Billions for My Brother, Regrets for My Grave

My pen tore through the paper.Neville glanced over, annoyed. "Forget it. I'll get the answers from a friend tomorrow. She's useless like this."I stood up, scattering the sheets.Otis scowled. "What are you doing?""I've got late-stage cancer," I croaked, forcing out each word....Colette's hand froze mid-air, while Otis's frown deepened.Neville scoffed, "Faking it to skip my homework? Pathetic."I pulled out the diagnosis and placed it on the table. The stamped report, bearing the doctor's signature, was laid out clearly before their eyes.Colette muttered in disbelief, "How could it be?"Neville snorted, "That's obviously a fake. My buddy uses those to skip school all the time."Otis rushed over and slapped me across the face. "Now you're buying fake medical records? What did we teach you?"I crouched down, picking up the scattered sheets one by one. Blood dripped from my nose, staining the paper.Neville kicked my shoulder. "Hurry up. I need to sleep."I kept pickin

I frantically wiped the blood with my other hand, terrified of another beating if they noticed.Neville's confident reciting echoed from upstairs.Colette bustled in the kitchen, making a late-night snack for her precious son. Otis watched TV on the couch, occasionally glancing at me with disappointment.I knelt in the center of the house like an invisible person.Blood kept flowing, blurring my vision. Neville's smug grin swam before my eyes, mocking my misery.I was David's shadow, a clumsy copy. No matter how hard I tried, I could never be the light....At school, my deskmate shoved a milk carton into my hand."You didn't eat breakfast again?" Noah Carter asked, frowning.I pushed it back. "My mom made me chicken soup. I just don't like milk."The lie came out of my mouth easily.Noah stared at me for a few seconds but said nothing.I gripped the milk, my knuckles turning white.The poster of the citywide math competition hung in the school hallway. The first place wou

That bat was David's.For years, Otis treasured it like a relic. Now he'd use it on me."Today, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of David!""Dad, I didn't," I pleaded.Before I could finish, the bat slammed into my stomach.Pain erupted. I collapsed, vomiting blood onto the floor, bright under the light."This is what you get for stealing!" Otis swung again."Lenora!" Colette gasped but didn't stop him.Neville stood in the doorway, smirking like he was watching a show.I lay on the floor, blood pouring from my mouth. In my fading vision, Neville's grin mocked me....The storage room door slammed shut. The lock clicked.Darkness swallowed me."When you figure out what you did, you can come out," Otis said, his voice dripping with disgust.I leaned against the cold wall. My stomach felt like it was being eaten alive.Outside, laughter rang."Neville, I made your favorite beef stew," Colette said."Neville, 730 on the practice test? Second in the city! Amazing!" Otis c

"I didn't know that she lived like this," Colette sobbed, her words hollow with self-deception. "Lenora was always so sensible. Never asked for anything. We thought she liked it simple."The police officer held up my medical file. "And this? Late-stage cancer. Why no treatment?""She lied a lot," Neville said indifferently. "We thought it was fake.""Fake?" The officer glared. "She was this sick, and you thought she was lying?""She just wanted money," Neville said, unfazed. "Her dying's a relief. Less trouble for us."The room went silent, the police officers shocked by his bluntness."What did you just say?" one asked."I said her death was a relief," Neville repeated. "She was a stain on my life.""Neville!" Colette shrieked."Mom, come on," Neville sneered. "You thought the same thing. She's gone, and we're all free."Otis slapped him across the face. "Are you even human?""I'm human," Neville said, clutching his cheek. "She wasn't. She was just a stand-in for David. Now

Every page was like that.Otis's hands shook so hard that the diary fell. He knelt in my room, clutching the piggy bank, and sobbed like a wounded animal. "Lenora, I was wrong. I deserve to die."I couldn't hear him anymore.Neville burst in. "Dad, I need 20 grand."Otis looked up, his eyes red. "What?""20 grand for a motorcycle," Neville said, like it was obvious. "My friends all have one. I can't fall behind."Otis stood up slowly. "Lenora just passed, and you want a bike?""What's her death got to do with me?" Neville huffed. "She was useless anyway. Better off dead."Otis slapped him. "Say that again?""It's the truth," Neville said, holding his cheek. "She was a waste of space. Good riddance."Otis grabbed the bat—the same one he'd used on me."Get the hell out!""Dad, you're crazy! Beating me over a dead girl?""She was your sister!""Sister?" Neville sneered. "She was nothing but a loser."Otis swung the bat, smashing Neville's leg.Neville collapsed, clutching