A car pulled into the driveway, startling us both, and I lost my train of thought. We glanced at each other.

      Mother’s home, I whispered. I scrambled over, into the treehouse, bundled up the blanket, shoved it into the supply box on the wobbly plank floor, and jumped down through the hole so I could scoot down the ladder. Even if Mother walked right into the living room and looked through the big picture window that looked out onto the backyard, she wouldn’t see us shimmying down. The fence was to my back, and the tree was broad, shielding us from the house.

      Lila followed me, leaving the mugs in the treehouse and scooting down. We marched back in through the back door on the side and headed for the kitchen. With any luck, Mother had followed her usual routine and gone straight for her home office without checking for us. 

      I peeked around the corner. Sure enough, there was her coat. Hi, Mother, I called.

      Afternoon, Tanis. Can you make me coffee, please. Not a question. Never a question.

      One sec. I filled the machine back with water and put in the ground coffee. Classical music started to float out of her office. Hunched tightly over the sink, Lila turned wide, relief-filled eyes at me. She hadn’t seen us on the shed, so we’d probably dodged the lecture about studying rather than wasting time. For today, at least. I glanced at the cross above the sink, the watching eyes of the elegant porcelain Jesus looking down at me. Always watching.

      There was a plate next to the sink, and Lila turned on the water and started scrubbing it to cover our conversation. You passing Bio?

      Only just, I whispered back. Now it was my turn for the nervous sweats. It’s the memorizing. I have a B, but...

      But Mother won’t call that a pass.

      I nodded. Speaking of, I better go study. Can you put on some more tea?

      She nodded and filled the kettle, pressing her thin lips together. I tiptoed out of the kitchen—Mother hated to be disturbed while she was grading papers—and headed for my room.

      I put a bit of music from Youtube on in the background and got to work, but five minutes of staring at the skeletal system and I was already bored. I decided to sneak into Lila’s room and chat with her.

      She almost dropped her tea when she found me sitting on her bed, waiting. Well? I whispered.

      Well what?

      What’s the deal?

      She fiddled with her hair. There is no deal. I really like him. She exhaled slowly.

      Okay, fine. But—

      We’ll talk in school, she said. Her eyes flicked to the door.

      I gave her a small smile, which she barely returned. Resigned, I nodded and headed back to my room.

      We crept out of our rooms for dinner. We wore straight-faced masks, as always. Jesus watched implacably as Mother served our food and said grace. I picked at the sautéed chicken in mushroom sauce and my boiled cauliflower. Lila toyed with hers, her eyes full of absence.

      How was school? prompted Mother.

      Dad glanced at us, taking a bite of his chicken nervously.

      Fine, I said. Had a quiz in Bio. That was okay. And Mrs. Banner says the band is doing well on the concert stuff. The piece we have right now isn’t very fun, though. Really repetitive.

      If you move to second or first trumpet, you won’t be as bored, said Mother crisply. She turned her steely focus on Lila. And you, dear?

      Had a test in Social Studies. And a quiz in English, but I’d already read a chapter ahead, so it was fine.

      Her maternal duties done, Mother nodded. We ate in silence for a few minutes. Dad finished his chicken and headed silently for the living room to read on his tablet. I started to follow him.

      Tanis, stay here and help me with the dishes, Mother said. I made eye contact with Lila, who slunk off.

      We took the dishes back to the sink. She rinsed them before handing them to me. I stacked them in the dishwasher as she worked, her short, perfectly manicured talons hidden by yellow rubber gloves. The gold chain around her neck glinted in the halogen light of the kitchen, and as she bent forward, her crucifix dangled out and glittered.

      You seem distracted tonight, said Mother. And it looks like you’ve been chewing your nails again.

      No, just Bio, I said, putting a plate in the machine.

      I hope you know you can tell me anything, she said. She fixed grey eyes the same colour as the evening sky on my face.

      Of course, Mother, I said.

      Good girl.

      I managed a smile and scampered off. As I walked down the hall, I heard a soft conversation floating out of Lila’s room. I paused, listening at the crack in the door.

      Dinner on Wednesday, tomorrow? she said into her cellphone, barely breathing. What time? Yeah, six is fine. I don’t know if...wait. Can we make it Thursday instead? Right after school?

      I inhaled sharply. We had youth group on Thursdays at that time. But if she ducked out without saying anything to Mother,

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