Chapter 3

When I heard that, my eyes went wide in disbelief.

It was Maya who had deliberately stuck out her foot and tripped the person in front of her to grab the best viewing spot. She was the one who set off the chain reaction!

How could she make something up out of thin air and dump all the blame on me?

I wanted to fight back, furious, but my shattered lung couldn't push out any air. All I could manage was a ragged wheeze, and more bloody foam welled up from my mouth.

Ethan's face went cold.

The tiny bit of pity that had just surfaced in his eyes turned instantly into intense disgust.

"Maya, you're just too kind. Even now, you're defending her," Ethan said softly into the phone. "Just wait for me in the ambulance. I'll be right there."

He hung up, then jerked his leg up and flung off my hand, which had been clutching his pant leg.

"Jenna, drop the act!"

He glared at me through gritted teeth, his voice full of disappointment and scorn. "I almost believed something was really wrong with you! I never thought you'd go this far, putting on a whole show of suffering just to pin the blame on Maya!

"You were pretty capable when you were fighting for that spot earlier, weren't you? So why are you lying on the ground playing dead now?"

He held Maya's dance shoes protectively against his chest, turned, and strode out.

Just before leaving the tent, he stopped. Without looking back, he tossed one last line over his shoulder.

"You'd better get up right now and stop embarrassing yourself. I'll come check on you once Maya's settled."

As I watched him walk away without a shred of hesitation, my mind drifted back, against my will, to where this whole tragedy began.

I'd met Maya at a charity event. She was poor, and it had left her timid and insecure.

I felt sorry for her. I didn't just pay for her education. I brought her home and treated her like my own little sister.

At first, Derek and Ethan only had eyes for me. They strongly disapproved of me bringing a stranger into our home.

Then came the freshman welcome showcase at our university.

Maya danced onstage in an expensive dress I'd bought her, and she was dazzling.

I pointed at her proudly and showed her off to Derek and Ethan. "Well? That's the girl I sponsor. Isn't she amazing? Isn't she beautiful?"

That was the first time neither of them looked at me.

Their eyes were fixed on Maya onstage, lit with an amazement I'd never seen before. They answered in unison.

"She's wonderful. She's really beautiful."

From that day on, everything changed.

Their eyes lingered on Maya more and more.

One offhand complaint from her would send them all over the city hunting down a limited-edition cake. One bad quiz grade and they'd cancel important meetings to take her out and cheer her up.

I sensed something was off, so I carefully let them know I wasn't happy about it.

What I got back was the same doting, exasperated answer from both of them.

"Jenna, weren't you the one who brought her home? Didn't you want us to look out for her?

"She's an orphan. She has it so hard, and she works so hard. Now that we've seen how great she is, we're helping you take care of her. We're all like one family. Isn't that a good thing? How can you be jealous of the girl you sponsor?"

I didn't have an answer. But it left a sick, sour feeling in my stomach.

From then on, I started competing with her in secret.

I wanted to prove that I still mattered most to them.