Lapis pov

I stepped inside, the cool air of the foyer calming me down.

"Lapis." I gasped, putting my shoes on the mat and holding my schoolbag in front of my knees.

"Yes, mom?" She stepped in from the left hallway. I disturbed her work.

"You're late. You never got in the car." From the right, Jasper stuck her head out to listen, snickering.

"I'm sorry mom."

"Where were you?" I gulped.

"In the gym," I mumbled.

"Don't mumble, I hate it when you mumble."

"In the gym." I repeated. My mother looked shocked.

"Why were you there?"

"For tryouts." I took a deep breath.

"Tryouts? You don't do sports." Jasper snickered.

"I tried out for the cheer squad. I think I made it." Mother turned and glared at Jasper, who put her hands up and backed away.

"This is unacceptable. You should have told me sooner. This defies  my plans for you." She started to turn around.

"Wait!" She stopped.

"What?"

"Um, I think this could be a good opportunity! It'd give me more time out of the house!" I tried.

"Children with too much freedom  abuse it."

"I'm not a child." She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!" I protested. "I'm a teenager, I'm fourteen! I'll be fifteen in March, and in a couple years I'll be driving!" I said furiously.

"How does this relate to cheerleading?" Mother asks passive aggressively.

"Because I'm getting old enough to make good decisions on my own! Which makes your plans obsolete!" She threw the tablet she was holding across the room, narrowly missing my head. She stomped over and slapped me.

"Who are you to call my plans obsolete? I let you apply for this school, and I can un-enroll you just as fast!" She screamed.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't call your plans obsolete if I had a say in my future!" I stomped away to my room, slamming the door behind me.

As I flopped on the bed, I thought about what I had just done.

"Oh, my Moon Goddess!" I realized, sitting up quickly. "I just ruined my life!"