Playing Their Game, Winning My Life

student. Ethan would occasionally offer a "pep talk" about the upc

say, a patronizing tone in his vo

y voice small. "I just don' t want

rustrated. I' d ask my parents for a tutor, sighing that I just couldn' t keep up. Ms.

have dropped significantl

g," I confessed, looking at the floor

tool, another piece of ev

an, bored and restless with his healing leg still not at 100%,

ed at breakfast. "And you, Liv, you need to get ou

Ethan in displays of athletic prowess. Chloe c

d precise timing and a deep und

e. Ethan was aggressive, trying to compensate for his still-tender ankle.

or the rig

. But instead of hitting it, I let out a small, startled cry and stumbled, my an

Ethan

wkwardly, trying to change direction to get to the shot I had missed. He wa

a sicken

his recently healed leg. A genuine screa

I looked at the deliberately scraped skin o

ushed to Ethan' s side. The on-

rth, his face like a thundercloud. The doctor had just left. Ethan' s ankle was re-fr

his leg propped up on a mountain of pillows. "The corporate sports tournament is in thr

n pain. He only cared about

tting quietly in a chair, a bandage

voice softening slightly.

tly. "It' s just a scrape. I'

ing to cost this family millions." He saw my quiet demean

t I wouldn' t make it to the track finals-was now a moot point.

to "comfort" him. I stood in the ha

r. "She' s so clumsy. You never should have been on the court wi

the comfort she intended; they only fueled hi

found him in the home gym, merci

, my posture slumped,

oah

to me, breathing hea

ered, tears welling in my eyes. "Ethan... h

to be gentle, but I could see the frustration in his eyes. Ethan' s in

so angry, and my exams are coming up... I can' t focus, Noah. I

with manufactured sobs. He held me, patting my back

ldn't see. My academic struggles were no longer just a symptom of my "fragility." Now, they were a d

ht he wa