As the eldest child and the only son, it had seldom been necessary for Kim to exert any effort to impress his parents or other authority figures. He was similar to Mandy, in fact, in presuming that a certain amount of respect and privilege were his due and it never occurred to him that they might have to be earned.
Heather played the tortoise to Kim’s hare and overcame the natural bias that favored Kim by sheer force of will. She had become the “brains” of not only the family, but of her school, the intellectual all-star and recipient of every variety of academic award, from perfect attendance to Honor Roll. She was also immensely popular with both her peers and those in authority.
