Raven (Orphans 4)

I had to laugh.

Here I was, out, with a family, going to a new school, and what did I dream of?

Getting back to my small apartment.

I actually grew to like the new school. Because my classes were much smaller, the teachers took more time with me, and I also began to make some friends. Jennifer continued to avoid me as much as possible, but I began to accept it. From what I saw of the friends she had, girls who were mostly like her, selfish, vain, and sneaky, I more than accepted it. I welcomed it. There were much nicer kids to know.

Jennifer was far from the goody-goody she pretended to be in front of Uncle Reuben, too. She was right in there with the girls who smoked in the girls' room, and from what I was told and what I saw, she often cheated on her homework and tests. I could see that her teachers weren't very fond of her, either. Terri Johnson told me she knew for a fact that Jennifer and her friends went on shoplifting sprees at the mall just for the thrill of it. Here she was, a girl with parents, a nice home, and all, and she wasn't any better than the girls I had known who came from broken families and who lived in much more unpleasant places. I wondered what Uncle Reuben would do if he found out any of this about his precious perfect daughter.

One day in the cafeteria, Jennifer paused with two of her friends at my table. I stopped talking and looked up at her.

"You've fallen behind on the laundry," she said. "I need that blue and white blouse tomorrow. See that it's done."

My mouth fell open as I looked from her to the smirking faces of her friends.

"Why don't you wash it yourself, then?" I shot back.

"You're supposed to be earning your room and board, aren't you?"

"What about you?" I countered.

"I don't have to. I have parents," she replied smugly. "Just get it done, or I'll tell Daddy," she threatened, and walked off laughing.

Terri looked down, embarrassed for me.

"She's a spoiled brat," I said. I wanted to say a lot more, but it was hard to talk. My words got choked in my throat because it was tight from fighting back my tears.

"I'd rather live with a snake than that," Terri offered, and the girls at my table all laughed.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'm doing," I muttered, "living with a snake."

When I got home from school that day, I found her precious blue and white blouse in the hamper. Before I put it into the washing machine, I poked a hole in the shoulder of the blouse with the pointed end of my math compass. After dinner on Tuesdays, Aunt Clara and I folded and ironed clothes. She didn't notice the hole in the blouse, and she brought everything up to Jennifer's room. It wasn't until the next morning, when I was sure she was going to wear it just to show off at school, that we heard her scream.

I had already risen and gotten dressed. Aunt Clara was with me in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"What in the world . . ." She hurried to the foot of the stairway.

Jennifer was on the landing in her skirt and bra, holding up the blouse.

"Just look at this, Ma. Just look."

"What the hell is it?" Uncle Reuben demanded, coming from his bedroom and buttoning his shirt.

"There's a hole in my favorite blouse, and she did it. She did, Daddy!"

She showed him the blouse. He looked at it and then down the stairs at me.

"Did you do this?"

I shook my head. "I didn't even see it, or I would have told Aunt Clara," I said.

"Why would Raven do such a thing?" Aunt Clara asked.

"Because she's jealous," Jennifer cried.

"I don't even like that blouse. It's too old-fashioned, like something a grandmother might wear," I said dryly.

"It is not! Everyone's wearing these blouses. You don't know anything about style!"