I climbed out of the basement, feeling refreshed. Erika was in the kitchen with my mother. I kept my eyes pointed at the floor and headed for the stairs.

“Hey.” My sister eyed me. “I brought your bag. You forgot it by the basketball hoops.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“I heard you broke down again.”

“I didn’t,” I snapped at her before leaving.

“Don’t be rude,” said our mother under her breath to Erika. “It’s a sensitive issue, you know that.”

Rolling my eyes, I took the stairs two at a time and went into the bathroom. I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower. Turning the water to lukewarm, I stood with my head bowed. If only it was socially acceptable to beat in douchebags’ faces. That would solve a lot of my problems. I scrubbed my hair and washed off the black strands from between my fingers.

Brown water ran down my arm. I jerked back, cursing under my breath. “You have to be kidding me.” I turned off the faucet. “Mom!” Climbing out, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist. “Mom!” I opened the bathroom door. “Mom!”

“Yes?”

“The water has dirt in it again.”

“Oh, no. Get dressed and come downstairs.”

I went to my room and put on some clothes. Rubbing a hand through my hair, I could feel the dirt. It was disgusting. Why was it always me that this happened to? Erika maybe had to deal with it once. Going downstairs, I went to the kitchen and hunched over the kitchen sink.

“Lean down a little lower,” said my mother. She poured some of our reserved water over my head.

Erika was sitting at the bar and wouldn’t stop smirking at me.

“Is there a reason you feel the need to watch?” I muttered.

She shrugged. “Nope. You have horrible luck.”

“Shut up.”

“Be nice,” said my mother as she scrubbed my hair.

“Do you think the grounds are shifting?” asked Erika.

“We’re high enough,” replied our mom. “The water levels were lower than usual on the last report.” She grabbed my ear. “Turn your head to the side.”

The front door opened. “I’m home.”

“We’re in the kitchen,” replied Erika.

Our father stopped in the entryway when he saw us. “Dirt in the waterline again?”

“Yep,” laughed Erika. “It’s always Zale.”

I glared at her.

“Turn the other way,” said my mother.

I did so.

“That should do it. I don’t feel anymore.” She put the pitcher to the side and scrubbed my scalp. Taking a small hand towel, she ran it over my head.

My father loosened his tie and put his bag on the table.

“How was work?” asked my mother.

My dad shrugged. “The same.” He kissed the side of my sister’s head. “How was school?”

“Fine. Nothing exciting happened. Some guys made Zale cry again, though.”

“Erika!” I stood up straight. “Keep your goddamn mouth shut.”

My mother snatched my chin. “Do not speak that way in this house. Do you understand me?”

Nodding, I stepped back, still fuming. I could feel my father’s eyes on me, but I wouldn’t look at him. I was already struggling to keep it together.

“What else do I have to do, Zale?”

I shrugged.

“You can’t be so emotionally sensitive.”

I clenched my jaw.

“Ezekiel,” breathed my mother. “He’s trying.” She touched my arm. “There’s nothing wrong with crying.”

“Over every little thing?” stated my father. “How can you expect someone to work in the government when they cry every time they don’t get what they want?”

“I don’t want to go into politics,” I replied.

He pointed at me. “We are not discussing this again. I’m not paying your tuition to get some deadbeat job so you can end up in the slums. Don’t you want a house like this?”

I swallowed hard.

“Do you want to be able to provide for your family? Give them all these nice things. Food on the table every night. Clean water. I had dreams of doing other things as well.” He pressed his finger into the counter. “But I made a choice to follow my father’s advice and think about what I wanted for my family.” He waved his hand through the air. “I bet none of your friends at school have a home as nice as ours. Let alone the extra activities.”

Folding my arms, I felt my eyes start to burn. There was nothing wrong with wanting to do something else. There were other ways to make money.