เชลยพรหมจรรย์

When I didn't answer right away, my childhood friend, Brandon Carter, urged me on. "Maddie and I both put down Crestview University. Hurry up and pick a school in Arlington."

I stared at the number on my screen.

1560.

There wasn't a trace of joy in me.

I'd outperformed myself on the SAT. My score was higher than every practice test I'd taken before.

The two elite universities they'd just spent so long discussing?

I qualified for both of them.

But after the SAT ended, no one had asked how I'd done. When the scores were released, no one cared how many points I'd earned.

Because the moment Maddison Sullivan walked out of the testing center, she'd burst into tears. "I don't think I performed very well this time. What if I messed everything up?"

Mom and Dad told her the SAT wasn't that important anyway. If she wanted, they could always pay to send her overseas.

My brother, Tyler Sullivan, waved a dismissive hand. "What's there to worry about? Big bro is here to make enough money to support you."

Brandon had comforted her gently. "Maddie, no matter how badly you think you did, you'll still score higher than Ashley.

"And if things really go that badly, the three of us can always retake the exam together next year. We can tutor Ashley while we're at it."

In their eyes, I existed for one purpose and one purpose only: to make Maddison shine brighter.

She'd inherited all the best features from our parents. She had the kind of soft, delicate beauty that made people want to spoil her the moment they saw her.

Everyone who met Maddison wanted to compliment her, hug her, and kiss her.

As for me, the older sister, I was average-looking. I was neither ugly nor pretty. Just forgettable.

Even relatives and family friends only ever managed the same awkward compliment.

"This child looks so well-behaved."

When I was little, I thought being well-behaved was something worth being proud of.

So when Mom and Dad bought Maddison beautiful princess dresses, I never asked for one too.

When Tyler came home from school with snacks only for Maddison, I never fought for any.

Even in the summer, when Maddison got the sweet center of the watermelon, and I got the rest, I never complained.

Because every time I stayed quiet and gave way, Mom and Dad would look at me just a little longer. They would smile and say, "Ashley is such a good girl. She knows how to take care of her little sister."

As we grew older, Maddison and Brandon took turns ranking first in the entire school.

I was slower and not as smart. No matter how hard I worked, I always hovered somewhere around the top hundred.

I wasn't even good enough to appear beside them on the rankings list.

This time, I'd finally managed to catch up, and yet they still assumed I was the same useless Ashley Sullivan I'd always been in their eyes.

I couldn't stop myself from asking, "You always said Kingston University was your dream school. Are you really not going anymore?"

Brandon froze. Then he let out a scoff, as though the answer were obvious. "What's the difference between Kingston and Crestview? The important thing is where Maddie wants to go."

Brandon had told me countless times that Kingston University was the school of his dreams, and yet all it took was one sentence from Maddison for him to give it up.

Suddenly, even the last traces of attachment I still felt seemed laughable.

Silently, I moved my cursor to the very top of the list. Then I typed into the search bar: South Coast University.

It was a university on the southern edge of the country.

More than 700 miles from home.

Click. Submit. Confirm.

Just like that.