Betrayed By Blood, Loved By None

room, the air thick with a silence that felt heavier than any shout. My father, David, stared at me, his face a mask of disappointment. My mot

low, cutting through the quiet. "On a night that s

, and even Coach Thompson. I had thanked my parents for the opportunities they gave me. But I hadn't ment

is voice rising slightly. "Knowing full well how much Ale

e barely a whisper. I felt the pride fr

turned from Alex, her eyes flashing. "You deliberately overshadowed him.

es burned. I earned my grades, my scholarships, the valedictorian title. It had nothing

nce. And you go and rub your success in his face on international television," she said, her voice trembli

osed to support each other, not tear each other down. We are so disapp

uble, always polite. I did it all for their approval, for a crumb of the affection they showered on

gift. I reached into my bag and pulled out a heavy, silver-plated frame. Inside was a picture from years ago, shortly after they

said, holding it out.

sgust. "Don't try to buy your way out of this, E

d floor with a sharp crack. The glass shattered, a spiderweb of fractures spr

or graduation. A used but reliable sedan to get me to my summer int

he keys into Alex' s hand. He looked up, a faint, triumphant smirk

m in the countryside for the summer. You need to be away from all this... suc

y for succeeding. The injustice of it all burned in my chest, a hot, acid fire. I packed a single bag i

old car, the one I had to use now, rattled with every bump. My phone buzzed in the cup holder. It was my mother. A fl

my voice h

tudent ID number. Alex needs it for his summer school application.

in anger. I was just a piece of data needed for Alex's benefit

. "Your father and I have been talking. We're willing to forg

heel. The road ahead was a black

to have any chance of getting into community college in the fall. You're smart. You'll come back at the e

ix a problem Alex created for himself. They weren't asking. They were telling. My

at to say. The unfairness was a physical weight

dule, a deer leaped onto the road. My headlights caught its terrified eyes f

raight to

s voice was a tinny, distant sound from the phone, still talking about Alex's needs. The deer, the trees, the dark night-it all blurred into a terrif