Chapter 4

The day before the graduation party, the backyard was hung with purple and silver balloons.

The banner read:

"Congratulations, Ella Ashford! Next Stop: Newland University!"

Mom ordered a three-tiered cake. Dad rented string lights and a champagne tower.

Relatives, neighbors, and church friends from the community had all received invitations.

The invitations featured only Ella's photo.

"Where's my dress?" I asked.

Mom was fixing Ella's hair and didn't look up.

"Today is Ella's day. Just wear a white blouse. It'll be easier for handing out drinks and taking photos."

Derek pushed a case of soda to my feet.

"You don't like attention anyway. This is perfect for you."

I picked up the case. The cardboard edge dug into my arms.

Not one person asked if the box was heavy.

They were all busy adjusting Ella's hem.

Derek handed me the laptop.

"While you're at it, put together a video of Ella's photos from over the years."

In the album: her first steps, her first recital, her first time on stage. Every picture was surrounded by smiling family.

I scrolled to the end. There was only one photo with me in it, a side profile.

In it, I stood behind Ella, holding the coat she'd taken off.

Derek leaned over.

"Leave that one out. The composition's off. You look kind of out of place there."

I said nothing and hit delete.

The screen went dark for a second, reflecting my own face back at me.

Colorless and alone.

Just then, Mom's phone rang.

She answered, and her face lit up in seconds.

"The local paper is sending a reporter to the party!"

The caller said they wanted to interview "the award-winning Ashford graduate," but Mom cut them off and launched into Ella's Newland University acceptance.

She didn't even ask for the name.

She turned and hugged Ella.

"They must have heard you got into Newland. Our Ella is going to be in the paper!"

Ella said, "Could there be a mix-up?" but she'd already had Derek add the interview to the party schedule.

She knew that as long as she stood in the spotlight, no one would look for another name.

I quietly carried the soda into the storage room.

The local paper had contacted me.

The state science competition committee had announced this year's sole top-prize winner, and Lakecrest Tech had confirmed my full scholarship.

The reporter had emailed me. I never replied.

They'd confirmed my hometown from the school's published list of winners, then found the party address on Mom's public social media post.

At five in the morning, I pulled out the suitcase I'd already packed.

Inside were three sets of clothes, my laptop, my documents, and one photograph of Grandma.

I placed the house key on the kitchen island.

Next to it lay the 529 account year-end statement showing a balance of just over eight thousand dollars.

The family group chat was still blowing up on my phone.

Mom: "The reporter comes at two. Ella, remember to start by talking about how Mom and Dad supported you."

Derek: "Shane, you're on the livestream. Let everyone see our family's Newland University star."

Ella: "Nora, come help me with my makeup early, okay?"

Mom sent me a separate message.

"I thought about it last night. We can add your name to a corner of the banner too. Just don't zone out in front of the reporter. After the party, Mom will take you to buy a new dress."

In the text box, I typed, "I'm your daughter too."

I stared at it for a few seconds, then deleted it letter by letter.

I left the group chat and blocked all five of them.

Outside, the car I'd booked pulled up on time.

I didn't look back at the house I'd lived in for eighteen years.

As the car merged onto the highway toward the airport, my electronic boarding pass for Lakecrest appeared on the screen.

I stared at the destination under my name for a long time.

Twenty-seven hundred miles away, nobody knew "quiet, awkward Nora."

The moment the plane broke through the clouds, I laughed until the tears streamed down.

They were still waiting for me to get up and serve Ella.

And I had already left the life they'd planned for me.

Before I powered off my phone, the last notification was from the local paper.

"Interview team en route to the Ashford residence: Who is the graduate who won the state's top science prize and a full scholarship to a top engineering school?"