“Calm down,” their dad said. He probably would have gone on, if Crisanta had let him.
“Just shut up, you little cheat!” she shouted, throwing the towel across the table.
The table grew silent, Crisanta glaring and breathing heavily on one side, Kalina hardly daring to take a breath on the other.
“What does that mean, Kalina?” their mother asked finally.
She knew she should just confess, but Kalina couldn’t help but take offense at her mom’s tone. “It doesn’t mean anything!” she said instead. “Just because Crisanta says it doesn’t mean…”
“She cheated on her Chemistry test today,” Crisanta interrupted her.
Kalina swallowed, trying to sink down into her chair as her parents’ eyes turned to her. “It was just a quiz…”
“Kalina Anne,” her mother said – and nothing good ever started that way, “is that true?”
“It was just a stupid quiz!” Kalina repeated. “It’s not that big a deal.” But, of course, they weren’t going to see it that way. “Fine, whatever,” she said, throwing up her hands and standing up. “I’m grounded! Whatever!”
“Sit down,” her mother ordered. “You can be grounded after you finish eating.”
“I’m not hungry,” Kalina told her.
“Sit down!” Kalina did, reluctantly, readying herself for the lecture. She knew that she deserved it, though maybe not so much because of a stupid quiz, but that didn’t stop her from returning Crisanta’s inflammatory gaze from earlier. Crisanta, having calmed herself – perhaps a little too quickly, Kalina thought – retrieved her towel and went back to work. Kalina couldn’t see her face under the table, but she was sure that she was smiling as, over her head, their parents told Kalina how disappointed they were with her.