“Don’t cause trouble.”
After saying that, she turned and walked out.
I let out a dry laugh, but I was the eighth-highest scorer in the whole state.
Anyone could spot my name clearly on the school honor roll. Why didn’t anyone notice?
On the day of the enrollment banquet, Brielle stood at the entrance, greeting relatives and friends.
I was placed to stand next to her.
As the daughters of the parents, side by side.
The smiles on Mom and Dad didn’t drop until an elder frowned at me.
“Brielle’s dress is dragging on the ground. As the one next to her, don’t you know to hold it for her?”
My parents spoke up in discomfort. “President Wagner, this is our older daughter. She’s also graduating this year.”
President Wagner froze, then let out a joking laugh. “Oh… I made a mistake, sorry.”
Honestly, I wasn’t shocked.
My deep red dress with loud plastic gems had nothing similar to Brielle’s designer crystal-decorated gown.
It was normal that people couldn’t place us together.
I didn’t stay long before walking out.
Even though it was called an enrollment banquet, many well-known local figures had shown up.
Though Mom and Dad led Brielle and me around to greet everyone, they never once mentioned my name.
I understood they never meant to bring me into contact with those important people at all.
Watching Dad down a glass of alcohol for Brielle, I held my own cup of orange juice and quietly stepped aside, leaving all the bright lights and noise behind me.
Out in the garden, the wind cleared my mind a little.
I was about to call a taxi home when Brielle’s voice came from behind.
“Sister, how could you slip off by yourself? Dad’s drunk and you weren’t even there!”
Her tone was loud.
People walking past turned their heads.
“Sister, Dad drank himself sick for us! Even if you won’t take care of him, at least don’t just walk off!”
Among the guests, a few recognized me.
“Isn’t that the girl who was brought back later? Leaving her own father passed out at the banquet? No wonder children who weren’t raised by their parents don’t feel close to them, even if they share blood.”
“Poor President Hopkins, drinking himself half-dead for that ungrateful child.”
I glanced at Brielle.
“He drank himself sick for us, or only for you?”
Brielle went frozen. “Sister!”
She held onto me. “Why can’t you see Dad’s thoughts?”
“I ranked in the top fifty thousand in the state. My future chances are naturally better than yours, so of course I can support you later!”
“Support me?”
I lifted the school’s honor roll.
“You think a Western Meridian University admit like me needs your support for anything?”
Brielle’s breath caught. She opened the school page with shaking hands.
Seeing my name on the honor roll, her voice trembled. “You’re… eighth in the state?”
“That can’t be…”
“You studied in a small-town school your whole life, you couldn’t even pay for tutors…”
I gave a cold laugh.
Maybe Mom and Dad thought the same way. They never even checked the school’s honor roll.
They simply believed I couldn’t ever outscore Brielle.
I turned and walked off, ignoring her yelling behind me.
When I reached home, my Western Meridian University admission letter had arrived.
Just as I opened it, someone knocked on my bedroom door.
I slipped the letter under my pillow and pulled the door open.
“Daughter…”
Mom carried a small cake.
Dad smelled strongly of wine, his eyes red as he looked at me.
I hadn’t thought they would bring me anything.
“You blame us, don’t you?”
Mom cut the cake for me herself, while Dad tapped my shoulder with a sigh.
“Truth is, at times, we worry the child we raised ourselves will think we don’t care for her anymore, so we try so hard to make up for it.”
“At times, we worry if we make up too much, you, our own daughter, will feel pushed aside.”
“All this while, we’ve tried to keep things even, but…”
Dad actually choked slightly. “…but we noticed that if we look after one side, we hurt the other; if we look after that side, we hurt this side.”
I stared at the cake in my hands, and my chest tightened.
“This cake was made by Mom with her own hands. The staff from the welfare home told us you liked sweet things the most.”
Mom brushed my hair. “Daughter, Dad and Mom are sorry to you, but we truly never meant to favor anyone.”
