Chapter 1

When I rushed home from Chanont, my family was chatting on the couch.

A large plate of cherries sat on the coffee table. My girlfriend, Evelyn Keate, picked out a few of the biggest ones and placed them into the hand of my adopted brother, Marvin Needham.

"These are sure to be sweet. Try them," she said.

When I was at home, we never had fruit this expensive.

At the sound of the door opening, all four of them turned to look at me.

Evelyn let out a sigh, and the first thing she said was a complaint. "You always sleep in. We left, and you didn't even notice. You're the one who insisted on going on this graduation trip in the first place."

I gripped the handle of my suitcase, my fingertips numb.

I was indeed the one who wanted a graduation trip, but I chose Olsgen as the destination.

It was only after I arrived at the airport that I found out Evelyn had bought three tickets to Chanont, all because Marvin wanted to see the northern lights.

I had spent eight hours waiting in the freezing wind just to make Marvin's wish come true. Yet the moment he said he was tired, they abandoned the trip and left.

Marvin stood up and walked toward me.

"Chris, it's all my fault. I woke up late. We were in such a hurry that we forgot about you. I'm sorry."

Marvin then turned to Evelyn with a playful glare and said, "Come on, you apologize too."

Evelyn, who had never been willing to admit fault to anyone, gave in at his urging. "Sorry, okay. I was wrong, Your Highness."

But the person she kept looking at was Marvin.

My parents laughed and joined in to tease me.

"Evelyn helped you through the entire application process. Don't go bullying her once you get to college," my mother, Grace Ross, said.

"I'm used to it, Grace." Evelyn shrugged.

Only then did she seem to remember my application and say, "Chris' score is probably a little lower than Marvin's. But if he applies to Solridge University too, he should be able to get in. He might just have fewer choices when picking a major."

They all assumed I couldn't compare to Marvin. But in fact, I had performed exceptionally well on the SAT, scoring far higher than the two of them.

Back then, I had sent Evelyn a screenshot of my score and asked her to help me figure out which major I could apply for at Harburt University. Even now, she still hadn't replied to me.

Yet she had made a 36-page presentation for Marvin, listing every college he had a chance of getting into.

Marvin draped an arm around my neck, putting on an innocent smile.

"If we all end up at Solridge University, we can look out for each other. Besides, the weather there is warm all year round. I can play basketball in my jersey every day," he said.

Evelyn looked at him with a fond smile.

But no one remembered that I was allergic to UV rays, and hot, humid weather made my eczema flare up. I couldn't stay anywhere too hot.

All they remembered was how great Marvin was at basketball.

I sat on the couch and contacted a senior on Harburt University's forum.

At the same time, Evelyn and Marvin sat close together, browsing Solridge University's forum and discussing their upcoming college life with my parents.

After a while, their laughter slowly died down.

Evelyn finally looked back at me and casually asked, "You applied to Solridge University? Is your score enough?"

"Of course." I placed my phone face down on the coffee table and said, "It's more than enough."