บททั้งหมดของ The Summer I Left: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 8

When I got there, I saw photos scattered and torn across the floor.They were pictures of me with Mom and Dad, and years of photos with Joy.Slap!There was a sharp crack, and my cheek exploded with pain.Aiden was having another episode, screaming at me in a frenzy."Did you do this on purpose? Put this stuff in my room? You're a parasite! Living off my family!"Aiden kept screaming while Mom and Dad wrapped him in a heartbroken embrace.Mom's eyes went red, and she whipped around to glare at me."Zac, you're not our real son, but I still raised you for eighteen years."Is this how you treat my real son? You're nothing but an ungrateful brat."A ringing filled my ears.I hung my head.Joy was crouched beside Aiden, carefully removing the shards of glass embedded in his palm.I was still the one standing outside all of it.Those photos, I never had the chance to take back. They'd thrown me out before I could. Ever since Aiden came into this family, I'd been banned from se

They gave me one day to pack.That same day, I received my college acceptance.I had the house to myself. Mom and Dad had left early that morning to take Aiden to see a psychiatrist.I was getting ready to leave when my phone lit up with a string of notifications, one charge alert after another.I froze for a second, then pulled up my account and saw the balance had dropped to just three digits.Every charge traced back to the hospital Aiden kept visiting.Blood rushed to my head, and a roar filled my ears.That money was everything I'd earned ever bit from working part-time jobs. I'd been saving it for tuition.I tore through my closet and realized the bank card I'd kept there was gone.I called Mom right away. The line rang over and over with no answer.I stopped caring about anything else and rushed straight to the hospital.Sure enough, I found Mom, Dad, and Joy in the psych ward.They froze when they saw how out of breath I was, and guilt flashed across their faces a s

The second hospital cost them another small fortune, and another whole day.They spent the entire day getting put through the wringer.And once again, they got the exact same result.When the doctor slid the diagnosis across the desk to the Powells, their faces went dark in an instant.Knowing they wouldn't believe it, the doctor explained patiently."Your son is fine. Completely healthy, physically and mentally. The test results can't be faked."I've been practicing for thirty years. Lying to you would only ruin my own reputation."Rachel's hand shook as she held the report."That's impossible. What about all the treatment we've been doing..."The doctor's expression turned odd."Some doctors out there aren't exactly ethical."A kid wants to get out of school, or just wants attention, so he fakes depression, fakes autism."But the data doesn't lie. Fake is fake. People just don't always say it out loud."The doctor's words left the Powells speechless.Joy was the first o

After I left the Powells' house, I made my way to Quintiq City on my own.With no money to my name, I took on several jobs one after another.Once my former homeroom teacher, Ms. Steele, found out how things stood, she lent me fourteen hundred dollars."Living costs are high in Quintiq City. Use this to get by for now. Although I still can't figure out why you chose Quintiq University."Faced with her question, I told her the truth."Artificial intelligence. That's what I actually wanted to study all along."Joy had always been the one who loved aerospace engineering.She'd wanted to go to Huntington, so I'd decided I wanted to go there too.Now she'd chosen to repeat the year. She'd chosen Aiden instead.And I'd chosen to let her go.Ms. Steele didn't push for more details. She just respected my decision.Over the next month, I worked three different jobs.My grades were good enough that plenty of people were willing to hire me as a tutor.One day, someone messaged me abo