Chapter 4

By the time the graduation party was about to begin, everyone realized I wasn't in the car.

Mom called me and said, "You're dragging your feet again. Get a cab and get over here right now."

I said nothing and took a cab to the venue.

The moment I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall, I froze.

My diary entries were being projected on the massive screen at the front of the room.

"Evelyn gave the last bowl of chowder to Marvin today, even though I'm the one dating her."

"Ever since Marvin joined our family at eight years old, I feel like Mom and Dad don't love me the same way anymore."

And it didn't stop there. My entire body went cold. I rushed forward and yanked the projector's plug from the wall.

"That's my diary!" I shouted.

Marvin immediately looked like he was about to cry.

"I thought it was a speech you wrote for the party. I only played it while we were waiting for you and kept the guests entertained."

Before I could respond, my parents looked at me as if I were the one who had done something wrong.

"It's just a few pages from a diary. Do you really have to yell at your brother like that?"

Dad glanced at the screen and scoffed. "No wonder you didn't do as well on your SAT. Instead of putting your energy into studying, you spent all your time keeping track of everyone else's faults. When did you become so sensitive?

"If Marvin and Evelyn hadn't compromised for you, you'd be going to some college in the middle of nowhere alone. Let's see how you'll feel then."

The guests around us began whispering.

"A high school kid worrying about romance instead of his future? He's got his priorities all wrong."

Evelyn's face immediately fell when she heard that.

"So, this is what you spend your time on when you're not studying?"

The embarrassment on her face was impossible to miss.

I knew she wasn't ashamed of what had happened to me. She was embarrassed to be loved by someone she wasn't proud of.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and looked at them.

"You were the ones who read my diary without permission. I didn't do anything wrong." My voice choked a little.

Marvin's eyes started to redden as he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his own face.

"Chris, I know this is my fault. Please don't blame Mom, Dad, or Evelyn. They didn't know anything…"

Before I could react, my parents immediately stepped in front of him, trying to protect him.

The disappointment in Evelyn's eyes cut deeper than anything she had said.

"Do you really have to embarrass yourself in front of everyone? Leave first."

Dad quickly chimed in, "That's right. Go home and cool off. Think about how you're going to apologize to Marvin."

"I don't know how I ended up with such a son," Mom said.

Instead of defending myself, I looked at them one last time, grabbed my diary, and ran out of the banquet hall.

Once I got home, I listed everything I couldn't take with me for sale online and put everything else into a small suitcase.

On the way to the airport, Evelyn finally sent me a message.

"Your parents have calmed down. Come back and eat something. No one will make you dinner tonight. Marvin wants to explore the places near Solridge University before school starts. Come back now so we can discuss when to leave. Don't make everything about yourself."

Right before the plane took off, I finally replied to her, "I'm not going to Solridge University."

After a moment, I added, "Evelyn, we're over."

Then I blocked all four of them.

…

After the party ended, the guests gradually left.

Evelyn stared at her unanswered messages, feeling strangely restless.

Ms. Jackson called my parents to offer her congratulations.

Mom answered the phone, and her voice rose in shock. "What? Chris is going to… Harburt University?"

Just then, Evelyn's phone buzzed with two incoming messages. When she read them, all the color drained from her face.