Chapter 4

"Yes, you're right. That's what matters now."

Mom and Dad didn't dare waste another second. They rushed me to the hospital and got me the most comprehensive workup they could get.

Mom grabbed the doctor by the coat. "Doctor, how is my son? The last time he was checked, we were told he had a weak heart…"

The doctor flipped through the report and said calmly, "He's fine. All his vitals are normal. He's very healthy."

Mom was taken aback. She looked at me lying motionless on the bed and pressed, "Then why isn't he awake yet?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and snorted. "He's playing dead. Kids these days pretend to be sick all the time just to force their parents to give in to whatever they want. I'd say your son's the same."

Mom was about to snap at him for talking nonsense when she saw me slowly sit up. "It's fine, Mom. I really just didn't feel like moving."

The room went dead silent.

Right then, Ethan suddenly spoke up, his eyes reddened. He looked like he was struggling with himself. "Mom, Dad, there's something I don't know if I should say."

He pulled a private investigator's report out of his bag and sniffled. "I found out Ben's liked to play dead and frame people since he was a kid. In preschool, he scared his classmate so badly the kid ran a fever for three days. In third grade, he scared a teacher so much she almost quit."

The more he said, the more aggrieved he sounded. "Ever since he came back, he's pulled this a few more times. Each time, you two panicked and rushed him to the hospital.

"I know he just wants attention, but this is way over the line. He even scared me a few times. I've been feeling guilty all this time, thinking I owed him."

Mom and Dad stared at the thick stack of papers, too stunned to speak.

"Is what Ethan said true?" Mom looked at me in disbelief.

I opened my mouth, but there really wasn't anything I could reasonably deny. I simply nodded.

"Ben, you've really let me down!" Mom felt utterly deceived. "Your dad and I walked away from deals worth millions just to stay home with you every day because we were terrified something might happen to you. And what did you do? You selfishly pull a stunt like this just to soak up attention.

"Since you love staying in the hospital so much, fine. I'll extend your stay for another month. You can sit here and think about what you've done."

With that, she spun around, leaving without a backward glance.

I sat there on the bed in silence and didn't try to stop her.

Once everyone was gone, Ethan finally revealed his true colors. He sauntered up to the bed and looked at me imperiously. "Did you really think you could go up against me, loser? You're still wet behind the ears. I barely had to dig to find out all your dirty little secrets."

He jabbed a finger toward the open window and taunted me. "You love playing dead for attention, don't you? Go ahead and jump out right now if you've got the guts. I might actually respect you then."

He kept running his mouth, spewing all kinds of nasty crap, until he realized I wasn't responding at all. With a derisive snort, he turned and walked out.

The room fell silent.

The reason I hadn't said a word wasn't that I felt guilty or diffident. I just couldn't be bothered to explain.

I stared at the open window, zoning out. The truth was, besides having no energy, nobody knew that my will to live was pretty much nonexistent, too. Being alive honestly felt pointless, so I charged toward the window without hesitation and jumped.

At that moment, Mom and Dad had just reached the hospital entrance, still complaining about how ungrateful I was and how, if they'd known I was such a compulsive liar, they never would've brought me back.

Suddenly, there was a deafening thud as something heavy slammed into the ground right in front of them.