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All Chapters of The Sun Doesn't Rise for Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

At 4:00 am, after suffering through a night of headaches, I had only just drifted into a light sleep when the sudden glare of the lights jolted me awake.My temples throbbed painfully."Nicole Parson, stop lazing around in bed. Get up and pack your things. We're going to see the sunrise illuminating the snow-capped mountains!"I forced myself to sit upright. "Mom, I think I really do have altitude sickness. Can I—"My mother, Mona Holcomb, cut me off with a glare. "Keep your voice down. Ida is still asleep. Stop making excuses to be lazy. Once you've finished packing, go wake Ida up."The fluorescent lights in the guesthouse were painfully bright.Mom was so intent on letting my twin sister, Ida Parson, get a little more rest that she failed to notice how pale I looked.The small room I had been assigned was crammed full of luggage.My older brother, Jared Parson, was busy adjusting the camera, swapping lenses, and fine-tuning the focus.My father, Brian Parson, was occupied w

Chapter 2

The laughter in the living room abruptly died away, and Mom's smile froze on her face."Of course you're coming with us. We're a family, and we're all going together," she said."Then what about Lake Serene? You promised you'd take me there," I retorted.Dad said impatiently, "We'll go some other time. Ida's already upset about doing poorly on her SATs. As her older sister, you should learn to give in to her."It was the same old excuses—"some other time" and "give in to her".I stood there dumbly, blinking. Still, I couldn't stop the sting of tears from welling up in my eyes.No matter how well or poorly Ida did on her exams, Mom and Dad would always love her.But even the love I had supposedly earned by getting into a top college had to be given up for Ida. …Jared slung his camera bag over his shoulder and stood up. As he walked out, he said, "Nicole, Ida is your younger sister. She doesn't owe you anything."I lay back down and wrapped myself in the soft, fluffy blanket.

Chapter 3

My mind was hazy, and I couldn't remember how many times I had called without getting through.Thinking that Mom and Dad might be unable to answer their phones while driving, I called Jared instead, who had left much earlier."Jared, I'm at the hospital. I have altitude sickness."He fell silent for a long moment before saying, "Are you seriously still making a fuss about us not taking you to Florus? Ida and you are twins—you have the same genes, so why are you the only one who makes such a big deal out of everything?"I parted my lips, desperate to defend myself with a simple "I'm not". But it felt as if my throat were stuffed with a wad of wet cotton. I couldn't force out a single syllable at all."Enough. Try acting your age for once. I'm busy taking photos of Ida."Mom's voice suddenly rang out through the phone. "Change to the side angle. Ida says the background needs to look a little more interesting."The next second, the sharp beeping made my ears ring."Give Nicole oxy

Chapter 4

It was already past 6:00 pm when I returned to the guesthouse.As soon as I opened the door, the lively chatter inside fell silent. Mom, Dad, Jared, and Ida were sitting together on the couch, watching a comedy show on TV.In the past, I might have tried everything I could to join in and become part of their little circle. But now, all I wanted was to lie down, get some rest, and pack my things for tomorrow's flight.Mom shot me a sidelong glance before snapping, "Nicole, where on earth have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere, and you can't even be bothered to explain yourself?"Looking for me?If they had genuinely been looking for me, they would have known I'd blocked them the moment they sent me a single WhatsApp message.Ida turned to me with an aggrieved expression. "Yeah, Nicole. Didn't Dad tell you to rest at the guesthouse? You were so sick this morning that you were throwing up and couldn't even go see the sunrise. So, how come you still had the energy to go

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, Mom, Dad, Jared, and Ida had just come back to the guesthouse after finishing their morning activities.Exhausted, Ida collapsed onto the couch. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the still-wrinkled white dress hanging on the rack to her left.She immediately pouted and whined, "Mom, look! Nicole still hasn't ironed my dress!""Sweetheart, what is it now?"Mom had just put away the gemstone bracelet Ida had bought for 200 dollars when she heard Ida's plaintive little whine. She walked over to see what was wrong."I've reminded Nicole to iron this one dress countless times, and she still hasn't done it?"Mom stood up, and the moment she noticed that my bedroom door upstairs was still closed, her anger flared.Jared was putting away his camera equipment. He was already at my door, but instead of pushing it open, he kicked it."Nicole, stop pretending you're dead in there!"The door slammed against the wall, then swung back and forth several times.Mom frowned.

Chapter 6

The single tick stood out glaringly on the screen.Mom hurriedly pulled out her phone and swiped down four or five times before finally finding my chat.Our conversation was still stuck on a message from a week ago, when she had told me to take the meat out of the freezer to thaw.Mom's fingers trembled slightly as she typed out a short message. But once she sent it, only one tick appeared beside it.Ida quickly tugged at Mom's arm. "Mom, Nicole blocked me too. What are we going to do?"Dad pressed his lips together, his expression darkening with displeasure. "Nicole has really gone too far! How dare she pull this running-away-from-home stunt? Just wait till I get my hands on her!"Mom closed her eyes, wondering if she would ever see me again."Ma'am, we've been waiting for you!"A commotion broke out at the front of the cabin as the last passenger finally arrived. The flight attendant urged her to take her seat as the plane prepared to taxi.Jared gripped his phone tightly, h

Chapter 7

Florus was tranquil, with a sense of freedom lingering in the air.I was staying at a youth hostel near Lake Serene. The rates were affordable, and my roommates were all nice.I hadn't put all the money I'd saved from working part-time and tutoring over the past month into the family-linked card Mom had access to.I had secretly opened an account and gotten a bank card of my own long ago. There was still a balance of 2,500 dollars in it, enough to get me through a few days of budget travel around Florus.As for my tuition fees, I would just have to keep working to earn them when I got back.What I hadn't expected was to suffer another bout of altitude sickness on the very night I checked into the hostel.My head felt like mush, and my limbs were weak. I lay in bed, too drained to even get up for dinner.When my upper-bunkmate, Bethany Miller, noticed how unwell I looked, she brought me some altitude sickness medication she always kept on hand.A complete stranger could tell at

Chapter 8

Mom flinched as though she'd been scalded and hurriedly looked away from my unwavering gaze.It seemed that my leaving had finally made her begin to recognize her own favoritism."No, it's not like that, Nicole. You're the older sister, and I thought you should always give way to Ida. That's why I turned down your request."I clenched my fists and challenged her, "Just because I was born five minutes before Ida, does that mean I have to swallow my grievances and give in to her for the rest of my life? Does it mean my wishes can be ignored, and my pain and suffering treated as though they don't exist?"Now that I'd finally said it all out loud, it felt as though a heavy weight I'd carried in my heart for so long had finally been lifted. I felt strangely light.Dad's expression darkened, and he suddenly grabbed my wrist."After everything we've done for you, this is how you talk to us? You are ungrateful!"I pulled back, my voice trembling but sharp."Oh, so I'm supposed to be gr

Chapter 9

I turned without a shred of hesitation and disappeared into the crowd."What? Nicole applied to a college in Northville?""How is that possible? Wasn't she supposed to go to college with me in Southville?By the time they finally came to their senses, I was nowhere to be seen."Nicole?"…When I returned to the hostel, the receptionist noticed that my cheek was swollen and red. She kindly brought me a bag of ice."Thank you," I said.After icing my cheek for half an hour, the swelling finally went down enough for me to look presentable.The next day, I spent the day exploring the town, including the Three Sacred Fountains. I never ran into my family again. …I consulted my college instructor, Melinda Hill, and learned that I could enroll and move into the dormitory half a month early.So, I bought a plane ticket straight from Florus to Northville.From that day on, the home I'd lived in for 18 years was no longer on my list of destinations.On September 1st, parents w

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