Início / Emotional Realism História curta / Billions for My Brother, Regrets for My Grave / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Todos os capítulos de Billions for My Brother, Regrets for My Grave: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

11 Capítulos

Chapter 1

I clutched my cancer diagnosis, curling up on a cold bench.The doctor sighed, pressing me to call my family."They're cleaners. They don't have the money," I said, turning around to catch a glimpse of the broadcast on the lobby TV.A man in a sharp suit was being interviewed."Millions of dollars for a smart learning space for the kid? Worth every penny."To my surprise, it was my dad, Otis Gordon.My hands started shaking.On the way home, a ridiculous hope flickered. Maybe, just maybe, they'd care about me this time. Even a little would be fine.The front door was still that same rickety one.Otis stepped out of his room, wearing his usual tattered clothes. My mother, Colette Gordon, in her patched-up apron, handed me a bowl of bland soup.On the table sat a stack of Neville Gordon's math competition practice sheets.Otis glanced at my pale face and frowned. "You are weak. David could climb cliffs at 15. You need to toughen up."My faint hope was shattered.A sharp pa

Chapter 2

My pen tore through the paper.Neville glanced over, annoyed. "Forget it. I'll get the answers from a friend tomorrow. She's useless like this."I stood up, scattering the sheets.Otis scowled. "What are you doing?""I've got late-stage cancer," I croaked, forcing out each word....Colette's hand froze mid-air, while Otis's frown deepened.Neville scoffed, "Faking it to skip my homework? Pathetic."I pulled out the diagnosis and placed it on the table. The stamped report, bearing the doctor's signature, was laid out clearly before their eyes.Colette muttered in disbelief, "How could it be?"Neville snorted, "That's obviously a fake. My buddy uses those to skip school all the time."Otis rushed over and slapped me across the face. "Now you're buying fake medical records? What did we teach you?"I crouched down, picking up the scattered sheets one by one. Blood dripped from my nose, staining the paper.Neville kicked my shoulder. "Hurry up. I need to sleep."I kept pickin

Chapter 3

"I need a thousand bucks," I said.Otis's face twisted with anger. "A thousand? For what?"I looked at them calmly. "My illness is real.""What illness?" he asked.I pulled out the crumpled diagnosis and smoothed it out.Otis scowled. "Neville already told us it's fake. Why are you still lying to us?"Colette lowered her voice. "Did you mess up? What's the money for? You're in trouble?"I met their eyes. "I have stomach cancer. I'm not lying."Otis got up, pacing. "If it's real, where would we get that kind of money for your treatment?"Colette covered her face. "What do we do? Neville's got his competition tomorrow."The last shred of hope I had been clinging to died."I'm not getting treated," I said.They both sighed in relief.Otis nodded. "Treatment might not even work anyway."Colette wiped her tears. "You've got to understand how hard this is for us."I turned around and shut the door.The walls were thin, and I could hear their whispers."How did she learn to l

Chapter 4

I frantically wiped the blood with my other hand, terrified of another beating if they noticed.Neville's confident reciting echoed from upstairs.Colette bustled in the kitchen, making a late-night snack for her precious son. Otis watched TV on the couch, occasionally glancing at me with disappointment.I knelt in the center of the house like an invisible person.Blood kept flowing, blurring my vision. Neville's smug grin swam before my eyes, mocking my misery.I was David's shadow, a clumsy copy. No matter how hard I tried, I could never be the light....At school, my deskmate shoved a milk carton into my hand."You didn't eat breakfast again?" Noah Carter asked, frowning.I pushed it back. "My mom made me chicken soup. I just don't like milk."The lie came out of my mouth easily.Noah stared at me for a few seconds but said nothing.I gripped the milk, my knuckles turning white.The poster of the citywide math competition hung in the school hallway. The first place wou

Chapter 5

"Lenora, what's wrong?" Noah asked."Leave me alone," I said, wiping my tears and walking faster.He followed. "Are you crying?"I stopped and turned. "Stay away from me!""What?""We're not from the same world. Don't bother me anymore."I pushed past him and ran to the dumpster downstairs.The gold medal in my backpack dug into my back. I pulled it out, holding it up to the streetlight.My name was engraved on it.I raised it over the dumpster, but my hand froze.I couldn't do it.I clutched the medal that was still shining, but it didn't blind me anymore.What blinded me was my stupidity in believing their lies. I thought effort would matter. I thought I could earn their approval.My phone buzzed with a text from Noah.[Lenora, we're friends forever.]I deleted his number, knowing I didn't deserve his warmth and kindness.I was just David's substitute, Neville's foil, and the Gordon family's shame....The cancer pain gnawed like ants burrowing through my bones.I

Chapter 6

That bat was David's.For years, Otis treasured it like a relic. Now he'd use it on me."Today, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of David!""Dad, I didn't," I pleaded.Before I could finish, the bat slammed into my stomach.Pain erupted. I collapsed, vomiting blood onto the floor, bright under the light."This is what you get for stealing!" Otis swung again."Lenora!" Colette gasped but didn't stop him.Neville stood in the doorway, smirking like he was watching a show.I lay on the floor, blood pouring from my mouth. In my fading vision, Neville's grin mocked me....The storage room door slammed shut. The lock clicked.Darkness swallowed me."When you figure out what you did, you can come out," Otis said, his voice dripping with disgust.I leaned against the cold wall. My stomach felt like it was being eaten alive.Outside, laughter rang."Neville, I made your favorite beef stew," Colette said."Neville, 730 on the practice test? Second in the city! Amazing!" Otis c

Chapter 7

The bitter taste flooded my mouth, and my stomach tore apart.Finally, it was over.No more pain.The laughter outside continued.I remembered the day David died in a car accident.Colette cried her heart out, and Otis fainted in the hospital. They said they'd trade their lives to bring him back.My consciousness faded. I thought I heard David's voice."Lenora, come over. I'm right here." His hand was warm.I remembered him holding my hand as a kid, taking me to the park to see flowers.Back then, I had a brother. Now I did again.I reached out and took his hand.Darkness took everything, but I wasn't scared.I'd found my way home....Neville found my body first.He opened the storage room door to taunt me again, only to see my curled-up corpse."Mom! Lenora's dead!" He didn't panic at all.There was even a tinge of excitement in his voice. Colette screamed and rushed over, collapsing at the sight of my lifeless form."Lenora! Lenora!" she cried out painfully for the

Chapter 8

"I didn't know that she lived like this," Colette sobbed, her words hollow with self-deception. "Lenora was always so sensible. Never asked for anything. We thought she liked it simple."The police officer held up my medical file. "And this? Late-stage cancer. Why no treatment?""She lied a lot," Neville said indifferently. "We thought it was fake.""Fake?" The officer glared. "She was this sick, and you thought she was lying?""She just wanted money," Neville said, unfazed. "Her dying's a relief. Less trouble for us."The room went silent, the police officers shocked by his bluntness."What did you just say?" one asked."I said her death was a relief," Neville repeated. "She was a stain on my life.""Neville!" Colette shrieked."Mom, come on," Neville sneered. "You thought the same thing. She's gone, and we're all free."Otis slapped him across the face. "Are you even human?""I'm human," Neville said, clutching his cheek. "She wasn't. She was just a stand-in for David. Now

Chapter 9

[What a poor girl, dead at such a young age!][Her brother is a monster. That whole family is sick.]The school expelled Neville, revoking his medals and stripping his honors.His "bright future" vanished."Why? Why are you doing this to me?" He sobbed outside the school, snot and tears smearing his face. "I'm a genius! Second in the city! You can't expel me!"No one cared.People pointed at him, mocking him as though he were a clown."That's the creep who wished his sister dead.""Stay away from that twisted kid.""He's a walking disaster."Neville covered his face and ran home, where reporters swarmed the gate."Neville, how do you feel about your sister's death?""Did you really want her dead?""Do you stand by what you said?"Camera flashes captured his humiliation.At home, the outrageously expensive smart study space felt like a cruel joke.High-tech gadgets gleamed, but they couldn't save a young girl.Otis sat among piles of cash, his hands covering his face. "

Chapter 10

Every page was like that.Otis's hands shook so hard that the diary fell. He knelt in my room, clutching the piggy bank, and sobbed like a wounded animal. "Lenora, I was wrong. I deserve to die."I couldn't hear him anymore.Neville burst in. "Dad, I need 20 grand."Otis looked up, his eyes red. "What?""20 grand for a motorcycle," Neville said, like it was obvious. "My friends all have one. I can't fall behind."Otis stood up slowly. "Lenora just passed, and you want a bike?""What's her death got to do with me?" Neville huffed. "She was useless anyway. Better off dead."Otis slapped him. "Say that again?""It's the truth," Neville said, holding his cheek. "She was a waste of space. Good riddance."Otis grabbed the bat—the same one he'd used on me."Get the hell out!""Dad, you're crazy! Beating me over a dead girl?""She was your sister!""Sister?" Neville sneered. "She was nothing but a loser."Otis swung the bat, smashing Neville's leg.Neville collapsed, clutching

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