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chapter ten - i think the apples rotten right to the core

On the second last day of camp, Daisy's phone buzzed, and she glanced down to see an onslaught of messages from her stepmom, Marissa. Who is furious with her, convinced she's been neglecting her family responsibilities. Marissa sees Daisy's choice to spend the summer at camp as selfish, instead of mediating her relationship problems.

Dad's Wife

Honestly, Daisy, I don't know how much more of this I can take. You're just like your father, selfish, unreliable, and completely oblivious to how your actions affect other people. Running off to camp all summer, leaving us to deal with everything here.

Do you even care about this family, or is it all just some big inconvenience to you?

I've had enough of your father's excuses, but you're just as bad. You're either out there wasting time or ignoring us completely. It's honestly pathetic.

And don't think I haven't noticed that you couldn't even be bothered to check in this summer. I don't even know why we put up with it.

Daisy felt her stomach tighten, but before she could even respond, her phone lit up again, this time with a call from her dad. She answered, feeling like she was bracing for a storm. "Daisy," he said, his tone sharp and already annoyed. "Marissa is being insufferable again, and I'm sure you've seen the messages. If you were around, maybe things wouldn't be such a mess. Marissa wouldn't feel ignored all the time." Daisy's chest tightened, but she forced herself to respond evenly. "Dad, I'm literally just trying to enjoy my summer. I didn't realize I was supposed to be fixing your marriage." "Oh, right," he shot back. "Because everything's my fault and it's just so hard for you, huh? Must be nice, running off to camp without a care in the world. Meanwhile, we're here dealing with the actual responsibilities."

She rolled her eyes, but he continued, undeterred. "Do you know how much I put up with because of you? How much I let slide? Marissa's right, we shouldn't have let you go back this year. This 'camp' thing of yours is just an excuse. You're dodging real life and leaving us to clean up after you." He said. "Dad, it's just summer, and I'll be back in a few days anyway" she replied, exasperated. "Yeah, a whole summer of you acting like you're above everyone else, like you're somehow too good to deal with what's happening here. You're just like me, Daisy, and maybe that's not something to be proud of." That hit her hard. She swallowed, trying not to let it show. "Look," he said, his voice softening slightly, "you better get it together when you come back. This family's hanging by a thread, and I'm not going to be the one holding it up alone. God knows your idiot brother won't step up and help, I always knew Hudson would be useless, and you're no better." The line went dead, and Daisy was left staring at her screen, her dad's words echoing in her mind.

She slipped on her shoes and wandered down to the lake, needing some space from the heavy tension left by her dad's words. The evening was quiet, the kind of stillness that only the lake seemed to know. She could see her reflection, a blurry version of herself, fragmented by tiny ripples on the water. Sighing, Daisy sat at the water's edge, hugging her knees. The silence pressed around her, and she felt the weight of her family's expectations, the frustration they seemed to hold just for her, and she started to tear up. She heard people walking at the other end of the beach, and didn't want to talk to anyone, so she went to the closest bathroom, in the lodge. Daisy's feet felt heavy as she hurried toward the lodge, trying to keep her emotions under control. Her dad's harsh words from their call repeating in her mind, and by the time she reached the bathroom door, she could feel the tears beginning to spill. But as she opened it, she came to an abrupt halt, Gemma and Katrina were standing close, too close, their heads tilted toward each other in a way that made her stomach drop.