Chapter 5

"Paige, your sister's scores are in. We're taking the family and her teachers out to dinner tonight. Put on something nice. Don't go out looking so plain."

Mom glanced at my white T-shirt and jeans and frowned, but she did not say anything else before turning around to keep making arrangements.

At 4:00 pm, Sofia emerged from her room looking like she had stepped out of a magazine. She wore a brand-new floral dress, and her hair had been styled with care.

Light makeup brightened her face, and the new LV bag was slung across her shoulder. She looked every bit the radiant young woman.

"Paige, why haven't you changed yet?" She looked me over with obvious displeasure.

"I'm about to," I said.

I went back to my room and pulled a slightly worn blue dress from the closet. It was the only new piece of clothing Mom had bought me last year, and only because Sofia had decided blue made her look older and did not want it.

I put on the dress and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, my lips were colorless, and my gaze held nothing. Next to the glowing, picture-perfect Sofia, I looked like a plant that had grown up in the shade, dull and faded.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, it was already packed with relatives and a few of Sofia's teachers. Sofia floated through the room like a butterfly, greeting everyone with that sweet voice of hers, soaking up the praise and congratulations.

Mom stayed close by her side, pride written all over her face. Every now and then, she would pat Sofia's hand in a display of picture-perfect mother-daughter affection. Dad, meanwhile, had been pulled into a cluster of male relatives with drinks in hand. His cheeks were flushed, and he was clearly in good spirits.

On social media, Sofia had just posted an update. It was a screenshot showing two transfers, one from Dad and one from Mom, each for 500 dollars.

A relative sitting nearby had clearly seen the post and called out to Mom.

"You two are so generous! A thousand dollars, just like that!"

Mom grinned, her eyes crinkling with delight. "She earned it. This is the reward she deserves. Sofia's been responsible since she was little. We never had to worry about her grades."

Right then, Sofia sat down beside me. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Paige, I did so well this time. Don't tell me you didn't get me a gift."

Before I could open my mouth, Mom walked over and answered for me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Your sister's been working, hasn't she? She can just transfer you what she's earned these past few days. Consider it a congratulatory gift."

As she spoke, she leaned in casually to look at my phone screen, probably trying to check my balance.

That was when a travel notification popped up on the screen.

Mom read it, and her expression changed. "Paige Summers, what is this? Where do you think you're going?"

Sofia saw the notification too. Her expression soured immediately, and she pouted.

"Paige, you're not trying to tag along on my grad trip, are you? You still have a whole year of test prep ahead of you. I know losing your exam pass and missing the exam is embarrassing, but that doesn't mean you have to crash my trip just to pretend everything's fine."

The moment those words left Sofia's mouth, a teacher sitting nearby furrowed his brows, and he looked genuinely confused.

"Retake the exams? Paige already received guaranteed admission to Glenmore, didn't she?"