Chapter 3

Kyle's POV

After the disappointing dinner, Claire showed up at our door with two drinks in hand.

They were both mango smoothies. One was for Kevin, and the other was for me.

After taking a sip of the smoothie, Kevin gave Claire a thumbs-up. "You know me so well. Smoothies are perfect for summer!"

I held my smoothie, feeling the coldness traveling from my hand straight into my chest.

Before meeting Kevin, Claire told me she had a sister as well. Her sister was so outstanding that she had stolen all the family's attention.

I once naively thought Claire and I were comrades.

But after getting to know Kevin, Claire told me, "Your brother is indeed more likable than you are."

But even then, I liked Claire. She was the only person who remembered me even when she was thinking about Kevin.

When she bought things for us, she would always get two of the same gift.

But before I knew it, she was beginning to get gifts tailored only to Kevin's preferences.

"Kyle, what are you zoning out for? Come on, drink it. I got it especially for you, you know." Noticing that I hadn't touched my drink, Claire urged me half-heartedly.

But her gaze was trained on Kevin's smiling face.

Looking at her, I explained, "Claire, I'm allergic to mangoes. Also, I have gastric problems, so I can't have icy drinks."

Everything fell silent for a second.

Claire frowned. She seemed to be trying her best to recall the memory. Then, she responded in an extremely annoyed tone, "Really? Didn't you eat mangoes that one time? Moreover, it's summer, so every shop is adding ice to their drinks like crazy. Can you stop being so dramatic?"

But that one time she was referring to was my first time eating mangoes.

Claire had cried as she apologized to me, promising me that she would definitely remember that I was allergic to mangoes.

As it turned out, her memory only lasted three years.

Natasha scoffed. "Kyle, are you going to give us an attitude right when we're in a good mood again?"

I lowered my gaze in disappointment. I was just glad that I hadn't chosen a college in Valefront.

If not, I would have to endure four more years of disregard and unreasonable scolding.

The next day, our parents decided to head to a hotel to book the venue for our graduation party.

Outside the lobby of our apartment, I stood awkwardly on the spot.

The fierce August sun turned the asphalt scorching hot, beating down on my skin until it hurt.

Dad urged, "Come on, get in the car already."

I replied, "There's no space for me."

Dad frowned deeply. "You're not a kid anymore. Can't you just squeeze in?"

Mom agreed. "Kev has motion sickness, so he can only sit in front. Just be a good boy and deal with it."

But Kevin was fiddling with the visor while Mom and Natasha occupied both ends of the backseat. Claire was seated between them, holding a laptop bag she had bought for Kevin.

There was simply no space for me.

Even if I squeezed my way in, I couldn't imagine a position that wasn't awkward or mortifying.

I insisted, "There's no more space."

Dad said, "Then take a cab to the hotel yourself. It's not that far anyway."

Nodding, I took a step back. "Go ahead, you guys. I—"

Before I could finish speaking, Dad stepped on the gas pedal. The car drove off into the distance.

The exhaust blew in my face, making me choke. My nose crinkled.

I slowly retraced my steps and went back home.

Entering the kitchen, I made some pasta for myself. Then, I added tons of chili flakes.

It was so hot that my tears kept flowing. But I was happy.

After I was done, I washed the plate and wiped the stove clean.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a voice message from Mom.

The background chatter was overwhelming, and I could hear people laughing and praising Kevin.

Mom's voice came through. "Kyle, where on earth are you? Come on and take a cab here. Don't keep us waiting!"

For a moment, I debated between blocking her and replying to her. Then, I responded. "I'm not going."

After returning to my room, I began packing up.

I only brought clothes for the current season. I could get new winter clothes after I had arrived at Mallowpoint.

I left the rest of my stuff, including the e-reader in its gray box, on my desk.

But when I checked my coin jar, there were only 32 dollars inside. The large bills were all gone.

I searched the entire room, but to no avail.

I couldn't figure out where the money had gone.

Just when I was on the verge of a breakdown and about to call the cops, the door opened.

Kevin waved his new phone at me. "How does this look? Mom got it for me. It's quite expensive, too. It's 2,500 dollars!"

The money missing from my coin jar came to a total of exactly 2,500 dollars.

I stared at Mom in disbelief. "You took my money without informing me?"