They Celebrated the Wrong Daughter

It wasn't until the train attendant came through with the drink cart that Wesley Shaw seemed to remember I was there.

He chose a bottle of watermelon juice, carefully twisted off the cap, and placed it in front of my foster sister, Cassidy Richards.

Then, he handed me a bottle of water.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just got you water."

He remembered Cassidy's favorite drink, yet he didn't even know what his own girlfriend liked.

My nose began to sting. The excitement I felt over my unexpectedly high SAT score disappeared in an instant.

I didn't take the water. Instead, I flagged down the train attendant and bought myself a bottle of watermelon juice.

Wesley's hand remained suspended between us. Annoyance flickered across his face.

"You're the one who insisted on taking this graduation trip. I seriously don't understand why you've been giving me the cold shoulder these past few days."

Three years ago, he promised that if I went to the same high school as him, he would take me to Coral Bay after graduation.

For three years, I had looked forward to seeing the ocean with him and riding a scooter together to catch the sunrise.

Now, somehow, it became a trip I forced him to take.

I didn't even know Wesley had invited Cassidy until the day we left.

On our first day at the beach, Wesley took the travel guide I had stayed up several nights drawing by hand.

Cassidy leaned over with an apologetic look. "There's a lot on the itinerary, and these shoes really aren't meant for walking all day."

Wesley immediately canceled every plan I made, then he casually tossed my carefully prepared guide into the nearest trash can.

"Daphne, we're on vacation. Just relax. You don't have to plan every little thing."

We went to Coral Bay's most famous tourist attraction.

Cassidy looked at me with a faint blush. "Do you mind taking a picture of Wesley and me? It feels awkward posing alone."

Before I could answer, Wesley shoved the instant camera into my hands.

"Don't worry about how I look. Just make sure Cass looks good."

A quiet, bitter laugh escaped me. I didn't even have the energy to refuse.

I had spent weeks practicing photography because I wanted Wesley and me to finally take a picture together at the beach and make our relationship public.

Instead, I ended up capturing a romantic memory between my boyfriend and someone else.

Cassidy's movement pulled me from my thoughts. She quickly took the bottle of water from Wesley's hand, then gave his arm a light, playful smack.

"Daph's probably just upset because her SAT score wasn't very good. You're her boyfriend. Can't you be a little more understanding? Now apologize."

Cassidy was always so kind and thoughtful.

Ever since she came to live with my family during high school, the two of us had been assigned opposite roles.

She was sweet, obedient, and adored by everyone. Whenever I stood beside her, I somehow became the difficult one who could never do anything right.

My parents used to say they loved my personality.

After Cassidy arrived, the words I heard most often were, "Why can't you be more like Cass?"

Even Wesley, my childhood best friend, had fallen under her spell.

He stood and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sorry, Cass. I got worked up. I shouldn't have snapped like that."

He apologized, but not to me.

For a moment, I couldn't even tell what he thought he was apologizing for.

Cassidy walked over and crouched beside my seat.

"Daph, don't listen to him. You can always retake the SAT and apply next year. Wesley and I will be waiting for you at Westhaven University."

Wesley immediately joined in.

"Yeah. Your fundamentals are a little weak, but if you spend another year studying, you'll definitely get into Westhaven University. Cass and I can help tutor you."

I didn't respond. I simply lowered my head and continued scrolling through my phone.

I had exceeded everyone's expectations on the SAT, scoring much higher than I ever had on a practice test. With that score, I could apply to any program at Westhaven University.

But I didn't want to go anywhere with them anymore.

I was done playing the supporting role in someone else's story.