Smile For The Camera Mother

There were two cameras in my bedroom.

One was mounted in the corner, angled toward the bed to capture the entire room.

The other was clamped to my desk, focused tightly enough to catch every misspelled word on my practice tests and the minute shifts in my facial expressions as I worked.

The feeds were wired directly to my mother’s phone.

Whenever my mind wandered, her voice would crackle through the two-way speaker.

"Joanna, what are you staring at?"

"Why did you only score second on the pop quiz today?"

"Do another practice test. I’ll check it when I get home."