The Ones I Left Behind

The night before the long holiday break, my father, Vincent Croft, my mother, Eleanor Danforth, and my older brother, Tristan Croft, gathered around my younger sister, Phoebe Croft, to discuss where they were going to go for vacation. Tristan held up his phone for everyone to see. "Let's go to the safari park. It's interactive, and the pictures will turn out great." Eleanor pushed Tristan's phone aside and placed her own in front of everyone. "The aquarium is better. It's clean, it doesn't smell bad, and the pictures turn out better than if we were to go to the zoo." Vincent smiled and ended their disagreement by saying, "Phoebe, look. Which one would you like? Whichever one you pick, that's where we'll go." I slowly raised my hand, my voice barely audible. "Mom… I want to go to the library." Eleanor turned to look at me, her brows drawing tightly together in impatience. "Gwyneth, what are you mumbling about? If you have something to say, say it clearly." I took a deep breath, ready to repeat myself. Alas, Eleanor had already turned her attention back to Phoebe, urging her to make a decision. I just stared at them, twisting the hem of my clothes between my fingers. I'd assumed that getting into a good college would finally mean that my family would pay a little attention to me, too. It seemed that that had been nothing more than wishful thinking on my part. I pulled out the exchange program application my advisor had given me and signed my name. My road ahead was long and lonely, but it was time for us to find our own happiness… separately.