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Chapter 8
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A One-Way Ticket to Happiness Chapter 10
The days just slipped by.In the spring, Aunt Ava took me down to the apartment complex's garden to plant flowers. Isaac refused to help, whining that it was dirty. In the end, Aunt Ava grabbed him by the ear and dragged him over to the flowerbed to fill in the soil.In the summer, Uncle Michael drove us to the beach. A wave knocked Isaac flat, and he came up with seaweed all over his head. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.In the fall, my grades kept me right at the top of my class. Aunt Ava filled an entire display cabinet with my trophies.In the winter, the four of us curled up on the couch and watched movies. Aunt Ava leaned on Uncle Michael's shoulder while Isaac and I fought over the popcorn.One day after school, I stopped at the entrance to our apartment complex. The setting sun washed our building in a warm glow. The windows on the 22nd floor were lit, and the smell of dinner drifted out from the kitchen.Isaac leaned out over the balcony and yelled down at me, "What a
A One-Way Ticket to Happiness Chapter 9
The day my guardianship was transferred, Uncle Michael came home with an official-looking envelope. He spread the papers out on the dining table and pointed to one of the sheets."Look, Crystal. It says right here that your legal guardians are Michael Grant and Ava Shore. From now on, as far as the law's concerned, you're our kid."I stared at that paper for a long time, watching the words jump off the page one by one and sear themselves into my heart.Aunt Ava stood beside us, her eyes red but her lips curved upward in a wide smile. "From now on, if anyone wants to mess with you, they'll have to get through me first."Isaac burst out of his room and threw an arm around my shoulders. "So, that means I have an actual sister now?"Uncle Michael smacked him lightly on the back of his head. "Quit running your mouth."That night, Aunt Ava cooked a feast for dinner. She made all my favorites. BBQ pork ribs, fried chicken, garlic butter shrimp, and even a buttercream cake.On top of th
A One-Way Ticket to Happiness Chapter 8
On the way back, I sat in the backseat of the MPV.Isaac had his arm around me and didn't say a word. He was usually such a chatterbox, but right then he was so quiet it didn't feel like him at all. Now and then, he reached over to wipe my tears, mumbling, "You got snot all over my new shirt."But his arm only tightened around me.Aunt Ava sat in the front passenger seat. One hand reached back to hold mine, and she never let go from the moment we got into the car until we got home.Uncle Michael was driving. Every so often he glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his voice gentle. "Crystal, are you hungry? Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll take you."I shook my head, then nodded.He chuckled. "Alright, then. Once we get home, get your aunt to make you some spaghetti with extra meatballs."When we got back and opened the door, everything was exactly the same as when I'd left. This home had been waiting for me to come back.Aunt Ava settled me on the couch and went into the
A One-Way Ticket to Happiness Chapter 7
The next evening, the screech of brakes tore through the quiet outside. I pressed up against the window and looked down, almost bursting into tears.Aunt Ava's black MPV was parked downstairs.The car door opened, and she stepped out in heels. She was followed by Uncle Michael and Isaac… as well as a police officer.Dad's face turned ashen, and Jamie shrank back toward the bedroom. "Why did she bring the police? I thought you said your sister was just some office employee!"Dad's lips trembled. "I-I didn't know she was… She's now…"A sharp pounding rattled the door, each thud echoing through the apartment. Aunt Ava's voice came through from the hallway. She wasn't loud, but every word was like a knife."Open up."Jamie took a deep breath, smoothed her hair, and forced a smile onto her face. Then, she went to get the door.The second it swung open, Aunt Ava didn't even look at her. Her gaze swept straight past the living room and landed on me, curled up in the corner.She cross
A One-Way Ticket to Happiness Chapter 6
Meanwhile, Aunt Ava had just brought Isaac back after his martial arts class. When she saw the front door wide open and that I was missing, her mind went blank.Isaac was the first to snap back to his senses. He ran straight to the building management office to pull the security footage. On the screen, Dad and Jamie forced me into the elevator, one shoving and one yanking.When Isaac finished watching, he slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it! Is he really her father?"Aunt Ava stood frozen in the middle of the living room. She stared at the half-eaten fruit plate on the coffee table and the little dip in the couch where I'd been curled up. She shook all over.Uncle Michael worked late that night. The moment he walked in and saw Aunt Ava sitting on the couch with red-rimmed eyes and Isaac pacing furiously, he knew something was wrong.After he heard what happened, he didn't say a word. He just grabbed his phone and went into the study. Ten minutes later, he came back out. His to
A One-Way Ticket to Happiness Chapter 5
Dad shoved me into the backseat of a cab. Jamie slid into the passenger seat and told the driver, "Take us to the train station."I pressed myself to the rear window and stared back at Aunt Ava's apartment. The building shrank and shrank until it was just a dot, swallowed by the glow of the southern evening sky.I curled up in a corner, my voice shaking as I said, "You said you didn't want me anymore. Why did you come for me again?"Dad didn't look at me. He kept his gaze fixed outside the window and stayed silent. Jamie turned around, though. She smiled and spoke to me like I was a baby. "Crystal, I'm sure you can tell your aunt's loaded. Look at that huge place she lives in. You've stayed with her for so long now, yet she hasn't given us a single cent for child support. "You're your dad's daughter. Why should some outsider be the one raising you? Just be good when we get back, okay? I'll make sure you have a good life."I bit my lip and said nothing. So, they hadn't come to "
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