Chapter 3

At first, taking care of Hugo meant giving up my toys whenever he hit other people because he wanted something, then stepping in to apologize on his behalf.

But eventually, he learned how to use his condition to get what he wanted.

Whenever he set his sights on something, the worst he'd do was throw things or hit someone. At worst, he'd hurt himself or threaten to jump off a building.

And I went from apologizing for him to taking the blame for him, then eventually taking responsibility for his crimes.

Compared to keeping Hugo alive, everyone treated my willingness to give in as something they could take for granted.

My parents' attention toward me grew less and less until almost all of their time and energy revolved around Hugo.

Then came my birthday.

I'd earned my first paycheck from a part-time college job and used it to buy a cake. I'd even carefully picked out gifts for Mom and Dad.

I lit the candles and waited for them to come home, but they were still nowhere to be seen when the candles burned all the way down.

Midnight came and went, but my phone remained silent. Eventually, I couldn't keep my eyes open and fell asleep.

Later, I was jolted awake by the sound of the front door opening.

Just as I forced a smile and prepared to show them the gifts I'd prepared, Dad knocked the cake onto the floor.

"What are you doing, sitting here eating cake at a time like this?" he roared, his face twisted with irritation. "Hugo's in serious trouble, and you're still thinking about celebrating?"

Mom stared at the ruined cake and suddenly broke down sobbing.

"What are we going to do? Hugo has bipolar disorder. If we're not there for him, he could kill himself! He's still so young!"

Then, Mom turned toward me.

"Mikey, please. I'm begging you," she cried. "Help Hugo one last time!"

"Help him with what?"

A terrible feeling settled in my stomach, and my voice trembled.

"Take the blame for Hugo…"

Mom's voice trailed off as she looked past me toward Dad.

Hugo slowly emerged from behind him, sobbing so hard that his whole body shook. I'd never seen him cry like that before.

My mind went blank as I stared at him.

"What happened?"