Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ch 3: The tense silence
“Mother, can I talk to you? It is regarding something important.”

Rika’s heart pounded as she knocked at the door, unsure of what awaited her on the other side.

She knew that her mother would be sequestered in her room, the air heavy with the aftermath of their latest fight.

The answer Rika got was non-verbal, but her mother gestured for her to enter.

“Do you want to tell me something, Rika? Have you made up with Mark yet?”

As expected, her mother’s priority was Mark, and she wondered whether Rika had made up with him. It was not about how Rika was doing or how.

Those words hurt, but expecting something else from her mother was also foolish.

“I wanted to talk to you about something else. Would you be free to hear me out?”

Rika felt like a gambler who was betting on a dangerous bet. But if it paid off, it would be huge for her.

Her mother blinked a few times in surprise but ultimately relented to her curiosity.

“I suppose I can make some time for you.”

Rika was sure she had seen wrong, but her mother looked shy and happy momentarily. Her expression changed back to normal the very next second.

Her expression looked weird to Rika, but she still entered the room with her mother.

*cough*

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Rika looked at her mother and took a deep breath.

She knew that if she held her silence, she would never be able to speak in front of her mother about the Academy again.

“My Academy entrance application results came. I applied for an on-campus and hostel spot. I needed your sign on the papers.”

Rika waited for her mother to realise what she had just said.

Her mother blinked a few times, and her expression turned bewildered.

“On campus? There is no way I can allow that. Do you know how dangerous it is? Anyone could lure you in with pheromones and take advantage of…. I mean…you can get assaulted and hurt…. you know what I mean.”

The female alpha stuttered twice before settling on a vague answer.

It was clear that her mother was against this arrangement.

But if Rika had backed down now, then her mother would never have agreed with her in the future.

“Mother, I am a beta. Pheromones do not affect me like they do Suzie or Mark. Also, I don’t think getting out of this house for a while would be a bad idea.”

Rika purposely tilted her neck to show off her bruise.

The last time she checked it before leaving her room, it was beginning to look purple with a few green and black spots.

Mark had not held back when he held Rika up, and she felt slightly grateful.

Her injury made her mother cringe before sighing in agreement.

“I understand where you are coming from. Alright! Just tell me which Academy you choose, and I will decide. Is it one that is affiliated with our company? If not, I can call in a favour and arrange your room. Just tell me where you want to go.”

Rika sighed, knowing that the real battle was coming up.

“I applied to Maxwell Academy. Before you ask, yes, I know it is a public Academy. But I promise I will be fine. It has the highest beta acceptance rate so that I won’t be bullied there.”

Her mother had gone entirely, and Rike knew the signs of danger when she saw one.

“No! I will not send you to a public academy, which is final. If you want to stay at an on-campus Academy, I will choose one that is better for you.”

Rike knew this would happen.

There was no way her mother’s ‘Alpha pride’ would be able to take it if her daughter were to go to a public Academy.

“But I want to”

“You will not, and that is final! What do you even see in such a filthy place-”

Rika’s mother stopped speaking mid-sentence. Something flashed across her eyes as she looked at Rika’s unaffected expression. Her eyes also took in Rika’s injured neck with guilty anger.

The number of pheromones pumped into the air was enough to make an omega or a weak alpha faint, but Rika was unaffected because she was a beta.

“I am sorry, but I have made up my decision and sent a reply already.”

Anger exploded on her mother’s face, and she threw the application at Rika after signing it.

“Fine! Go to that stupid public Academy if you want to. But I will never acknowledge your decision to do this.”

This was what Rika wanted in the first place. She picked up her application and went out.

Her mission was successful.

Rika passed her father in the hallway, and he looked concerned when he saw Rika.

“What happened-”

Rika pushed past her father. She did not think she could take his gentle voice right now.

She closed the door to her room and threw her body on the bed.

“I did what I was supposed to. But it does not feel nice, even if this was what I intended to do. I guess I do care about my family a little bit.”

Rika cared about her family a lot. She had devoted around 17 years to them, and it was a shame that she never became a part of them.

It was neither side’s fault. They were born into different worlds and somehow became a family.

Things did not magically get better the following day.

Mark looked pissed as soon as he saw Rika. But he held his anger in.

On the other hand, Suzie continued to look at Rika with a blank expression. She seemed to be waiting for something, but Rika had neither brain power nor heart to figure it out.

Her parents were already gone for work, so it was relatively entirely.

Suzie decided to call Rika out.

“Are you not going to apologise to brother Mark? He was so sad last night because of your fight. You are insensitive not to notice this when his pheromones give such clear signals.”

This was the last straw for Rika.

She stood up from the seat, picked up her bag and left without looking back.

Mark was supposed to pick up and drop off her and Suzy at school, but Rika decided to go ahead alone.