Chapter 3

In my parents' minds, favoritism had long since become second nature.

The moment Mom heard my answer, she broke into a satisfied smile, as though a major problem had just been resolved. Dad stayed silent and pushed food around his plate, indifferent to all of it.

Sofia, meanwhile, fiddled with her new bag even more proudly. The grin on her face was impossible to hide.

I stood up and went to the bathroom. I shut the door and looked at the pale face staring back at me in the mirror. I had lived in this house for 18 years, but I had never been anything more than an outsider.

I studied hard. I pushed myself to be the best. I thought that if I just tried hard enough, I would earn a scrap of attention, a scrap of love.

I was wrong. Some things could not be earned no matter how hard you tried.

I had barely stepped out of the bathroom when I heard Sofia's wheedling voice.

"Mom, a bunch of kids in my class are planning grad trips. Becca and her friends are going to the beach, and Taylor's going to Silverlake. I really want to go too."

Mom's doting reply drifted over. "Then go. We'll get your dad to pitch in, and I'll throw in some extra."

"Really? Thanks, Mom!"

Sofia let out a squeal of excitement, then seemed to think of something. Her tone turned hesitant. "But… won't a trip cost a lot? Paige still has to do test prep. Wouldn't that be too much for the family budget?"

"You sweet thing, always thinking about the family." Mom's voice grew even softer.

"Don't worry about it. We'll just have your sister pick up another job. She can rest after she finishes the exam next year. Right now, you're what matters. Wherever you want to go, I'm behind you all the way."

I stood in the shadow of the hallway, watching the warm glow of the lamp fall over a family of three enjoying each other's company.

Dad was smiling for once, reaching over to ruffle Sofia's hair. Mom had her arm around my sister, her face full of undisguised pride and affection. Sofia was curled up against Mom, beaming like she had the whole world.

The scene was warm, so warm it burned.

Meanwhile, I stood in the shadows. I was an intruder who did not belong.

Too bad for them. I was not going to spend a single cent on my sister's trip.

I would save every penny I earned from those jobs. It would become my ticket out of this house and my fund for a life away from them.

From this point forward, I would put as much distance between myself and this happy little family of three as I possibly could. I would never come back.

Starting the next day, I followed Mom's arrangements and took the cashier job at the snack shop.

I spent eight hours on my feet every day, repeating the same mind-numbing register work, for a paycheck that was barely worth mentioning.

I refused to settle for that. During my breaks, I searched online and found a tutoring gig. I would be teaching a middle schooler math and science for three hours every evening, and the hourly rate was several times what the snack shop paid.

Between the two jobs back-to-back, I left the house early and came home late. I hardly saw my family at all.

In the mornings, I was out the door before they woke up. At night, they were already asleep by the time I dragged my exhausted body through the front door.

I deposited every dollar I earned into a new bank account. Not a single cent from that account would go toward household expenses, and none of it would go toward Sofia's living expenses or vacation fund.

One night, I got home close to 11:00 pm.

The house was quiet. The only light still on came from my parents' bedroom, where the door had been left slightly ajar, not fully closed.

I had planned to slip back to my room without a sound, but the conversation inside carried through the gap.

My footsteps stopped dead.

Dad's voice came first, tinged with unease.

"What you did, hiding Paige's exam pass like that, it wasn't right. That was a defining moment in her life."