I watched her walk away.
For as long as I could remember, whatever Elaine wanted appeared in front of her the moment she asked.
Me, I had to do the chores and score perfect on every test just to earn a coupon I could redeem.
But it didn't matter whether it was a pretty princess dress or the drumstick I'd been looking forward to.
Even when it was mine, all Elaine had to do was cry.
And it became hers.
This wasn't the first time. It wouldn't be the last.
Truly laughable.
The rules only ever applied to me.
After a while, I got thirsty and stepped out for a glass of water.
The whole family was gathered around Elaine, talking through her college applications.
My father declared he'd fund her degree no matter the cost.
My brother pulled out a three-hundred-page college application guide he'd stayed up nights putting together.
"Just pick from this list. They're all the top programs in the city. You can't go wrong."
At that, Elaine's eyes reddened.
"I've put everyone to so much trouble. If only I'd scored seven hundred like my cousin…"
My mother cut her off at once and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't be silly. What good are high scores anyway."
"She'll just get married one day. You think a higher score makes for a better marriage?"
Elaine nestled pitifully into my mother's arms, looking at me like the most wronged girl in the world.
"It'd be even better if I could stay with my cousin at college. We could look after each other."
My father slapped his knee and agreed on the spot.
"That's nothing."
My brother chimed in from the side.
"You pick first. Once you've chosen, Elaine can go there too."
The hand holding my cup trembled.
I turned to them before I could think, my voice going cold.
"Why should she?"
My scores could get me into the best school in the country, a better future. Why should I follow her to some community college?
At that, my mother's face iced over and she flipped it back on me.
"If you go somewhere far, none of us will be there. What happens when someone pushes you around?"
"If you and Elaine go to the same college, the whole family can move over and it'll be easy to look after you both."
"Everyone here is thinking of you. What are you making a fuss about?"
My knuckles went white around the cup.
Heh. Look after me?
Strip away the words and it was just this: they were afraid Elaine would feel the gap and be hurt.
I unclenched my bitten lip and said nothing more.
Back in my room, I called my homeroom teacher.
"Teacher, I'm accepting the scholarship to the top university."
Early the next morning, the whole family was at the breakfast table.
They must have mistaken my silence yesterday for agreeing to attend community college with Elaine.
For the first time, no coupon was required.
My mother, of all things, laid a fried egg on top of my plain noodle soup.
My brother and father had softened too.
They talked about taking me out to a nice restaurant to celebrate my getting into college.
Beside them, Elaine chewed her poached beef, smiling as she raised her hand.
"Then let me pick the dishes for my cousin. Let's go to that French place on the shopping strip."
Except what she called ordering for me turned out to be all the spicy dishes Elaine loved.
I didn't like a single one.
What made it funnier was that the whole family waited forever while Elaine did her makeup and picked out clothes.
Before leaving, they said we'd all go together, neat and tidy. But by the time I came out of the bathroom.
They were already gone.
Not one of them messaged me the address, even when it was time to eat.
That night, I sat in the empty, pitch-dark room.
Chewing the cold leftovers from earlier, I scrolled through Elaine's latest posts.
In front of the camera, she held a lobster bigger than her face and pressed her cheek to my mother's.
Her eyes curved into happy little crescents.
"Family dinner. My aunt's dearer to me than my own mom~"
Off to the side, my brother and father dropped the shrimp they'd peeled into Elaine's dish, one after another, everyone glowing with warmth.
I let out a breath, grateful I hadn't been the one to ruin the mood.
