109

ASHTON

"Seven years ago," he continues, relentless. "Molly fell into the creek behind the lake house, sinking into the treacherous mud. I was halfway there, already ankle-deep in water, but you emerged out of nowhere, donning your shining white armor and carrying a ten-foot rope."

His eyes are bloodshot as he says, "It's these little moments that define you. You mean everything to my siblings. To the Haynes girls, to your own sisters and brother. You've become an inescapable shadow, because when you're everything to them, I can't be anything. So who am I?" Sandro points at his chest. "Who am I? And what do I become if I follow you to Harvard? Lost and confused? I was already filled with self-loathing and bitterness, but I'd be even more resentful, waking up every day hating myself for not being more like Ashton J