Blood and Feathers

Learning about the invention of gumboots

Sapphire stared out the scratched and dirty window of her classroom, not focusing on anything in particular. Years of students had left the room old and weathered, which was fitting, since her maths teacher, who was droning on about who discovered the rubber used for gumboots (Life-changing information), fit the same description almost perfectly.
Old and weathered, that is.
Sapphire absent-mindedly fidgeted with the silver dragon charm on her gold necklace.
She was considering the news that her parents had told her the night before - Mt Eucalyptus Private School's Annual Camp was next week (she was dreading it) and she had no choice but to go, because her entire family were going to Paris while she was away; thanks to her sister, of course.
Sapphire couldn't stop mentally rewinding the conversation she'd had last night with them, but she made it so for every helpless childish whine of a rebuttal she said, she'd actually said something lawyer-worthy to defend herself.

Her dad's voice was in her mind again.
"We think it's best for you to rekindle those friendships, heh, kindle - get it? Maybe you could use all that kindling for the fires you'll be learning how to make. Real fires, not frien—"
"̶O̶h̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶G̶O̶D̶!̶ ̶S̶H̶U̶T̶.̶ ̶U̶P̶!̶"̶
"I think you will find that point and attempt at a joke was irrelevant to the main argument."

Her mother's voice now.

"̶Y̶o̶u̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶a̶g̶e̶.̶ ̶D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶L̶a̶w̶?̶"̶

No, no she didn't, that was her sister. Only her sister took classes in Law, because Law was a Senior subject. Her parents had TWO children. How hard was it to remember small things about your own children? But that didn't matter, because the mother in her brain said something different.
"Oh, what a mature rebuttal! You must be following in your sister's footsteps."

Sapphire was jerked from that repetitive daydream because of the cheesiness of her mother's fake reply. That was the worst one she'd formulated yet. She shook her head softly.
Some of her classmates gave her a weird look. Her best friend didn't turn around. Too busy tossing a piece of paper on a dude with fluffy hair's desk.
Oh well, the period was almost over.
And she was still going to camp.