Chapter 4

When fall break arrived, I stepped outside school and immediately saw Dad's car.

I waited nearby.

A few minutes later, Mom, Dad, and Quinn came out together.

Mom carried a bag of Quinn's laundry.

Dad had Quinn's pink backpack slung over one shoulder.

The three of them were laughing.

Then they saw me.

The laughter stopped.

Mom moved in front of the car door, almost defensively.

"You like reading. Spend fall break at the bookstore.

"You can't swim, so the beach isn't safe for you."

I looked at the way she was blocking the door.

Then at Dad, who still hadn't unlocked the car.

I almost wanted to laugh.

They thought I was about to ruin their happy family trip.

"I'm not asking to go.

"I need money for food. If you're leaving, what am I supposed to eat?"

Mom visibly relaxed.

She searched her purse, then tugged Dad's sleeve.

"Daniel, do you have cash? Give her some. I don't have any on me, and my phone's dead."

Dad didn't move.

"She's yours this year. Why should I pay?

"You always shove Gwen's bills and Gwen's problems over to me. Doesn't it get old?"

I ended up with a few bills crumpled in my hand.

My chest felt just as crumpled.

Mom started tugging at him and accidentally caught the zipper of Quinn's backpack.

The bag fell open.

Inside was a thick stack of cash.

Quinn snatched it up and hugged the backpack to her chest.

"Mom gave me that because my test scores went up. It has nothing to do with you. Don't even think about it."

Mom waved impatiently.

"All right, Gwen, just go home. I'll charge my phone and send you money later."

I didn't move.

"They went up? By how much? What's her ranking?"

Dad answered proudly.

"Two points!

"In the SAT, one point can separate thousands of students.

"Our Quinn jumped ahead of ten thousand people. Of course she deserves a reward."

So they'd handed her three hundred dollars for that?

It was absurd.

The test for Quinn's grade had been so easy that even the seniors had heard about it.

The average went up by nearly twenty points.

Quinn had gained two.

Against everyone else, she'd actually done worse.

Mom went to college.

There was no way she couldn't read a score report.

But favoritism had never needed logic.

They wanted to give Quinn money.

So they did.

The reason was an afterthought.

Mom looked at me, impatient.

"Enough with the face, Gwen. I asked one of your classmates about your scores too. You dropped three points.

"If there are rewards, there are penalties. If you want to keep picking at this, you can start by paying us a four-hundred-and-fifty-dollar fine."

That made me laugh.

The senior math exam had been brutal.

My total just dropped three points.

Ms. Alvarez praised me for three days straight.

But to my parents, I was a failure who owed them money.

"You asked how many points I lost. Did you ask what I actually scored?"

Mom shrugged.

"Your classmate might've said it. I was in a hurry.

"That's not the point.

"We have a flight to catch, and I'm done arguing. Stop hounding me like a bill collector. I'll send your money, okay?"

A full day passed.

She still didn't.

I messaged her.

No reply.

But she had time to edit Quinn's vacation photos and post them online.

I messaged Dad.

He told me to ask Mom.

I'd lived through versions of this my entire life.

It still hurt.

Every Sunday night before Quinn went back to school, they called each other to confirm she'd packed enough spending money.

If one parent had to travel for work, they'd swallow their reluctance and send Quinn to the other house for a few days.

Neither of them could stand the idea of her going hungry or spending a night on her own.

They weren't forgetful.

They weren't irresponsible.

They just didn't love me.