Chapter 2

Lying on top of my admissions packet was a photocopy of Reuben's acceptance letter from Norwell University.

Move-in day for both schools was coming.

I picked up the photocopy, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash.

The next day was Saturday, and my family held a college send-off party at home. By early morning, the living room was already packed with relatives who had come to congratulate Reuben.

"Reuben, that's amazing. Norwell is such a prestigious school. You're officially a college student now."

"Patrick's one lucky man. His son's handsome and smart."

Compliments came from every corner of the room.

Mom couldn't stop smiling as she led Reuben around to greet everyone. Dressed in a brand-new designer suit, he looked every bit like the golden child everyone doted on.

Aunt Mathilde was munching on pretzels when she suddenly glanced over at me, sitting alone in the corner.

"How did Garrett do?" she asked.

The living room went quiet for a moment.

Mom's smile stiffened before she waved the question away.

"Garrett got into Norwell, too. His grades are usually pretty average, so he did better than expected this time. It actually worked out perfectly. The boys will be at the same school, and Garrett can help look after Reuben."

Aunt Mathilde nodded.

"That makes sense. Garrett's always been dependable. He's exactly the kind of older brother Reuben needs."

I sat in an armchair with my head lowered, quietly drinking a glass of water without correcting either of them.

For my final college entrance exam, I'd stopped deliberately holding myself back.

I finished the test half an hour early and worked through every major problem as thoroughly as I could, giving each one the strongest solution possible.

When the scores came out, the entire family crowded around the computer to check Reuben's results.

The moment they saw that he'd scored just high enough to get into Norwell University, everyone erupted in celebration.

Cheryl even popped a bottle of champagne.

Not one of them asked what I'd scored.

Rather than ruin their excitement, I'd later made a copy of Reuben's acceptance letter and left it on my desk.

They hadn't even bothered to look at it closely. They simply assumed that Norwell was the best school I could have gotten into, just like Reuben.

Halfway through the party, Phoebe opened the door and walked in carrying two beautifully wrapped gift boxes.

"Phoebe, you're here! Come in and sit down," Mom greeted her warmly.

Phoebe went straight to Reuben and handed him one of the boxes, which bore the logo of a luxury brand.

"Congratulations on getting into college, Reuben."

His face lit up as he opened it.

Inside was an expensive custom mechanical watch. The silver face caught the light with a sleek metallic gleam. It was an understated piece yet unmistakably luxurious.

"Wow, this is awesome! Thanks, Phoebe!"

Reuben immediately put it on and proudly showed it off to everyone.

Cheryl gave Phoebe a knowing look. "Phoebe, that watch couldn't have been cheap. You really went all out."

Phoebe smiled. "As long as Reuben likes it, that's all that matters."

Then, she turned and walked over to me, holding out the smaller box.

"Garrett, this one's for you."

I set down my glass and accepted it.

The packaging was cheap and plain, without even a sticker keeping the box closed. When I opened it, I found an ordinary mystery figurine from a collection that had been popular two years ago.

"I passed a collectible toy store and saw this," Phoebe said casually. "I remembered that you used to like these trinkets."

I stared at the plastic figurine.

She had remembered wrong.

Reuben was the one who liked mystery collectibles.

Two years ago, he'd bought an entire case in an attempt to get the rare Chase figure. Once he'd opened every box, he left all the figurines scattered across the floor, and I'd simply picked them up and put them away for him.

Somehow, Phoebe had seen that and decided I was the one who liked them.

"Thanks," I said calmly as I set the box back on the table.

Phoebe seemed dissatisfied with my lack of enthusiasm, and her brows drew together slightly.

"Garrett, are you upset because Reuben's gift was more expensive?" she questioned. "You've always been the mature one. Don't start keeping score over something this trivial."

I looked up at her self-righteous expression.

"I'm not keeping score. In fact, I don't care what kind of gift I get from you."

Phoebe froze for a moment, apparently caught off guard by my response.

In the past, whenever she showed even the slightest favoritism toward Reuben, I would fall silent for hours before retreating to my room and dealing with the disappointment alone.

Once the party ended, the relatives gradually headed home, leaving me behind to clean up the mess.

Phoebe helped Reuben carry all his expensive gifts to his room while I took a stack of greasy plates into the kitchen.

As I passed the trash can, I stopped.

I picked up the unopened mystery figurine and tossed it. It landed with a soft thud among the leftover food and dirty napkins.

Without looking back, I walked straight out of the kitchen.