"Good morning, dear," my dad replied with a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Mom barely looked up from her phone.

Yet another day where I had to act and pretend to be something I was not. I took my alarm and turned it off,"lily hurry up you are going to be late for school"my mum yelled.I stumbled out of my bed and dragged myself to the bathroom I took my bath and brushed my teeth wore my clothes and went downstairs, I had my mom reminding my dad that she needs money for maintenance.My mom was always like this she didn't care whether or not we had money she just wanted to have what she wants. I reached out for the seat next to my dad "morning dad, morning mum" I flashed a smile on my face as I greated them

"Did you finish your history assignment?" she asked, her tone already suggesting she assumed I hadn't. "Your teacher called yesterday about your grades slipping."

I stirred my cereal slowly. "I stayed up until midnight working on it. It's done."

"Staying up late isn't good for your complexion, Lily. And midnight? That's procrastination. You should manage your time better if you want to get into a decent university." She finally looked up, her eyes scanning my outfit with barely concealed disapproval. "And that shirt with those pants? Is that really what you're wearing?"

Dad cleared his throat. "Leave her be, Sandra. She looks fine."

"Fine isn't good enough, David. Not in today's world." Mom stood up and grabbed her designer purse. "I have a showing at eleven. There's leftover casserole in the fridge for dinner. Make sure you practice piano for at least an hour today, Lily. Mrs. Chen says your technique is sloppy."

After she left, the kitchen felt lighter somehow. Dad reached over and squeezed my hand.

"Don't mind your mother," he said softly. "She just wants what's best for you."

"By making me feel terrible about everything I do?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Dad sighed. "She wasn't always like this. Before you were born..." He trailed off, checking his watch. "We'll talk later, okay? You really will be late if you don't leave now."

I grabbed my backpack and headed out, my mind swirling with questions. What was Mom like before? What changed her? As I walked to the bus stop, I noticed a text from my best friend Emma:

"Big party at Jake's on Friday. You in?"

I smiled to myself. Mom would absolutely forbid it if she knew. She'd say parties were a waste of time that could be spent studying or building my "resume for life" as she called it. For once, I wanted to just be a normal teenager. To live in the present instead of this constant preparation for some perfect future that felt more like Mom's dream than mine.

I typed back: "Count me in."

Maybe it was time to start living for myself, even if it meant keeping more secrets.

After the text,the bus finally arrived and I aborded it I hard to seat with a stranger since Emma wasn't coming to school today