Free Spoiled Rotten by Dayle Gaetz

chapter one
    My hiking boots slopped through soft mud. Cedar branches slapped my face and young alder trees brushed against my knees. The trail was so overgrown it looked like no one had used it since the last time we’d been there.
    That was three years ago, before Mom got sick.
    Dad veered off the trail in front of me. He pushed through thick undergrowth toward arocky cliff. This was Mom’s favorite place in the whole world. It made me feel good just to be here again. At the same time, something inside me felt like crying.
    We climbed up the rocks on all fours. It wasn’t a difficult climb, not so steep we needed ropes, but we had to work. At the top Dad and I stood on a moss-covered rock and looked down. The steep, forested hillside dropped away to a sea as blue as the sky. Dark green islands dotted the calm water. In the distance, the white cone of Mount Baker seemed to hang suspended over low hills.
    â€œThe top of the world,” I whispered.
    That’s what Mom had always called this place.
    Dad nodded. He had been so quiet all morning I knew he had something important to tell me. That’s the way he is. Sometimes he takes forever to get words out of his mouth.
    We settled on the rocks and unpacked our lunch. I gobbled down two sandwiches and bit into an apple. Dad took one bite of his sandwich and stared at the view.
    It was time to help him out. “Did you decide not to marry Patti after all?” I crossed my fingers, hoping he would say yes. Maybe that’s why he wanted to come back here, to Mom’s place, today.
    He looked surprised. “Of course not. Why would I change my mind?”
    I glanced around, at the trees, the mountain, our hiking boots. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because she’s not your type?”
    â€œJessica, I love Patti, that’s not going to change.”
    Ouch, that hurt
. “But you did tell her we don’t want to spend our vacation on her stupid boat?”
    â€œJess, look, I’m sorry but…”
    â€œI don’t believe this! You
want
to go, don’t you? What about our hiking trip?” Tears stung my eyes as I turned away.
How could he do this to me?
    â€œI thought it would be fun to try something different for a change. We can go hiking another time.”
    So this was his big news? The hiking trip we had planned all year was not going to happen? Too angry to sit still, I leapt up and tossed my apple at him. It bounced off his chest. “I’m not going with you!” I shouted.
    Dad stood up too, his face red with anger. “Now you listen to me, Jessica! I’m your father and I say you’re coming. Like it or not.”
    â€œHow could I possibly
like
it?” I asked coolly. It’s funny how that worked. The angrier my father got the calmer I felt inside. And the more determined.
    He looked at me and daggers shot from his eyes. It hurt almost like real daggers, but I pretended not to care. He threw his arms in the air and took a step toward me. “I don’t understand,” he said. “We had such a good time last year.” He paused and his eyes searched my face. The daggers were replaced with a pleading that twisted at my heart. “Didn’t we?” he asked softly.
    I leaned my head back and peered down my nose at him. The hard angry line of his jaw softened and his mouth hung open. Dad didn’t look so scary now. He looked sad. I knew I could hurt him then, all I had to do was say no
.
    I stared over his shoulder, away from his face. If I thought about last summer I would turn into mush. We were so close then. My dad had treated me like an equal, even though I had been only thirteen. And he never expected less of me because I was a girl. That was important to me.
    â€œDidn’t you enjoy our trip last summer?” he asked weakly.
    â€œYeah.” I had to admit, “It was fun.”
    I shut the memories behind a black wall in my mind. I couldn’t afford to