My Life Is Mine

I pulled my hand back. “Identity theft and fraud are illegal.”

Dad frowned impatiently and replied, “What do you mean, it’s illegal? We’re family. Why are you making such a huge deal out of this? Besides, you’re the older brother.”

Here we go again.

For eighteen years, whenever those words were spoken, whatever belonged to me would no longer be mine.

When I was six, a neighbor gave me a Transformer toy. All it took was Ethan crying, and Mom forced me to give it to him.

When I was nine, I won first place in an art competition. Ethan tore up my award certificate, yet Dad made me apologize because I “shouldn’t have shown off in front of my brother.”

When I was twelve, I entered a math competition and needed a computer to look up study materials. Dad turned around and sold the computer to pay for Ethan’s piano lessons instead.

When I was fifteen, I earned a rare spot in a state-level competition training camp.

However, Ethan was suddenly hospitalized, and Mom forced me to miss camp to look after him.

Because of that, I missed the chance for a special university admissions opportunity.

My parents said it was fine, that my grades were good anyway, and that I could just get in on my own merits, which I did; I got in on my own merits.

Yet now, they wanted to take away the very university I had worked so hard to get into.

I clutched the acceptance letter tight against my chest as I said, “I can give up other things, but not this.”

Dad’s face instantly turned grim. “Mason, say that one more time.”

My palms were soaked in sweat, but my fingers dug firmly into the edges of the letter. “Mar University accepted me. I’m not giving it up.”

With a loud thud, Dad flipped the cake over. The frosting and strawberries smashed onto the floor in a red-and-white mess.

Mom burst into tears as well. “Mason, how can you be so heartless? Ethan is your twin brother! Don’t you know how much he’s suffered since he was a kid? You’ll just start university a year later, but he might stay sick for the rest of his life because of this!”

Sitting on the couch, Ethan’s eyes turned red as he slowly clutched his chest.

“Mason, please don’t fight with Mom and Dad. I won’t go. I’ll just go to community college.”

He said he wouldn’t go, yet his eyes remained fixed on the acceptance letter in my hands.

I didn’t go over to support him like I used to, and a few seconds later, he suddenly slid off the couch onto the floor.

Mom let out a sharp scream and rushed over to hold him. “Ethan!”

Dad frantically dialed for an ambulance. When he turned his head back, his eyes were filled with pure resentment.

“If anything happens to your brother, I’ll never let you off the hook!”

When the paramedics arrived, they carried Ethan out of the house in a rush.

Before leaving, Dad snatched my phone away, grabbed the keys off the table, and locked the front door from the outside.

“You stay in there and reflect on what you’ve done. You’re not coming out until you’ve come to your senses!”

As the footsteps outside grew distant, I bent down and stared at the strawberries scattered all over the floor. Stuck in the middle of the frosting was the little plastic “Happy Birthday” sign.

I suddenly burst out laughing. As I laughed, tears dropped onto the back of my hand.

So this cake was never meant for me after all.