All Chapters of Skipped Thanksgiving Because of My Family's Favoritism: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The counselor was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the call. "I'm still here. Every program each semester will only accept two students, and one of them has withdrawn due to family objections.""Are you sure you want to sign up? The program duration is a year.""I'm sure."The counselor instructed me to fill out the form at the office the next morning, and to bring along my results and identification documents.After hanging up, I stared at my phone screen, feeling like laughing. I had lived almost 20 years, and this was the first time I was making my own decision."What did you sign up for?" My roommate, Charlie, leaned in close to look at my phone. I locked the screen right away and flipped it over before placing it on the table."Nothing. I was just asking about the university's financial aid program.""Oh." Charlie did not ask further questions, but noticed my phone screen lit up. He sighed. "Are you answering trivia again? I've never seen anyone so obsessed wi

Chapter 2

We had about nine days off for the upcoming holidays, and I worked for six of those days handing out flyers, tutoring, organizing lecture notes for other students and helping out at the cafeteria kitchen. I would leave my dormitory before the sun was out and return when it was late at night. When I was handing out flyers, I was thrown out by the property management staff. When I was tutoring, the student's parents kept picking on me, and my skin was peeling from washing so many dishes in the kitchen.However, it was all worth it to me because I could make money.On Thanksgiving, I continued working in the cafeteria from morning until night. I wiped down tables, cleared the dishes and mopped the floor. When it was 8 pm, I leaned against the back door of the cafeteria to munch on stale bread.My phone buzzed, and I clicked into my social media account to see that Ezra had posted some pictures. They consisted of a great big roast turkey, candied yams and a full table of delicacies.

Chapter 3

"No money?" Norm's expression darkened immediately. "Even your brother knew to rush home for the holidays. What does that say about you? You don't even have the sense to come home when you're having long holidays, and you're only back now because you ran out of money."I said nothing. This family was used to my silence.My grandmother quickly tried to smooth things over. "All right, all right. The important thing is that he's home. Come here and sit down."That was also when my aunt smiled and said, "Elias has always been obedient since young."Irma gave an awkward cough. "Have your dinner before it gets cold."I put down my suitcase and sat at the edge of the table. It was filled with all of Ezra's favorite dishes. There were ribs, fish, chicken wings, and crabs. None of them were dishes I liked. I scarfed down a few mouthfuls of food and watched as everyone had a good time at the table.They talked about Ezra's new clothes and his studies at university. None of them asked how I

Chapter 4

After the holidays, my family decided to send Ezra and me off to university. We were studying at the same university and stayed in the same area, but in different buildings. Before we left, I suddenly caught a high fever.My body finally broke down from working six continuous days and nights. I was groggy from the fever and could not get out of bed."Dad, I think Elias is running a fever." I heard Ezra say outside my bedroom door."Ignore him," Norm's voice was heard coming from the living room. "He has always been healthy. He'll be all right after getting some sleep. Hurry up and pack your things or you'll miss your ride.""But…" Ezra sounded hesitant."No buts," Norm interrupted him. "Your brother is tough, and he has never been seriously ill since he was young."I was lying in bed when I heard everything they said. Apparently I was tough because I never said anything to them when I was in pain. From their point of view, I would never get hurt.The door slammed shut, and they

Chapter 5

The counselor made sure he said this clearly enough for them to hear, and the form was placed tidily on the table.Norm did not read the form clearly, but his heart already sank."You're his parents and his sister, but you have no idea that he came to this university as a top student and has applied for an exchange program in Gerasia."The counselor's voice was soft, but it hit the silent office like a bomb.Everyone froze. Norm wanted to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. Irma's hands were quivering and she had to steady herself by holding the side of the table, while Edith's eyes widened, as if she had just heard something impossible."That can't be true. Haven't his results always been mediocre?""Mediocre?" The counselor sniggered. "Did you really not know about it, or did you just not want to know? Elias had the best results among all the students who applied to our university last year. The second-highest score did not even come close to him, as he scored mor

Chapter 6

Since returning from the university, a dark cloud loomed over the family.Norm found it difficult to sleep at night, and he kept staring at Elias' empty bed. Edith no longer dared to access the backend settings of the app because she was afraid to see the words 'Expert Level' pop up.Irma had always been neutral, and this was the first time she lost her temper. "Find everything that belongs to Elias right now!" They found an old phone and a notebook filled with part-time schedules. There was also a stack of Expert Level trivia questions that were covered with red markings.Irma turned on Elias' old phone and realized he had no family pictures in it. There were only several pictures of some free soup he got from the cafeteria and a picture of the campus at 4 am. He had also typed out a note that read, [If I have the chance to leave one day, I hope it will be somewhere very far away.]She stared at the note for a long time and said nothing. She remembered Elias asking her a questio

Chapter 7

Edith spent three sleepless nights trying to find out which university Elias had applied for the exchange program through the university. It was Gerasia University.She booked the earliest flight and dashed to the airport like a madwoman. Norm insisted on following her, and he kept crying all the way until his eyes were swollen.It was only when they landed in Gerasia that they realized everything was cold and unfamiliar. They stood on the Gerasia University campus, not knowing anyone or the country's language, and they went around like headless chickens the entire day searching for Elias.They would show his picture to anyone they saw and ask, "Have you seen this exchange student?"However, no one knew who Elias was.When they finally met a student from their country, Norm quickly grabbed onto him to show him Elias' picture. The student shook his head. "I haven't seen him before."Norm refused to give up. "His name is Elias Livingston, and he came here recently. He has really go

Chapter 8

Six months later, Elias ended his first semester in Gerasia University. He won a full scholarship in the exchange student program and maintained excellent grades consistently. Elias was recruited by a lecturer into a research group, and he spent his days in the laboratory while writing reports at night. During the weekend, he would visit museums and art exhibitions with his classmates. He was busy, but his days were also fulfilling. Elias no longer needed to earn his keep through trivia questions set at Expert Level by others, making only $2 per correct answer. He made a new group of friends from Gerasia. Among them was a local girl called Lisa, who taught him how to make bread, and another exchange student from his country who kept a seat for him at the library every time.They would cook together, go to class together, and exchange presents with each other during Christmas. No one would ask if he had completed his trivia questions today, and no one would decide if he could

Chapter 9

Six months later, Elias represented the exchange students at the university and returned to his country to take part in an international academic summit. The summit was held in the city where his former university was located.When the plane landed, Elias walked out of the airport, dragging his luggage behind him. He did not tell anyone that he had returned. All he wanted was to quietly attend the event and leave.Elias brought his luggage along and stood in front of his university gates for a long time. This was where he had walked into the university alone and, back then, he only had $6.80 in his pocket. Now, he was back as an exchange student with a scholarship.The university had not changed much. The same old tree was still standing in the same spot, and the old gray building was still around. The only thing that changed was himself.Elias walked around the campus, and he went to the cafeteria where he used to work. The cafeteria lady was still there, and her eyes lit up when

Chapter 10

"Elias!" Norm cried out outside the venue and lunged forward, trying to grab Elias' hand, but Elias took a step back to avoid his touch."I was wrong," Norm cried so hard that he was incoherent. "Come home with us and be with your family. I'll buy you a first-class ticket home for Thanksgiving. I'll pay for it. I'll cook whatever you want to eat."Irma stood at the side and said softly, "I'm useless. I wasn't able to protect you."Edith's eyes were red from crying. "I've deleted that app. You never have to answer any trivia questions again."Ezra stood timidly and called out, "Elias."When Norm saw Elias was not moved by everything they said, he got even more anxious and took out a card from his bag to put in Elias' hand. "This card has all the allowances I've owed you for the past few years. The password is your birthday."Elias did not take it from him, and the card fell to the ground. He looked at the group of people in front of him who had once used the rules of a trivia game

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