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Chapter 5

Author: Nameless
To Ben, that thin red envelope might as well have weighed a ton. The color drained from his face. His lips moved, but nothing came out.

Kate suddenly let go of his arm and shrieked, "No way! Judy, you're lying! That has to be fake!"

She reached for the envelope, but I pulled it out of reach and tucked it back into my bag.

"If you think it's fake, go ask Mr. Clayton."

I nodded toward Mr. Clayton, who was talking to a few parents nearby.

"Oh, and while you're at it, ask him what happened to t
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  • Second to No One   Chapter 11

    The ride home was silent.I watched the neon lights slide past the window. For over a decade, I'd carried that weight with me. Tonight, I had finally broken free of it on my own. I had never felt so light.Mom was the one who finally broke the silence, her voice hoarse. "Judy, I'm sorry."I gave a quiet hum without looking at her.Dad spoke from the front seat, sounding completely drained. "We treated you unfairly all these years. We always thought Ben deserved more because he was your older brother. We were wrong."I kept my gaze on the window as the city lights blurred into long streaks of color. I had waited so long to hear those words. But now that I'd finally heard them, I barely felt anything.The damage had already been done, and I'd already made peace with it on my own. I didn't need their apology to make anything right. I'd already found my own way forward.Ben was gone by the time we got home. The housekeeper told us he had packed a few clothes and left, then turned of

  • Second to No One   Chapter 10

    Ben immediately tried to deny it, but his voice came out weak. "That's a lie!"I smiled. "A lie? Second, let's talk about what you did. You stormed into Mr. Clayton's office and tore up the guaranteed admission form I'd already filled out right in front of him."You said you'd only accept your spot if your girlfriend, Kate Seager, got one too."I glanced around the room. Judging by everyone's expressions, they were starting to see where this was going."Everyone in this room is successful in their own field, so tell me this. Is a guaranteed spot at one of the country's top universities something you can bargain over? Does a high school student get to decide who gets one?"No one answered, but the contempt on their faces said it all."So what happened?"I stepped closer to Ben and lowered my voice, though everyone around us could still hear me."The school refused your ridiculous demand. You gave up your spot, and after trying to interfere with the admissions process, you lost y

  • Second to No One   Chapter 9

    Professor Lockwood frowned, and all the color drained from Mom's and Dad's faces."Ben! Have you lost your mind?"Mom hurried over and tried to pull him away, but he shook her off."I haven't lost my mind!"He stared at me with bloodshot eyes. "I just want to ask my wonderful sister something. Now you've got your PhD and everyone thinks you're some rising star. You must feel pretty damn good about yourself, right?"His voice was loud and rough from drinking, cutting through the silence in the ballroom."But what exactly are you so proud of? Who do you think you owe all of this to?"He pointed straight at me and started taking credit for my entire life in front of everyone."Me! I'm the one who gave you that chance! That guaranteed spot at one of the country's top universities was supposed to be mine. I gave it up for love. I gave up my chance so my sister could have hers! I gave her that chance!"The more he talked, the more worked up he got. He was practically spitting by the

  • Second to No One   Chapter 8

    Two days later, I was in the lab sorting through some data when Professor Lockwood called. There was something odd about his tone."Judy, could you come to my office?"When I walked in, he was sitting behind his desk with a deep frown, looking like he wasn't quite sure how to start.He motioned to the chair across from him. "Sit down."I did, wondering what this was about.After a moment, he said, "A man came to see me today. He introduced himself as your brother, Ben Galland."My stomach sank."He…"Professor Lockwood paused, clearly choosing his words."He told me that years ago, he gave up a guaranteed admission spot for a girl he loved, which he said gave you the chance to go to college."He said he'd sacrificed a lot for you, but his own life hadn't turned out well. So he was hoping I could help him find a better job as a favor to you."He paused and studied me, looking a little sympathetic."He was practically in tears by the time he finished. I honestly thought he wa

  • Second to No One   Chapter 7

    Mom spoke up too, her voice cold. "Ben, if you'd done anything with your life, you wouldn't be asking Judy for help now. We told you back then that you'd have to live with the choices you made."And after all these years, you still haven't changed."Mom and Dad didn't hold back. Every word seemed to hit exactly where it hurt.Ben kept his head down, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white.It was hard to believe this was the same Ben who used to be so cocky and always ranked first in our grade. Now he sat there with the whole family watching, looking completely defeated.I kept eating, barely paying any attention to what was happening around me.By then, the dinner had become all about my accomplishments and everything Ben had done wrong. It didn't exactly end well.I was on my way to the parking lot when Ben followed me out."Judy."I stopped and turned to face him.Ben's eyes were bloodshot. Whatever resentment he'd been carrying for the past seven years finally s

  • Second to No One   Chapter 6

    Dad looked furious. Mom stood beside him with one hand pressed to her forehead, shaking with anger.They looked right past Ben and Kate, who were still making fools of themselves, and straight at me.I walked over and said quietly, "Mom, Dad, let's go."Neither of them spared Ben another glance.Dad gave a grim nod and put an arm around Mom's shoulders. The three of us turned and walked away.Behind us, Ben and Kate were still yelling and shoving each other while the parents around them whispered and pointed.Ben had started this whole mess himself and dragged me into it. Now it was finally over, and in the end, he was the one who had ruined his own future.…Seven years later, I stood onstage at an international academic conference, giving a presentation in another language to some of the world's top scholars.The stage lights shone down on me, warm and bright. The audience listened closely, occasionally breaking into applause.Mom called as soon as the conference ended, and

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