Chapter 3

Gemma threw a tantrum right in front of Mom and Dad, kicking her feet against the floor as tears instantly filled her eyes.

"I want the newest tablet! Everyone in my class got one for graduation except me. I can't even play games properly without one!"

She pulled favor coupon number ninety-eight from the pink cardholder she carried and slapped it down on the wooden dining table. Then she shot me a smug look, as though what she was about to demand was the most reasonable thing in the world.

"Mom, I'm using this favor coupon. Give me Livia's grant so I can use the money to buy a tablet!"

Mom took the coupon as naturally as she always did. After glancing at me, she said, "Livia, tell your teacher Gemma needs the grant more. Give us the application paperwork so we can transfer it to her."

Dad put down his phone and chimed in as if there were nothing wrong with any of this, "What's the big deal about letting Gemma have something she wants for once? Don't forget, you're the reason she can't hear properly. Stop being so stingy over a little money."

My fingers tightened around the edge of the table until my knuckles turned white. Eighteen years of resentment finally became too much to swallow.

"That's my grant. The school is giving it to me because I've worked throughout high school to support myself and maintained excellent grades. Why should she get it just because you say so?"

For the first time in my life, I raised my voice and openly defied them.

Mom and Dad stared at me in shock.

Even Gemma froze.

"Gemma has never had to worry about anything. You buy her clothes and jewelry and give her spending money whenever she wants it. Meanwhile, what I make from my part-time job every month is barely enough to feed myself, and you've never once asked if I was struggling. Why am I always the one who has to sacrifice so she can get what she wants?"

When Gemma realized I was actually fighting back, she cried even harder and threw herself into Mom's arms, clutching her sleeve.

"Livia hates me! She's deliberately trying to take things away from me. She's the one who ruined my hearing in the first place, and now she won't even let me have one little thing!"

That was all it took to ignite Mom's anger. She shot to her feet, stormed over to me, and slapped me hard across the face.

The crack echoed through the silent living room.

Pain exploded across my cheek, followed by a high-pitched ringing in my ears. The force of the blow snapped my head to the side, and the inside of my lip caught against my teeth, filling my mouth with the faint taste of blood.

"I raised you for eighteen years, and this is how you repay me? Talking back to your family and fighting Gemma over everything?" Mom's chest heaved as she glared at me with undisguised disgust.

"You hurt Gemma's right ear when she was little. You're perfectly healthy. What's wrong with letting her have something for once?"

I'd been giving in to her for eighteen years. Wasn't that enough?

I pressed a hand to my burning cheek. My eyes stung, but I stubbornly refused to let a single tear fall.

It didn't matter how obedient I was. The moment I refused Gemma anything, I was always the one at fault.

But they were the selfish ones. They were the cowards.

The medical report diagnosing Gemma with congenital hearing loss in the right ear flashed through my mind again.

Something inside my chest turned to ice.

"I didn't hurt her ear," I said quietly, my voice trembling despite my best efforts.

I almost told them about the medical report, but I stopped myself. There was no point exposing the truth now. They would only find another way to blame me.

All I had to do was finish my SATs and get out of here for good.

Mom assumed I was making excuses out of spite. She gave a cold laugh and turned to Dad. "Go to the school first thing tomorrow morning and talk to Ms. Pierce. Have the grant transferred to Gemma. I'll get the paperwork."

That night, while I was washing up, Mom forced open my desk drawer and took all my application documents.

I didn't find out until Ms. Pierce called me, sounding both regretful and helpless.

"Livia, your mother said Gemma has health problems and insisted the grant be transferred to her. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't."

After the call ended, I walked into the living room.

Gemma was playing with the favor coupon she'd just used. A moment later, she crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the trash.

Mom and Dad sat around her, happily discussing which tablet she should buy. Their laughter filled the room.

I'd always been the extra one in this family. So why should I care anymore?

I went back to my room, picked up a pencil, and crossed out box ninety-eight.

Then I wrote: [Gave my grant to Gemma.]

Only one favor coupon remained. Once she used it, the debt I owed my parents for raising me would finally be paid.

When I applied to college, I'd choose one as far away as possible. After that, there would be enough distance between us that we'd never have to see each other again.