The Daughter They Left To Freeze

The day of the school field trip, I was burning up. My skin felt like it was on fire, and the thermometer had climbed to a terrifying 104 degrees.

My mother didn't care. She was too busy getting my younger brother, Toby, ready for the outing. To her, my illness was just an inconvenience, a smudge on her perfect day.

"Keep an eye on her, Ma," my mother said to my grandmother as she headed for the door. "Don't let her cause any trouble."

When the front door clicked shut, my grandmother stepped into my room.