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Chapter 2

作者: Mingo
After the party, every dinner conversation was about Sophie and her magnet school.

One weekend morning, I heard my father's voice from the living room.

"Honey, look at this apartment. Two bedrooms, a fifteen-minute walk to school. Sophie can sleep an extra half hour."

My mother leaned in, nodding:

"The lighting's good. But Sophie's bed needs a firmer mattress—her back's not great."

"Is the kitchen counter big enough? These four years of high school are critical. I'll be making her lunch every morning—need enough space to work."

They sat at the table, planning like it was a multimillion-dollar project.

I walked past them to get water. My father didn't even look up.

"Twenty-eight hundred a month in rent. Not cheap." He clicked his tongue.

My mother made the call without hesitation: "For Sophie's convenience, it's worth it. Renee can stay in the old house by herself. She's not applying until next year anyway—she can study anywhere."

I stopped walking. Stood in the kitchen doorway.

So their plan didn't include me at all.

"True," my father nodded, finally glancing at me.

"Renee, you heard your mom. We're moving next month. Be responsible here on your own. You're in twelfth grade—don't make us worry."

I didn't argue. Just said "okay" flatly.

…

One Tuesday afternoon, I was wiping glasses at my café job when my phone rang.

"Renee Stirling? I have a package for you—from a university."

I hung up, asked my manager for fifteen minutes, and ran to the back alley to sign for it.

My fingers trembled as I opened the thick envelope stamped with the gold university seal.

Inside: a beautiful offer letter with my name on it. Stanford University.

When I got home, I placed the offer letter and envelope right in the center of the living room coffee table.

A tiny, pathetic part of me still held onto a sliver of hope.

I wanted to see if they'd notice.

At 5 p.m., the front door opened. My parents and sister came back laden with shopping bags.

"Ugh, so tired. We were at the mall all afternoon." My mother kicked off her shoes and dropped two shopping bags directly on the coffee table.

One bag landed right on top of the gold-embossed envelope.

"Renee! Come help—throw the new sheets in the washer!"

My mother called from the entryway.

I stood in the hallway corner, watching the pile of clutter on the coffee table.

In that moment, the last ember of hope in my chest went cold.

I walked out, calmly pushed the shopping bags aside, and pulled the envelope out.

My mother glanced at me. "What's that junk mail? Throw it away. We're taking Sophie out for Thai tonight. Heat up something for yourself—you're in twelfth grade, try not to order takeout too much."

"Okay," I said.

I went back to my room and tucked the offer letter into the deepest drawer of my desk.
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  • While They Threw My Sister a Party, I Got Into Stanford   Chapter 8

    Spring semester, sophomore year.In my writing workshop, I wrote a piece called "Invisible."About a child no one in a family ever remembers.I didn't use real names. Didn't include specific events. But every word was pulled from the bone.The professor gave me an A, recommended it to the campus literary magazine.After it was published, the Stanford Daily picked it up. A local Bay Area media outlet shared it too.The headline: "When 'Low-Maintenance' Becomes Harmful—A Stanford Student's Story."The readership wasn't huge, but the comments were lively.A lot of people said, "This is me."I didn't share it myself. But the internet has a way of finding things.…One day in May, I got a call.From my sister.I paused for three seconds, then answered."Renee."Her voice was different. No whine. No performative sweetness. Just careful."Yeah.""I saw your piece. A friend sent it to me."I said nothing."Those things—were they true?""Which things?""The offer letter that got mistaken for ju

  • While They Threw My Sister a Party, I Got Into Stanford   Chapter 7

    A month into the semester.Every three days, my mother called the Stanford undergraduate office to ask about me.The answer was always the same: "Renee is doing fine."Those four words—the only news she ever got.She tried writing a letter. Three pages, sent to my campus mailbox. She'd written it through tears, apparently.It was returned.The student activities office said Renee Stirling had refused delivery.She tried asking relatives to intervene.Mr. Martin called my new number. I answered."Renee, your mom's lost fifteen pounds. She cries every day. Just call her back once—she knows she messed up.""Mr. Martin, remember that $200 Visa gift card you gave me at the party? I never saw it. My mom put it in Sophie's fund."The line went quiet."This isn't about the money," I said. "I'm telling you this so you understand. It wasn't one time."Mr. Martin sighed. "What's your plan? Never come home?""I don't know."I meant it.I didn't hate them. That would've required caring.I was just

  • While They Threw My Sister a Party, I Got Into Stanford   Chapter 6

    Coming home didn't make things better.It made them worse.Because now she knew—and the details she'd never noticed started surfacing one by one.One afternoon, sitting in the living room, my mother suddenly spoke."Richard. When is Renee's birthday?"My father looked up and thought for a long time. "Fall, right? October? November?""I don't remember either." My mother's voice was soft. "I've never forgotten Sophie's birthday. I plan it a month in advance. When was the last time I celebrated Renee's?"They looked at each other. Neither had an answer.My sister, doing homework nearby, paused."November ninth," she said without looking up. "She told me in fourth grade. She said Mom always forgot, so I should remember for her."The living room fell silent again.My mother stood up and walked into my room.It was exactly as I'd left it. She hadn't touched anything.She pulled open the desk drawers, one by one.In the bottom drawer, she found a stack of folded papers.Awards. Second place i

  • While They Threw My Sister a Party, I Got Into Stanford   Chapter 5

    Three days later.My mother and father flew six hours to San Francisco, then rented a car and drove to Palo Alto.They didn't know my dorm building, my college, or even my major.All they knew was one name: Stanford.My mother stood under the university's massive arch, watching students stream by like a bird lost in a strange forest."Go to the registrar's office. Look up her information," my father said.They found the office and explained why they were there.The staff member gave them a careful look. "You're the parents? Under federal privacy laws, we can't disclose student information without written consent from the student herself.""She's my daughter!" My mother's voice rose. "Her phone is disconnected—we can't reach her!"The staff member sighed. "Here's what I can do—I'll contact her college's undergraduate office. They can reach out to her directly."Forty minutes later.The undergraduate office called back."Hello, parents. I've spoken with Renee. She said she's doing fine a

  • While They Threw My Sister a Party, I Got Into Stanford   Chapter 4

    My mother stood in the middle of the empty room, looking around.No awards on the walls. No photos. Not even a single sticker.The room looked like no one had ever lived there.Too clean for an eighteen-year-old's room after eighteen years.My father saw it too."Where did Renee go? She hasn't even graduated yet—what's this offer letter about?"My mother's voice shook as the memory hit her."That day. The day we came back from the mall. I dropped my shopping bags on the coffee table. She pulled something out from under them. I thought it was junk mail. I told her to throw it away."My father said nothing."That was the offer letter." My mother's voice came through clenched teeth. "She left it right in the middle of the table for us to see. I put my shopping bag on top of it. I told her to throw it away."The living room was quiet for a long time.My sister stood by the door, still holding the San Diego souvenir tote bag."Mom... did Renee already graduate? And she got an offer?"No one

  • While They Threw My Sister a Party, I Got Into Stanford   Chapter 3

    Less than a week before Sophie's magnet school started.The new apartment was already set up. Most of the household stuff had been moved.At dinner, my father announced cheerfully: "Sophie, I've decided to take you to San Diego before school starts. A few days at the beach—hotel and zoo tickets are booked. We leave tomorrow afternoon."My sister cheered. "Yes! I want to see the orcas at SeaWorld!"My mother smiled, piling grilled meat onto Sophie's plate. "A final vacation before school starts. Magnet school will be stressful—good to relax beforehand."I sat quietly, eating my pasta.After they finished planning, my mother turned to me like she'd just remembered I was there."Renee, while we're gone, lock the doors. There's frozen lasagna in the fridge—heat it up. We'll be gone four days. Just stay put and focus. You're applying to colleges next year—don't get distracted. Oh, and water the backyard plants. Every three days."A year ago, I might have felt hurt.Now, there was only numbn

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