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Left Behind on Purpose, I'll Chase My Own Light

Left Behind on Purpose, I'll Chase My Own Light

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  WeirdoCompleted
Language: English
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10Chapters
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Synopsis

Familial Bond

Bias

Male POV

Family Emotions

Remorse Family

On the day of our family trip, I wake up early, only to find the house empty. As I wonder what is going on, a message from my younger twin brother, Carson Smyth, suddenly pops up in the family group chat. "Oh, no! I forgot to update in this group chat that the departure time has been moved forward!" The very next second, the message is deleted. I stare blankly at the empty chat, my eyes stinging. So they have another group chat—one that doesn't include me. Still reeling, I get a call from Mom. "I'm sorry, Caleb. The departure time was moved up by an hour, and I forgot to tell you. Hurry and take a cab here! You might still be able to catch up—" My older sister, Carina Smyth, cuts her off and says quietly, "Since Caleb isn't here, let's just forget about him. Carson has always wanted to have the whole family's attention to himself. Let's consider this his wish coming true." I sniff and force down the ache in my chest. "I'll give it a miss. Have a great trip." After hanging up, I immediately change my train ticket from Sereia to Marevia. Maya Bingham, my childhood friend, and I have already made plans to visit Marevia's vast grasslands. Now, I finally have the chance to make that trip happen. For the past 18 years, my family has always favored Carson for being smart and handsome. Maya is the only one who has never looked down on me for being ordinary, quietly staying by my side all these years. Excited to tell her the good news, I get on my phone, and the first thing I see is a social media post from her. It is a photo of her posing intimately with Carson on the high-speed train to Sereia. The caption says, "Off to chase the waves with my prince!" The last shred of hope in me shatters completely. I get on my computer and change my choice on the university application from a local university, which Maya and I had planned to attend together, to a university in the south, more than 600 miles away. Then, clutching my newly changed train ticket, I take a cab to the station alone. If no one cares about me, then I'll go searching for my own happiness alone.

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10 Chapters
Chapter 1
Caleb's POVThe day I returned from my trip to Marevia, my family also came back from their trip to Sereia.No sooner had my mom, Megan Burton, stepped through the door than she glanced at the empty kitchen and started complaining, "You know full well that Carson gets carsick and can't eat anything on the road. Couldn't you have prepared dinner at home in advance? You have no sense of responsibility as an older brother!"I was left speechless by Mom's lecture. Sure, I was the older brother, but only by an hour. Carson Smyth was my twin brother, but since I was young, I'd been expected to take care of him in every way and to yield to him at every turn. The slightest shortcoming would earn me the label of being "vicious".Besides, I had only been home for less than ten minutes and hadn't even had time for a sip of water yet.Cabs at the train station were nearly impossible to get. I had specifically asked in the family group chat for the time my parents would be back, hoping they co
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Chapter 2
Caleb's POVMom and my dad, Jude Smyth, eventually decided to take Carson out for dinner.Just before they left, Carson asked me, "Caleb, do you want to come along?"Before I could answer, my older sister, Carina Smyth, cut in. "He never eats with us, Carson. You know that."Then, she even shot me a disdainful glare and spat, "Not a shred of warmth. Having a cold-blooded brother like you is a real disgrace!"Her words made my face burn red, then pale. I wished the floor would swallow me whole. At the same time, a deep sense of grievance washed over me.Carson loved spicy food, so every time we went out, they would opt for Taresian cuisine. However, because I had a sensitive stomach and couldn't handle the heat, I could only nibble on plain bread. But whenever I did that, my parents would call me picky and accuse me of ruining the meal for Carson. After it happened enough times, I simply stopped joining them for meals outside.As it turned out, my forbearance hadn't earned me a
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Chapter 3
Caleb's POVAfter I washed up and got into bed, I received a message from my childhood friend, Maya Bingham.She cut straight to the chase and asked, "Have you submitted your university applications? Did you apply for Aurevia University?"Maya had always dreamed of going to Imperia, and before, she'd sworn she would never settle for anything less than Crownbridge University in Imperia. But a month before the college entrance exam, she suddenly changed her tune. She insisted she would never leave Aurevius and listed the local Aurevia University as her first choice.I couldn't help asking her why.Maya hemmed and hawed before giving me an answer. "Well, it's because Carson's scores on the recent mock exams were too low. Applying to a local university would give him a better chance of admission."I could hardly believe my own ears. "So you gave up your own dream just to go to the same university as him?"Maya retorted indifferently, "It's just university. How could it possibly co
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Chapter 4
Caleb's POVWhen I woke up the next morning, it was already 10:00 am. I didn't even bother putting on shoes before leaping up and rushing for the door. But the moment I opened the door, I ran straight into my parents and my siblings who had just returned from the photoshoot.As I collapsed to the ground in despair, my leg was cut by a shard of broken glass on the floor. Blood gushed out, yet I felt no pain. All I felt was regret and self-blame.Carina glanced coldly at the blood on the floor and said mockingly, "You've even resorted to self-harm just to get out of taking a photo with us? Caleb, your hypocrisy and callousness have just sunk to a new low!"With that, she ignored me and went straight back to her room.My parents also let out a deep sigh and went off to busy themselves with their own affairs.Carson, however, kept telling me all the interesting things that had happened during the photo session. He even tried to comfort me, saying, "Caleb, I know you're upset abou
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Chapter 5
Third-Person POVTo make good on the previous day's promise, and more importantly, to keep Caleb from holding Carson's deeds against him, the whole family got up before dawn the next day and waited outside Caleb's bedroom door, ready to retake the family portrait with him.He was usually up by 7:00 am, but this time, his door was still tightly shut at 9:00 am. Megan and Jude exchanged glances and signaled Carina to knock on Caleb's door. So, she walked over and pounded heavily on the door. "Caleb, time to get up for the photos. Come on, Mom, Dad, and I are all waiting for you!"She called out for a while, but got no response. Unable to hold back, she muttered, "He couldn't have had another glass of spiked milk and fallen into a deep sleep again, could he?"The moment the words left her mouth, three pairs of eyes shot toward Carson in unison.Carson jolted in fright and hurriedly denied it. "It wasn't me! I didn't do anything! You can check the surveillance footage if you don't b
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Chapter 6
Third-Person POV"Mrs. Smyth, Caleb applied to Valoris University in Valoria. The acceptance letter has already been delivered to him. In fact, he left yesterday to report for enrollment. Didn't he tell the family?" Sarah asked. Megan didn't hear a single word Sarah said after that. Her mind was completely stuck on the fact that Caleb had gone to another city over 600 miles south.After a long while, she suddenly snapped back to her senses. That didn't make sense. Caleb's grades had always been average at best. The best university he could have managed to get into should have been Aurevia University. How could he possibly end up being accepted into Valoris University?"Ms. Cornell, are you sure you're not mistaken?"Hearing the doubt in Megan's voice, Sarah couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated. "Mrs. Smyth, I don't mean to be rude, but how could you not know your son's score? Caleb's grades were a little lower before, but in the second half of the year, he suddenl
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Chapter 7
Caleb's POVWhile everyone back home was drowning in regret, I arrived safely in Valoria.Thanks to my outstanding grades, the university waived my tuition and awarded me an additional scholarship. Combined with the money I'd saved from part-time jobs during previous holidays, the expenses for four years of university were essentially no longer a concern.With a month to go before the semester officially started, I not only familiarized myself with the local culture and customs, but also gave myself a complete makeover.I discarded the formal attire I had worn before and switched to clean, sharp casual clothes. The truth was, I'd never liked formal wear. Carson was the one who always liked to dress that way.But whenever people saw us together, their first reaction was always to praise him in his suit and tie, calling him a handsome prince. Then, they would turn around and mock me for being in my sportswear, calling me a country bumpkin who would never find a wife.So to avoid th
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Chapter 8
Third-Person POVWhen Megan and Jude found out Caleb had ranked sixth in the grade, they tried to contact him again.But since they couldn't get through to him, they got his high school classmates to call him on their behalf. However, the moment Caleb heard their voices, he hung up immediately. He firmly refused to come back for the celebratory banquet they wanted to throw for him.The atmosphere at home was heavy for days. In the end, Carson suggested, "Even though Caleb isn't coming back, we can still celebrate for him."He proposed holding the banquet anyway, and if anyone asked why Caleb wasn't there, they could simply explain that the university required top freshmen to attend an intensive program in advance.Megan and Jude agreed without a second thought. After all, who wouldn't want to show off a little in front of friends and relatives when their child had become a top student?To make a grand impression, they canceled the ordinary hotel they had originally booked for C
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Chapter 9
Third-Person POVWhat played on the large screen was not the footage of Caleb's hard work and diligence that Megan and Jude had previously collected. Instead, it showed the scene from the day Caleb discovered that his milk had been spiked, when he furiously lost his temper at the entire family.But all the evidence of Carson spiking Caleb's milk had been edited out, leaving only his aggressive, harsh words. To anyone watching without context, he would come across as a violent, disrespectful, and vicious person. Sure enough, the guests began whispering among themselves. But contrary to what Carson had expected, most of the criticism was directed not at Caleb, but at Megan and Jude."That was Caleb in the video just now, right? He's so aggressive and utterly lacking in manners!""Exactly. And when children misbehave, it is always the parents' fault for not disciplining them. His parents bear at least 70% of the responsibility!""That's right! But instead of reflecting on themselve
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Chapter 10
Third-Person POVOnce they learned the truth, Megan and Jude showed no mercy and slapped Carson hard across the face."Do you have any idea what you've done to the family?" They were so heartbroken and furious that they wished they could tear Carson apart.They ended the banquet early, dragged Carson home, and locked him in his room. "Stay in there until you've truly reflected on what you've done!"After punishing him, the two contacted Caleb through the university counselor.They had originally counted on the celebratory banquet to mend their relationship with him, but it had backfired completely.Though most of the guests at the banquet could tell right from wrong and did not condemn Caleb excessively, rumors still spread. Gossip found its way outside, and as it circulated, Caleb was painted as a failure both academically and in character.Over the phone, Megan and Jude wept and reflected bitterly. "Caleb, you have to believe us! This was never our intention!"Carina also a
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