You Ignored My Birthday So I Erased Myself From The Family HD Movie ENG | The Pain of Being the Invisible Child 😔─影片 Dailymotion

ReelShort Drama Shorts

👇Download the app to watch full HD episode for free: https://reelslink.com/marketing/wReYWU 👇Click to Find More HD EPs http://reelshort.com/movie/you-ignored-my-birthday-so-i-erased-myself-from-the-family-6aa14b83871c17602008654b 🍁Notice: All videos by ReelShort Drama Shorts are officially authorized. Chloe got Instagram posts and theme park trips, while Ethan got high-end dinners. But on July 19th, the middle of summer, no one remembered her eighteenth birthday. Even a direct text to the family chat brought nothing but heartbreaking silence. With no cake, no songs, and no place in her parents' hearts, how far will she go to cut ties for good?

Transcript

00:00:04This family celebrates everyone's birthday, everyone's but mine, because my parents only

00:00:10love my twin siblings, Ethan and Chloe. They don't love me. When Ethan wants a birthday

00:00:15party, my parents book a private room at his favorite steakhouse a month in advance. When

00:00:21it's Chloe's turn and she wants to go to Six Flags, the whole family goes. Mom even posts

00:00:26nine photos on Instagram, but on my birthday, this house always treats it like any other

00:00:31day. I thought turning 18 would be different. That morning, I got up early on purpose, put

00:00:37on light makeup, and sat on the living room couch to wait. Mom walked past me on her way

00:00:43out, carrying Chloe's dance bag. Heat up your own lunch. I'm taking Chloe to her intensive

00:00:48class. Dad was watering tomatoes in the backyard. Ethan called him to go play basketball at the

00:00:55park, and the two of them left soon after. At noon, I was the only one left in the house.

00:01:01I sent a message in the family group chat. I'm 18 today. No one replied. At seven that

00:01:08night, everybody came home. No one sang. No one felt like anything was missing. I was 18

00:01:15now. At last, I could decide for myself where I wanted to go.

00:01:20Mallory, delete that message from the group chat. I almost missed Grandpa's voice message.

00:01:26Ethan didn't even look up. He tapped the edge of his plate, lightly with his dinner knife,

00:01:32signaling Mom to give him more ribs. I looked down at my phone. The message in the family chat,

00:01:39I'm 18 today, was still sitting there. No one had replied. Mom came over with a plate of garlic bread

00:01:47bread and set it in the middle of the table. All right. No phones at dinner.

00:01:55I looked at the food on the table. Ethan liked ribs. Chloe liked mac and cheese. Mom had made the

00:02:01salad

00:02:02for herself. Not a single dish was for me. I liked seafood. Grilled salmon was my favorite. I had said

00:02:10it so many times. No one in this family remembered. Dad, today... Dad set down his iced tea and glanced

00:02:20at me. The next second, he turned back to Ethan. How's your wrist from basketball this afternoon?

00:02:26Does the sprain still hurt? It's okay. Shoot. It aches a little when I shoot. I'll take you to a

00:02:32sports

00:02:32therapist tomorrow. My words died in midair. I finished dinner quietly and went to wash the

00:02:38dishes. I turned the faucet on high. From the living room came the sound of Chloe practicing ballet

00:02:46basics, her toes landing against the floor one by one. Mom counted beats beside her. Ethan was playing

00:02:52Xbox in his room, shouting every few minutes. Dad was on the couch with his iPad. Everyone in this

00:02:58house had something of their own. Everyone had someone answering them. Except me. I stood in the

00:03:06kitchen, washing platelets and cups for five people. The water was loud. Loud enough that even

00:03:13if I cried, no one would hear. After the dishes, I went back to my room and shut the door.

00:03:19My phone

00:03:19lit up. It was a message in the class group chat. It was the only happy birthday I had received

00:03:24all day

00:03:24from a classmate I had known for less than a year. I replied, thank you. Then I opened my photo

00:03:29album

00:03:30and kept scrolling back. After I turned six, mom's camera had almost completely turned toward them.

00:03:35Most of the photos were of them. I scrolled for a long time before I finally found one. It was

00:03:41from

00:03:41when I was nine and had entered the school speech contest. Mom had taken it from the audience.

00:03:46The photo was blurry. Only half my body was in it because the other half of the frame was Chloe

00:03:52in the

00:03:52front row, turning back toward the camera with a bright smile. I stood off stage in front of the

00:03:58microphone, my face barely visible. The phone screen dimmed and my face appeared in the black

00:04:04reflection. 18-year-old Mallory Hayes had spent the whole morning putting on makeup, waited all day

00:04:11and still hadn't gotten a single happy birthday. Mom's voice came from outside the door.

00:04:17Mallory, wake your sister at seven tomorrow morning. She has training at 8.30.

00:04:25Okay.

00:04:28Hey sis, it's seven.

00:04:30Chloe had woken up on her own. She stood in my doorway in a pink leotard, her hair half-tied.

00:04:36I checked my phone. 6.53. My alarm hadn't even gone off.

00:04:41You got up by yourself?

00:04:42Yeah. I set an alarm. Mom told you to wake me, but I was afraid you didn't sleep well last

00:04:49night.

00:04:50She said it so casually, but the words still stung. She knew I hadn't slept well last night.

00:04:56I'll help you tie your hair.

00:04:58No, it's fine. I can do it.

00:05:03She turned and left.

00:05:06Chloe had always been like that with me. She wasn't cruel. She just wasn't close.

00:05:12She called me sis, but the word carried no weight. The twins had their own rhythm, and I had never

00:05:20been able to enter it. At breakfast, Mom was warming milk for Chloe. Ethan wasn't up yet.

00:05:26Mally, have you eaten?

00:05:28I have.

00:05:29I hadn't. She didn't even check whether there was a bowl I'd used on the table.

00:05:34She just nodded.

00:05:36Chloe, did you pack your water bottle? It's hot today. Drink more water.

00:05:40I did.

00:05:42Mally, drive your sister there. She still doesn't know the stops near the training center.

00:05:47Chloe had been going to that training center for two years. Mom still said she didn't know the way.

00:05:53Okay.

00:05:55As we were leaving, Ethan finally got up and called from his doorway.

00:05:59Mom, what's for breakfast?

00:06:02I left you a bagel and yogurt on the table.

00:06:05A bagel and yogurt? Ethan's regular breakfast.

00:06:09No one had ever asked what I wanted in the morning.

00:06:12On the way to the training center, Chloe sat in the passenger seat scrolling through her phone.

00:06:18She wasn't trying to be cold. It just never occurred to her to talk to me.

00:06:25Sis?

00:06:26When she suddenly spoke, my palm tightened on the wheel.

00:06:31What?

00:06:32That message you sent in the group chat yesterday?

00:06:35Ethan told you to delete it?

00:06:38Yeah.

00:06:39Did you?

00:06:42No.

00:06:44She nodded, then lowered her head to look at her phone again.

00:06:47I waited for a long time, waiting for her to say,

00:06:50Happy birthday.

00:06:51She didn't.

00:06:53When we reached the training center, she unbuckled her seatbelt.

00:06:56Sis, I'm here.

00:06:58Yeah.

00:06:59Train hard.

00:07:00Can you pick me up this afternoon? I finish at five.

00:07:03I have a study group this afternoon.

00:07:05That was a lie.

00:07:06I had nothing this afternoon.

00:07:08I just didn't want to go.

00:07:09Then I'll ask mom to pick me up.

00:07:11Okay.

00:07:13At 4.50 that afternoon, mom sent a message in the family group chat.

00:07:18Chloe finishes training at five.

00:07:19Who can pick her up?

00:07:20I'm in a meeting.

00:07:21I'm at a friend's house.

00:07:23Mallory, aren't you free this afternoon?

00:07:25I looked at that message.

00:07:27She started with who can pick her up, but in the end, it still landed on me.

00:07:30It's on your way anyway, right? Just go pick her up.

00:07:33It wasn't on my way at all, but in this family, my road was always on the way.

00:07:37My time was always free.

00:07:39I typed okay and sent it.

00:07:40Then I turned my phone face down on the desk.

00:07:45Suddenly, I wondered,

00:07:48what would happen if one day I didn't reply with okay?

00:07:52If I turned off my phone, canceled my number, and disappeared too?

00:07:56Would they first panic because no one could pick up Chloe?

00:07:59Or would they think of me first?

00:08:01I knew the answer.

00:08:03When I picked Chloe up, her face was flushed from training and her hair was damp.

00:08:07Sis, I'm thirsty.

00:08:09Where's your water bottle?

00:08:10Finished it.

00:08:12I handed her the spare bottle of water in the car.

00:08:14Thanks, sis.

00:08:16On the way home, she soon fell asleep against the window.

00:08:19I adjusted the air conditionings so the car wouldn't be so cold.

00:08:22She was the little princess everyone in the family revolved around, and most of the roads

00:08:25I had driven through this city had been for someone else, but not for much longer.

00:08:30Not long after, the school college counselor called me into her office.

00:08:34Mallory Hayes, I saw your awards record.

00:08:37Honorable Ments in the National Math Olympias.

00:08:39That's impressive.

00:08:40Awards like that carry real weight.

00:08:42Which schools are you considering for early applications?

00:08:44I'm still looking.

00:08:46What do your parents think?

00:08:47I haven't told them yet.

00:08:49Something this important, and you're not discussing it with your family first?

00:08:53I want to look into it myself first.

00:08:55I knew that even if I told them, no one would take it seriously.

00:08:58On last month's mock examen, I ranked third in the entire grade.

00:09:00I took a photo of my report card and sent it to the family group chat.

00:09:03My third place ranking stayed in the chat for only a very short while.

00:09:05All it got from mom was one sentence.

00:09:07Not bad.

00:09:08The next message was a video mom sent of Chloe dancing.

00:09:10That afternoon, when I got home, I found a dusty letter among a pile of bills and flyers

00:09:15on the coffee table.

00:09:16It said,

00:09:17Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

00:09:19Your daughter, Mallory Hayes, has received an honorable mention in the National High School

00:09:23Mathematics Olympiad.

00:09:24Two months had passed.

00:09:25The envelope hadn't even been opened.

00:09:27It was tucked between bills and pizza courons.

00:09:29Completely forgotten.

00:09:30At dinner, mom answered a FaceTime call from my aunt.

00:09:33My aunt asked about Ethan's swim meet.

00:09:35Mom said he had taken second place in the district, pride filling her voice.

00:09:39My aunt asked about Chloe's dance competition.

00:09:41Mom said she had won gold at regionals, and the judges had praised how steady she was off

00:09:45dyes.

00:09:47How's Mallory?

00:09:47She's applying to college soon too, right?

00:09:51She's doing fine.

00:09:53Third in my grade.

00:09:54A National Math Olympiac Award.

00:09:56In mom's mouth, all of it became doing fine.

00:09:58I sat at the dining table, still holding the award letter that had been forgotten for two

00:10:02months.

00:10:02No one asked how I had been lately.

00:10:04No one turned to me and said, Mallory, what about you?

00:10:06I went back to my room, opened my laptop, and started looking up colleges that would

00:10:10actually care about competition backgrounds.

00:10:12In the end, I stopped at Carnegie Mellon.

00:10:15Hundreds of miles away from home, no one would remember me, only when they needed someone

00:10:18to pick up my sister.

00:10:19I opened the application page.

00:10:21My fingers hovered over the screen for three seconds before I finally closed it.

00:10:26I decided to try one more time.

00:10:28If they still couldn't see me this time, I would leave.

00:10:32Completely.

00:10:35Mallory, Ashley is coming to stay with us for a while.

00:10:40Give her your room and share with Chloe for now.

00:10:43Saturday morning, mom said it casually while changing shoes by the door.

00:10:46I was sitting at the dining table eating cereal.

00:10:49My spoon stopped in midair.

00:10:54Why my room?

00:10:56Your room gets the best natural light.

00:10:58Ashley hasn't been feeling well lately, and the doctor said more sunlight would be good

00:11:01for her.

00:11:02Ethan's room has a window, too.

00:11:04Your brother is a boy.

00:11:04Ashley is a girl.

00:11:05How could they share a room?

00:11:06Then let her stay with Chloe.

00:11:08Chloe needs space to stretch at night.

00:11:10Your room only has a bed and a desk.

00:11:12It's easy to clear out.

00:11:12How long is she staying?

00:11:14About half a month.

00:11:15Her summer program is over here.

00:11:16I didn't argue anymore.

00:11:18Experience had taught me a long time ago that arguing was useless.

00:11:20That afternoon, Ashley came in, dragging two large suitcases, smiling sweetly.

00:11:28Auntie, uncle?

00:11:30You're here!

00:11:31Come in!

00:11:32Mom was so warm, as if an important guest had arrived.

00:11:36Ashley pushed her suitcases into my room and looked around from the doorway.

00:11:41Auntie, can this bookshelf be moved out?

00:11:43I want to put a vanity mirror here.

00:11:46Of course.

00:11:47Mallory, move the bookshelf out.

00:11:50On my bookshelf were three years of notebooks, reference books, and a few certificates.

00:11:54It took me an hour to move everything into a corner of Chloe's room.

00:11:58That night, I laid a mattress on the floor of Chloe's room.

00:12:03Sis, why don't you sleep on the bed?

00:12:05I'll sleep on the floor.

00:12:07No, the floor is fine.

00:12:10Ashley is actually okay.

00:12:12Don't be upset.

00:12:14Ashley was never what upset me.

00:12:17What hurt was that in this house, I was always the one expected to give way.

00:12:23On the third day, I went back to my room to get review materials and opened the door to find

00:12:27Ashley flipping through my math competition notes.

00:12:30These are yours?

00:12:31Your handwriting is so neat.

00:12:33Yeah.

00:12:34Please put them back.

00:12:35I was just looking.

00:12:36You're way too protective of this stuff.

00:12:37She casually put the notebook back on the desk.

00:12:40I glanced over and suddenly realized one was missing.

00:12:43There was a blue one on the desk.

00:12:44Where is it?

00:12:45I didn't touch it.

00:12:46I didn't see it.

00:12:47I searched for ten minutes and finally found it in the trash can.

00:12:51Half the cover had been torn off, and several pages inside were soaked with coffee.

00:12:54The writing blurred into smears.

00:12:56It was the problem-solving notebook I had been organizing since freshman year.

00:12:59Three years.

00:13:00I only had that one copy.

00:13:02Ashley, this?

00:13:03Oh, maybe I knocked it over when I was carrying coffee.

00:13:05Just write another one.

00:13:06I stood in the doorway holding the drenched notebook, my hands shaking.

00:13:13I took the notebook back to Chloe's room and dried it page by page with a hair broyer.

00:13:20Where the writing was blurred, I slowly filled it back in with a pencil.

00:13:26I worked until one in the morning.

00:13:28The next morning, Ashley sat in my old seat, chatting happily with Mom.

00:13:32No one asked why the circles under my eyes were so dark, or what had happened last night.

00:13:36And I no longer needed to wait for that one last time.

00:13:40From that day on, I began preparing to leave.

00:13:43Until the day I received my acceptance letter, I knew the time had come to leave this house.

00:13:47I packed my suitcase and bought a Greyhouse ticket for the early dawn departure the next day.

00:13:51The destination was Pittsburgh.

00:13:53Then I walked to the door and placed my house key on the small entryway table.

00:13:57I left the group chat and deactivated my old phone number.

00:14:01The screen went dark.

00:14:02The whole world suddenly became much quieter.

00:14:06I pulled my suitcase, opened the door, and closed it softly behind me.

00:14:23This family celebrates everyone's birthday.

00:14:26Everyone's but mine.

00:14:28Because my parents only love my twin siblings, Ethan and Chloe.

00:14:31They don't love me.

00:14:33When Ethan wants a birthday party, my parents book a private room at his favorite steakhouse a month in advance.

00:14:40When it's Chloe's turn and she wants to go to Six Flags, the whole family goes.

00:14:44Mom even posts nine photos on Instagram.

00:14:47But on my birthday, this house always treats it like any other day.

00:14:51I thought turning 18 would be different.

00:14:53That morning, I got up early on purpose, put on light makeup, and sat on the living room couch to

00:14:59wait.

00:15:00Mom walked past me on her way out, carrying Chloe's dance bag.

00:15:04Heat up your own lunch.

00:15:06I'm taking Chloe to her intensive class.

00:15:09Dad was watering tomatoes in the backyard.

00:15:12Ethan called him to go play basketball at the park, and the two of them left soon after.

00:15:18At noon, I was the only one left in the house.

00:15:20I sent a message in the family group chat.

00:15:23I'm 18 today.

00:15:25No one replied.

00:15:27At 7 that night, everybody came home.

00:15:29No one sang.

00:15:30No one felt like anything was missing.

00:15:33I was 18 now.

00:15:35At last, I could decide for myself where I wanted to go.

00:15:39Mallory, delete that message from the group chat.

00:15:42I almost missed Grandpa's voice message.

00:15:45Ethan didn't even look up.

00:15:47He tapped the edge of his plate, lightly with his dinner knife,

00:15:51signaling Mom to give him more ribs.

00:15:55I looked down at my phone.

00:15:57The message in the family chat,

00:15:59I'm 18 today, was still sitting there.

00:16:01No one had replied.

00:16:04Mom came over with a plate of garlic bread

00:16:06and set it in the middle of the table.

00:16:10All right.

00:16:11No phones at dinner.

00:16:14I looked at the food on the table.

00:16:16Ethan liked ribs.

00:16:18Chloe liked mac and cheese.

00:16:20Mom had made the salad for herself.

00:16:22Not a single dish was for me.

00:16:24I liked seafood.

00:16:26Grilled salmon was my favorite.

00:16:28I had said it so many times.

00:16:30No one in this family remembered.

00:16:35Dad, today...

00:16:36Dad set down his iced tea

00:16:38and glanced at me.

00:16:40The next second,

00:16:41he turned back to Ethan.

00:16:43How's your wrist from basketball this afternoon?

00:16:45Does the sprain still hurt?

00:16:47It's okay.

00:16:48Shoot.

00:16:48It aches a little when I shoot.

00:16:50I'll take you to a sports therapist tomorrow.

00:16:52My words died in midair.

00:16:55I finished dinner quietly

00:16:56and went to wash the dishes.

00:16:58I turned the faucet on high.

00:17:02From the living room came the sound

00:17:04of Chloe practicing ballet basics,

00:17:06her toes landing against the floor one by one.

00:17:08Mom counted beats beside her.

00:17:10Ethan was playing Xbox in his room,

00:17:12shouting every few minutes.

00:17:14Dad was on the couch with his iPad.

00:17:16Everyone in this house had something of their own.

00:17:19Everyone had someone answering them.

00:17:22Except me.

00:17:25I stood in the kitchen,

00:17:26washing platelets and cups for five people.

00:17:30The water was loud.

00:17:31Loud enough that even if I cried,

00:17:33no one would hear.

00:17:35After the dishes,

00:17:36I went back to my room and shut the door.

00:17:38My phone lit up.

00:17:39It was a message in the class group chat.

00:17:41It was the only happy birthday I had received all day

00:17:43from a classmate I had known for less than a year.

00:17:46I replied, thank you.

00:17:48Then I opened my photo album and kept scrolling back.

00:17:50After I turned six,

00:17:52Mom's camera had almost completely turned toward them.

00:17:54Most of the photos were of them.

00:17:56I scrolled for a long time before I finally found one.

00:17:59It was from when I was nine

00:18:00and had entered the school speech contest.

00:18:03Mom had taken it from the audience.

00:18:05The photo was blurry.

00:18:06Only half my body was in it

00:18:08because the other half of the frame

00:18:10was Chloe in the front row,

00:18:12turning back toward the camera with a bright smile.

00:18:15I stood off stage in front of the microphone,

00:18:18my face barely visible.

00:18:20The phone screen dimmed

00:18:21and my face appeared in the black reflection.

00:18:2518-year-old Mallory Hayes

00:18:26had spent the whole morning putting on makeup,

00:18:29waited all day,

00:18:30and still hadn't gotten a single happy birthday.

00:18:32Mom's voice came from outside the door.

00:18:36Mallory, wake your sister at seven tomorrow morning.

00:18:40She has training at 8.30.

00:18:44Okay.

00:18:47Hey, sis. It's seven.

00:18:49Chloe had woken up on her own.

00:18:51She stood in my doorway in a pink leotard,

00:18:53her hair half-tied.

00:18:55I checked my phone.

00:18:566.53.

00:18:57My alarm hadn't even gone off.

00:19:00You got up by yourself?

00:19:01Yeah.

00:19:03I set an alarm.

00:19:04Mom told you to wake me,

00:19:06but I was afraid you didn't sleep well last night.

00:19:09She said it so casually,

00:19:10but the words still stung.

00:19:12She knew I hadn't slept well last night.

00:19:15I'll help you tie your hair.

00:19:17No, it's fine.

00:19:19I can do it.

00:19:22She turned and left.

00:19:25Chloe had always been like that with me.

00:19:27She wasn't cruel.

00:19:28She just wasn't close.

00:19:31She called me sis,

00:19:33but the word carried no weight.

00:19:36The twins had their own rhythm,

00:19:37and I had never been able to enter it.

00:19:40At breakfast,

00:19:41Mom was warming milk for Chloe.

00:19:43Ethan wasn't up yet.

00:19:45Malie,

00:19:46have you eaten?

00:19:47I have.

00:19:48I hadn't.

00:19:50She didn't even check whether there was a bowl I'd used on the table.

00:19:53She just nodded.

00:19:55Chloe,

00:19:55did you pack your water bottle?

00:19:57It's hot today.

00:19:58Drink more water.

00:19:59I did.

00:20:01Malie,

00:20:02drive your sister there.

00:20:03She still doesn't know the stops near the training center.

00:20:06Chloe had been going to that training center for two years.

00:20:09Mom still said

00:20:10she didn't know the way.

00:20:12Okay.

00:20:14As we were leaving,

00:20:15Ethan finally got up

00:20:16and called from his doorway.

00:20:18Mom,

00:20:19what's for breakfast?

00:20:21I left you a bagel and yogurt on the table.

00:20:24A bagel and yogurt.

00:20:26Ethan's regular breakfast.

00:20:28No one had ever asked what I wanted in the morning.

00:20:31On the way to the training center,

00:20:33Chloe sat in the passenger seat

00:20:35scrolling through her phone.

00:20:37She wasn't trying to be cold.

00:20:39It just never occurred to her

00:20:41to talk to me.

00:20:44Sis?

00:20:46When she suddenly spoke,

00:20:47my palm tightened on the wheel.

00:20:50What?

00:20:51That message you sent in the group chat yesterday?

00:20:54Ethan told you to delete it?

00:20:57Yeah.

00:20:58Did you?

00:21:01No.

00:21:03She nodded,

00:21:04then lowered her head

00:21:05to look at her phone again.

00:21:06I waited for a long time,

00:21:08waiting for her to say,

00:21:09happy birthday.

00:21:10She didn't.

00:21:12When we reached the training center,

00:21:14she unbuckled her seat belt.

00:21:15Sis, I'm here.

00:21:17Yeah.

00:21:18Train hard.

00:21:19Can you pick me up this afternoon?

00:21:21I finish at five.

00:21:22I have a study group this afternoon.

00:21:24That was a lie.

00:21:25I had nothing this afternoon.

00:21:27I just didn't want to go.

00:21:28Then I'll ask Mom to pick me up.

00:21:30Okay.

00:21:32At 4.50 that afternoon,

00:21:34Mom sent a message in the family group chat.

00:21:37Chloe finishes training at five.

00:21:38Who can pick her up?

00:21:39I'm in a meeting.

00:21:40I'm at a friend's house.

00:21:42Mallory,

00:21:42aren't you free this afternoon?

00:21:44I looked at that message.

00:21:46She started with,

00:21:47who can pick her up?

00:21:47But in the end,

00:21:48it still landed on me.

00:21:49It's on your way anyway, right?

00:21:51Just go pick her up.

00:21:52It wasn't on my way at all.

00:21:53But in this family,

00:21:54my road was always on the way.

00:21:56My time was always free.

00:21:57I typed okay and sent it.

00:22:00Then I turned my phone face down on the desk.

00:22:04Suddenly,

00:22:05I wondered,

00:22:07what would happen

00:22:08if one day I didn't reply with okay?

00:22:11If I turned off my phone,

00:22:13canceled my number,

00:22:14and disappeared too,

00:22:15would they first panic

00:22:17because no one could pick up Chloe?

00:22:19Or would they think of me first?

00:22:20I knew the answer.

00:22:22When I picked Chloe up,

00:22:23her face was flushed from training

00:22:25and her hair was damp.

00:22:26Sis, I'm thirsty.

00:22:28Where's your water bottle?

00:22:29Finished it.

00:22:31I handed her the spare bottle of water in the car.

00:22:33Thanks, sis.

00:22:35On the way home,

00:22:36she soon fell asleep against the window.

00:22:38I adjusted the air conditionings

00:22:39so the car wouldn't be so cold.

00:22:41She was the little princess

00:22:42everyone in the family revolved around.

00:22:44And most of the roads

00:22:44I had driven through this city

00:22:46had been for someone else,

00:22:47but not for much longer.

00:22:49Not long after,

00:22:50the school college counselor

00:22:51called me into her office.

00:22:53Mallory Hayes,

00:22:54I saw your awards record.

00:22:56Honorable Ments

00:22:56in the National Math Olympias.

00:22:58That's impressive.

00:22:59Awards like that carry real weight.

00:23:01Which schools are you considering

00:23:02for early applications?

00:23:03I'm still looking.

00:23:05What do your parents think?

00:23:06I haven't told them yet.

00:23:08Something this important

00:23:09and you're not discussing it

00:23:10with your family first?

00:23:12I want to look into it myself first.

00:23:14I knew that even if I told them,

00:23:15no one would take it seriously.

00:23:17On last month's mock examine,

00:23:18I ranked third in the entire grade.

00:23:19I took a photo of my report card

00:23:20and sent it to the family group chat.

00:23:22My third place ranking stayed in the chat

00:23:23for only a very short while.

00:23:24All it got from mom was one sentence.

00:23:26Not bad.

00:23:27The next message was a video mom sent

00:23:28of Chloe dancing.

00:23:29That afternoon,

00:23:30when I got home,

00:23:31I found a dusty letter

00:23:32among a pile of bills and flyers

00:23:34on the coffee table.

00:23:35It said,

00:23:36Congratulations,

00:23:37Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

00:23:38Your daughter,

00:23:39Mallory Hayes,

00:23:39has received an honorable mention

00:23:41in the National High School

00:23:42Mathematics Olympiad.

00:23:43Two months had passed.

00:23:44The envelope hadn't even been opened.

00:23:46It was tucked between bills

00:23:47and pizza courons.

00:23:48Completely forgotten.

00:23:49At dinner,

00:23:50mom answered a FaceTime call

00:23:51from my aunt.

00:23:52My aunt asked about Ethan's swim meet.

00:23:54Mom said he had taken second place

00:23:56in the district,

00:23:57pride filling her voice.

00:23:58My aunt asked about

00:23:59Chloe's dance competition.

00:24:00Mom said she had won gold

00:24:02at regionals

00:24:02and the judges had praised

00:24:03how steady she was off dyes.

00:24:05How's Mallory?

00:24:06She's applying to college soon too,

00:24:08right?

00:24:10She's doing fine.

00:24:12Third in my grade,

00:24:13a National Math Olympiac award.

00:24:15In mom's mouth,

00:24:16all of it became doing fine.

00:24:17I sat at the dining table,

00:24:18still holding the award letter

00:24:20that had been forgotten

00:24:20for two months.

00:24:21No one asked how I had been lately.

00:24:23No one turned to me and said,

00:24:25Mallory, what about you?

00:24:26I went back to my room,

00:24:27opened my laptop,

00:24:28and started looking up colleges

00:24:29that would actually care

00:24:30about competition backgrounds.

00:24:31In the end,

00:24:32I stopped at Carnegie Mellon.

00:24:33Hundreds of miles away from home,

00:24:35no one would remember me,

00:24:36only when they needed someone

00:24:37to pick up my sister.

00:24:38I opened the application page.

00:24:40My fingers hovered over the screen

00:24:42for three seconds

00:24:43before I finally closed it.

00:24:45I decided to try one more time.

00:24:47If they still couldn't see me this time,

00:24:49I would leave.

00:24:51Completely.

00:24:54Mallory,

00:24:55Ashley is coming to stay with us

00:24:57for a while.

00:24:59Give her your room

00:25:00and share with Chloe for now.

00:25:02Saturday morning,

00:25:03mom said it casually

00:25:04while changing shoes by the door.

00:25:06I was sitting at the dining table

00:25:07eating cereal.

00:25:08My spoon stopped in midair.

00:25:13Why my room?

00:25:15Your room gets the best natural light.

00:25:17Ashley hasn't been feeling well lately

00:25:18and the doctor said more sunlight

00:25:20would be good for her.

00:25:21Ethan's room has a window too.

00:25:23Your brother is a boy,

00:25:23Ashley is a girl.

00:25:24How could they share a room?

00:25:26Then let her stay with Chloe.

00:25:27Chloe needs space to stretch at night.

00:25:29Your room only has a bed and a desk.

00:25:31It's easy to clear out.

00:25:32How long is she staying?

00:25:33About half a month.

00:25:34Her summer program is over here.

00:25:35Okay.

00:25:35I didn't argue anymore.

00:25:37Experience had taught me a long time ago

00:25:38that arguing was useless.

00:25:40That afternoon,

00:25:41Ashley came in dragging

00:25:42two large suitcases,

00:25:44smiling sweetly.

00:25:47Auntie, uncle.

00:25:49You're here.

00:25:50Come in.

00:25:51Mom was so warm

00:25:53as if an important guest had arrived.

00:25:55Ashley pushed her suitcases

00:25:57into my room

00:25:58and looked around from the doorway.

00:26:00Auntie,

00:26:01can this bookshelf be moved out?

00:26:02I want to put a vanity mirror here.

00:26:05Of course.

00:26:06Mallory,

00:26:07move the bookshelf out.

00:26:09On my bookshelf

00:26:10were three years of notebooks,

00:26:11reference books,

00:26:12and a few certificates.

00:26:14It took me an hour

00:26:15to move everything

00:26:15into a corner of Chloe's room.

00:26:17That night,

00:26:18I laid a mattress

00:26:19on the floor of Chloe's room.

00:26:22Sis,

00:26:23why don't you sleep on the bed?

00:26:24I'll sleep on the floor.

00:26:26No.

00:26:27The floor is fine.

00:26:29Ashley is actually okay.

00:26:31Don't be upset.

00:26:33Ashley was never what upset me.

00:26:36What hurt

00:26:37was that in this house,

00:26:38I was always the one

00:26:39expected to give way.

00:26:42On the third day,

00:26:43I went back to my room

00:26:44to get review materials

00:26:45and opened the door

00:26:46to find Ashley

00:26:47flipping through

00:26:47my math competition notes.

00:26:49These are yours?

00:26:50Your handwriting is so neat.

00:26:52Yeah.

00:26:53Please put them back.

00:26:54I was just looking.

00:26:55You're way too protective

00:26:56of this stuff.

00:26:56She casually put the notebook

00:26:58back on the desk.

00:26:59I glanced over

00:27:00and suddenly realized

00:27:01one was missing.

00:27:02There was a blue one

00:27:03on the desk.

00:27:03Where is it?

00:27:04I didn't touch it.

00:27:05I didn't see it.

00:27:06I searched for 10 minutes

00:27:07and finally found it

00:27:08in the trash can.

00:27:10Half the cover

00:27:10had been torn off

00:27:11and several pages inside

00:27:12were soaked with coffee.

00:27:14The writing blurred

00:27:14into smears.

00:27:15It was the problem-solving notebook

00:27:16I had been organizing

00:27:17since freshman year.

00:27:19Three years.

00:27:19I only had that one copy.

00:27:21Ashley,

00:27:22this?

00:27:22Oh,

00:27:23maybe I knocked it over

00:27:23when I was carrying coffee.

00:27:25Just write another one.

00:27:25I stood in the doorway

00:27:26holding the drenched notebook,

00:27:28my hands shaking.

00:27:32I took the notebook

00:27:33back to Chloe's room

00:27:34and dried it page by page

00:27:36with a hair broyer.

00:27:39Where the writing was blurred,

00:27:41I slowly filled it back in

00:27:42with a pencil.

00:27:45I worked until

00:27:46one in the morning.

00:27:47The next morning,

00:27:48Ashley sat in my old seat,

00:27:50chatting happily with Mom.

00:27:51No one asked why

00:27:52the circles under my eyes

00:27:53were so dark

00:27:54or what had happened

00:27:55last night,

00:27:55and I no longer needed

00:27:57to wait for that

00:27:57one last time.

00:27:59From that day on,

00:28:00I began preparing to leave

00:28:02until the day I received

00:28:03my acceptance letter.

00:28:04I knew the time had come

00:28:05to leave this house.

00:28:06I packed my suitcase

00:28:07and bought a Greyhouse ticket

00:28:08for the early dawn departure

00:28:09the next day.

00:28:11The destination was Pittsburgh.

00:28:12Then I walked to the door

00:28:13and placed my house key

00:28:14on the small entryway table.

00:28:16I left the group chat

00:28:17and deactivated

00:28:18my old phone number.

00:28:20The screen went dark.

00:28:21The whole world

00:28:22suddenly became much quieter.

00:28:25I pulled my suitcase,

00:28:27opened the door,

00:28:29and closed it softly

00:28:30behind me.

00:28:42This family celebrates

00:28:44everyone's birthday.

00:28:46Everyone's but mine.

00:28:47Because my parents

00:28:48only love my twin siblings,

00:28:49Ethan and Chloe.

00:28:51They don't love me.

00:28:52When Ethan wants

00:28:53a birthday party,

00:28:54my parents book

00:28:55a private room

00:28:56at his favorite steakhouse

00:28:57a month in advance.

00:28:59When it's Chloe's turn

00:29:00and she wants to go

00:29:01to Six Flags,

00:29:02the whole family goes.

00:29:03Mom even posts

00:29:04nine photos on Instagram.

00:29:06But on my birthday,

00:29:07this house always treats it

00:29:09like any other day.

00:29:10I thought turning 18

00:29:11would be different.

00:29:12That morning,

00:29:13I got up early on purpose,

00:29:15put on light makeup,

00:29:16and sat on the living room

00:29:18couch to wait.

00:29:19Mom walked past me

00:29:20on her way out,

00:29:21carrying Chloe's dance bag.

00:29:24Heat up your own lunch.

00:29:25I'm taking Chloe

00:29:26to her intensive class.

00:29:28Dad was watering tomatoes

00:29:29in the backyard.

00:29:31Ethan called him

00:29:32to go play basketball

00:29:33at the park,

00:29:34and the two of them

00:29:35left soon after.

00:29:37At noon,

00:29:37I was the only one

00:29:38left in the house.

00:29:39I sent a message

00:29:41in the family group chat.

00:29:42I'm 18 today.

00:29:44No one replied.

00:29:46At seven that night,

00:29:47everybody came home.

00:29:48No one sang.

00:29:49No one felt like

00:29:50anything was missing.

00:29:52I was 18 now.

00:29:54At last,

00:29:55I could decide for myself

00:29:56where I wanted to go.

00:29:58Mallory,

00:29:58delete that message

00:29:59from the group chat.

00:30:01I almost missed

00:30:02Grandpa's voice message.

00:30:04Ethan didn't even look up.

00:30:06He tapped the edge

00:30:07of his plate,

00:30:08lightly with his dinner knife,

00:30:10signaling Mom

00:30:11to give him more ribs.

00:30:14I looked down at my phone.

00:30:16The message in the family chat,

00:30:18I'm 18 today,

00:30:19was still sitting there.

00:30:20No one had replied.

00:30:23Mom came over

00:30:24with a plate of garlic bread

00:30:25and set it in the middle

00:30:26of the table.

00:30:29All right.

00:30:30No phones at dinner.

00:30:33I looked at the food

00:30:34on the table.

00:30:35Ethan liked ribs.

00:30:37Chloe liked mac and cheese.

00:30:39Mom had made the salad

00:30:40for herself.

00:30:41Not a single dish

00:30:42was for me.

00:30:43I liked seafood.

00:30:45Grilled salmon

00:30:46was my favorite.

00:30:47I had said it

00:30:48so many times.

00:30:50No one in this family

00:30:51remembered.

00:30:53Dad,

00:30:54today...

00:30:55Dad set down

00:30:56his iced tea

00:30:57and glanced at me.

00:30:59The next second,

00:31:00he turned back

00:31:01to Ethan.

00:31:02How's your wrist

00:31:02from basketball

00:31:03this afternoon?

00:31:04Does the sprain

00:31:05still hurt?

00:31:06It's okay.

00:31:07Shoot.

00:31:07It aches a little

00:31:08when I shoot.

00:31:09I'll take you

00:31:10to a sports therapist

00:31:10tomorrow.

00:31:11My words died

00:31:12in midair.

00:31:14I finished dinner

00:31:15quietly

00:31:15and went to

00:31:16wash the dishes.

00:31:17I turned the faucet

00:31:19on high.

00:31:21From the living room

00:31:22came the sound

00:31:23of Chloe practicing

00:31:24ballet basics,

00:31:25her toes landing

00:31:26against the floor

00:31:26one by one.

00:31:28Mom counted beats

00:31:28beside her.

00:31:29Ethan was playing

00:31:30Xbox in his room,

00:31:31shouting every few minutes.

00:31:33Dad was on the couch

00:31:34with his iPad.

00:31:35Everyone in this house

00:31:36had something

00:31:37of their own.

00:31:38Everyone had someone

00:31:39answering them.

00:31:41Except me.

00:31:44I stood in the kitchen,

00:31:45washing platelets

00:31:46and cups

00:31:47for five people.

00:31:49The water was loud.

00:31:50Loud enough

00:31:51that even if I cried,

00:31:52no one would hear.

00:31:54After the dishes,

00:31:55I went back to my room

00:31:56and shut the door.

00:31:57My phone lit up.

00:31:58It was a message

00:31:59in the class group chat.

00:32:00It was the only

00:32:01happy birthday

00:32:01I had received all day

00:32:02from a classmate

00:32:03I had known

00:32:04for less than a year.

00:32:05I replied,

00:32:06thank you.

00:32:06Then I opened

00:32:07my photo album

00:32:08and kept scrolling back.

00:32:09After I turned six,

00:32:11Mom's camera

00:32:11had almost completely

00:32:12turned toward them.

00:32:13Most of the photos

00:32:14were of them.

00:32:15I scrolled for a long time

00:32:17before I finally found one.

00:32:18It was from when I was nine

00:32:19and had entered

00:32:20the school speech contest.

00:32:22Mom had taken it

00:32:23from the audience.

00:32:24The photo was blurry.

00:32:26Only half my body

00:32:27was in it

00:32:27because the other half

00:32:28of the frame

00:32:29was Chloe

00:32:30in the front row,

00:32:31turning back toward

00:32:32the camera

00:32:32with a bright smile.

00:32:34I stood offstage

00:32:35in front of the microphone,

00:32:37my face barely visible.

00:32:39The phone screen dimmed

00:32:40and my face appeared

00:32:42in the black reflection.

00:32:44Eighteen-year-old

00:32:45Mallory Hayes

00:32:46had spent the whole morning

00:32:47putting on makeup,

00:32:48waited all day,

00:32:49and still hadn't gotten

00:32:50a single happy birthday.

00:32:52Mom's voice came

00:32:53from outside the door.

00:32:55Mallory,

00:32:56wake your sister

00:32:57at seven tomorrow morning.

00:32:59She has training

00:33:00at eight-thirty.

00:33:08Chloe had woken up

00:33:09on her own.

00:33:10She stood in my doorway

00:33:11in a pink leotard,

00:33:12her hair half-tied.

00:33:14I checked my phone.

00:33:15Six-fifty-three.

00:33:17My alarm

00:33:17hadn't even gone off.

00:33:19You got up by yourself?

00:33:21Yeah.

00:33:22I set an alarm.

00:33:23Mom told you to wake me,

00:33:25but I was afraid

00:33:26you didn't sleep well

00:33:27last night.

00:33:28She said it so casually,

00:33:30but the words still stung.

00:33:31She knew I hadn't slept

00:33:32well last night.

00:33:34I'll help you tie your hair.

00:33:36No, it's fine.

00:33:38I can do it.

00:33:41She turned and left.

00:33:44Chloe had always been

00:33:45like that with me.

00:33:46She wasn't cruel.

00:33:48She just wasn't close.

00:33:51She called me sis,

00:33:52but the word carried

00:33:53no weight.

00:33:55The twins had their own rhythm,

00:33:56and I had never been able

00:33:58to enter it.

00:33:59At breakfast,

00:34:00Mom was warming milk

00:34:01for Chloe.

00:34:02Ethan wasn't up yet.

00:34:04Mally, have you eaten?

00:34:06I have.

00:34:07I hadn't.

00:34:09She didn't even check

00:34:10whether there was a bowl

00:34:11I'd used on the table.

00:34:12She just nodded.

00:34:14Chloe, did you pack

00:34:15your water bottle?

00:34:16It's hot today.

00:34:17Drink more water.

00:34:18I did.

00:34:20Mally, drive your sister there.

00:34:22She still doesn't know

00:34:23the stops near the training center.

00:34:24Chloe had been going

00:34:26to that training center

00:34:27for two years.

00:34:28Mom still said

00:34:29she didn't know the way.

00:34:31Okay.

00:34:33As we were leaving,

00:34:34Ethan finally got up

00:34:35and called from his doorway.

00:34:37Mom, what's for breakfast?

00:34:40I left you a bagel

00:34:41and yogurt on the table.

00:34:43A bagel and yogurt?

00:34:44Ethan's regular breakfast.

00:34:47No one had ever asked

00:34:48what I wanted in the morning.

00:34:50On the way to the training center,

00:34:52Chloe sat in the passenger seat

00:34:54scrolling through her phone.

00:34:56She wasn't trying to be cold.

00:34:58It just never occurred to her

00:35:00to talk to me.

00:35:03Sis?

00:35:04When she suddenly spoke,

00:35:06my palm tightened on the wheel.

00:35:09What?

00:35:10That message you sent

00:35:12in the group chat yesterday?

00:35:13Ethan told you to delete it?

00:35:16Yeah.

00:35:17Did you?

00:35:20No.

00:35:22She nodded,

00:35:23then lowered her head

00:35:24to look at her phone again.

00:35:25I waited for a long time,

00:35:27waiting for her to say,

00:35:28happy birthday.

00:35:29She didn't.

00:35:31When we reached

00:35:32the training center,

00:35:33she unbuckled her seat belt.

00:35:34Sis, I'm here.

00:35:36Yeah.

00:35:37Train hard.

00:35:38Can you pick me up

00:35:39this afternoon?

00:35:40I finish at five.

00:35:41I have a study group

00:35:42this afternoon.

00:35:43That was a lie.

00:35:44I had nothing this afternoon.

00:35:46I just didn't want to go.

00:35:47Then I'll ask mom

00:35:48to pick me up.

00:35:49Okay.

00:35:51At 4.50 that afternoon,

00:35:53mom sent a message

00:35:54in the family group chat.

00:35:56Chloe finishes training

00:35:57at five.

00:35:57Who can pick her up?

00:35:59I'm in a meeting.

00:35:59I'm at a friend's house.

00:36:01Mallory,

00:36:01aren't you free this afternoon?

00:36:03I looked at that message.

00:36:05She started with

00:36:06who can pick her up,

00:36:07but in the end

00:36:07it still landed on me.

00:36:08It's on your way anyway, right?

00:36:10Just go pick her up.

00:36:11It wasn't on my way at all,

00:36:12but in this family,

00:36:13my road was always on the way.

00:36:15My time was always free.

00:36:16I typed okay and sent it.

00:36:19Then I turned my phone

00:36:20face down on the desk.

00:36:23Suddenly,

00:36:24I wondered

00:36:26what would happen

00:36:27if one day

00:36:28I didn't reply with okay?

00:36:30If I turned off my phone,

00:36:32canceled my number,

00:36:33and disappeared too,

00:36:34would they first panic

00:36:36because no one

00:36:37could pick up Chloe,

00:36:37or would they think of me first?

00:36:39I knew the answer.

00:36:41When I picked Chloe up,

00:36:42her face was flushed from training,

00:36:44and her hair was damp.

00:36:46Sis, I'm thirsty.

00:36:47Where's your water bottle?

00:36:49Finished it.

00:36:50I handed her the spare bottle

00:36:51of water in the car.

00:36:52Thanks, sis.

00:36:53Mmm.

00:36:54On the way home,

00:36:55she soon fell asleep

00:36:56against the window.

00:36:57I adjusted the air conditionings

00:36:58so the car wouldn't be so cold.

00:37:00She was the little princess

00:37:01everyone in the family

00:37:02revolved around,

00:37:03and most of the roads

00:37:03I had driven through this city

00:37:05had been for someone else,

00:37:06but not for much longer.

00:37:08Not long after,

00:37:09the school college counselor

00:37:11called me into her office.

00:37:12Mallory Hayes,

00:37:13I saw your awards record.

00:37:15Honorable Ments

00:37:16in the National Math Olympias.

00:37:17That's impressive.

00:37:18Awards like that

00:37:19carry real weight.

00:37:20Which schools are you considering

00:37:21for early applications?

00:37:22I'm still looking.

00:37:23What do your parents think?

00:37:25I haven't told them yet.

00:37:27Something this important,

00:37:28and you're not discussing it

00:37:29with your family first?

00:37:31I want to look into it

00:37:32myself first.

00:37:33I knew that even if I told them,

00:37:34no one would take it seriously.

00:37:36On last month's mock examine,

00:37:37I ranked third

00:37:37in the entire grade.

00:37:38I took a photo of my report card

00:37:40and sent it to the family group chat.

00:37:41My third place ranking

00:37:42stayed in the chat

00:37:42for only a very short while.

00:37:43All it got from mom

00:37:44was one sentence.

00:37:45Not bad.

00:37:46The next message

00:37:46was a video mom sent

00:37:47of Chloe dancing.

00:37:48That afternoon,

00:37:49when I got home,

00:37:50I found a dusty letter

00:37:51among a pile of bills

00:37:52and flyers on the coffee table.

00:37:54It said,

00:37:55Congratulations,

00:37:56Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

00:37:57Your daughter,

00:37:58Mallory Hayes,

00:37:58has received an honorable mention

00:38:00in the National High School

00:38:01Mathematics Olympiad.

00:38:02Two months had passed.

00:38:03The envelope hadn't even been opened.

00:38:05It was tucked between bills

00:38:06and pizza courons.

00:38:07Completely forgotten.

00:38:09At dinner,

00:38:09mom answered a FaceTime call

00:38:11from my aunt.

00:38:12My aunt asked about

00:38:12Ethan's swim meet.

00:38:13Mom said he had taken

00:38:14second place in the district,

00:38:16pride filling her voice.

00:38:17My aunt asked about

00:38:18Chloe's dance competition.

00:38:19Mom said she had won gold

00:38:21at regionals,

00:38:21and the judges had praised

00:38:23how steady she was off dyes.

00:38:25How's Mallory?

00:38:25She's applying to college soon too,

00:38:27right?

00:38:29She's doing fine.

00:38:31Third in my grade,

00:38:32a National Math Olympiac award.

00:38:34In mom's mouth,

00:38:35all of it became doing fine.

00:38:36I sat at the dining table,

00:38:38still holding the award letter

00:38:39that had been forgotten

00:38:39for two months.

00:38:40No one asked how I had been lately.

00:38:42No one turned to me and said,

00:38:44Mallory, what about you?

00:38:45I went back to my room,

00:38:46opened my laptop,

00:38:47and started looking up colleges

00:38:48that would actually care

00:38:49about competition backgrounds.

00:38:50In the end,

00:38:51I stopped at Carnegie Mellon.

00:38:53Hundreds of miles away from home,

00:38:54no one would remember me,

00:38:55only when they needed someone

00:38:56to pick up my sister.

00:38:57I opened the application page.

00:38:59My fingers hovered over the screen

00:39:01for three seconds

00:39:02before I finally closed it.

00:39:04I decided to try one more time.

00:39:06If they still couldn't see me this time,

00:39:08I would leave.

00:39:10Completely.

00:39:13Mallory,

00:39:14Ashley is coming to stay with us

00:39:16for a while.

00:39:18Give her your room

00:39:19and share with Chloe for now.

00:39:21Saturday morning,

00:39:22mom said it casually

00:39:23while changing shoes by the door.

00:39:25I was sitting at the dining table

00:39:26eating cereal.

00:39:27My spoon stopped in midair.

00:39:32Why my room?

00:39:34Your room gets the best natural light.

00:39:36Ashley hasn't been feeling well lately,

00:39:37and the doctor said

00:39:38more sunlight would be good for her.

00:39:40Ethan's room has a window too.

00:39:42Your brother is a boy.

00:39:43Ashley is a girl.

00:39:43How could they share a room?

00:39:45Then let her stay with Chloe.

00:39:46Chloe needs space to stretch at night.

00:39:48Your room only has a bed and a desk.

00:39:50It's easy to clear out.

00:39:51How long is she staying?

00:39:52About half a month.

00:39:53Her summer program is over here.

00:39:54Okay.

00:39:54I didn't argue anymore.

00:39:55Experience had taught me

00:39:57a long time ago

00:39:57that arguing was useless.

00:39:59That afternoon,

00:40:00Ashley came in

00:40:01dragging two large suitcases,

00:40:03smiling sweetly.

00:40:06Auntie, uncle.

00:40:08You're here!

00:40:09Come in!

00:40:10Mom was so warm

00:40:12as if an important guest had arrived.

00:40:14Ashley pushed her suitcases

00:40:16into my room

00:40:17and looked around

00:40:17from the doorway.

00:40:18Auntie,

00:40:20can this bookshelf be moved out?

00:40:21I want to put a vanity mirror here.

00:40:24Of course.

00:40:25Mallory,

00:40:26move the bookshelf out.

00:40:28On my bookshelf

00:40:29were three years of notebooks,

00:40:30reference books,

00:40:31and a few certificates.

00:40:33It took me an hour

00:40:34to move everything

00:40:34into a corner of Chloe's room.

00:40:37That night,

00:40:37I laid a mattress

00:40:38on the floor of Chloe's room.

00:40:41Sis,

00:40:42why don't you sleep on the bed?

00:40:43I'll sleep on the floor.

00:40:45No,

00:40:46the floor is fine.

00:40:48Ashley is actually okay.

00:40:50Don't be upset.

00:40:52Ashley was never

00:40:53what upset me.

00:40:55What hurt

00:40:56was that in this house,

00:40:57I was always the one

00:40:58expected to give way.

00:41:01On the third day,

00:41:02I went back to my room

00:41:03to get review materials

00:41:04and opened the door

00:41:05to find Ashley

00:41:06flipping through

00:41:06my math competition notes.

00:41:08These are yours?

00:41:09Your handwriting is so neat.

00:41:11Yeah.

00:41:12Please put them back.

00:41:13I was just looking.

00:41:14You're way too protective

00:41:15of this stuff.

00:41:16She casually put the notebook

00:41:17back on the desk.

00:41:18I glanced over

00:41:19and suddenly realized

00:41:20one was missing.

00:41:21There was a blue one

00:41:22on the desk.

00:41:22Where is it?

00:41:23I didn't touch it.

00:41:24I didn't see it.

00:41:25I searched for ten minutes

00:41:26and finally found it

00:41:27in the trash can.

00:41:28Half the cover

00:41:29had been torn off

00:41:30and several pages inside

00:41:31were soaked with coffee.

00:41:33The writing blurred

00:41:33into smears.

00:41:34It was the problem-solving notebook

00:41:35I had been organizing

00:41:36since freshman year.

00:41:38Three years.

00:41:38I only had that one copy.

00:41:40Ashley, this?

00:41:41Oh, maybe I knocked it over

00:41:43when I was carrying coffee.

00:41:44Just write another one.

00:41:44I stood in the doorway

00:41:45holding the drenched notebook,

00:41:47my hands shaking.

00:41:51I took the notebook

00:41:52back to Chloe's room

00:41:53and dried it page by page

00:41:55with a hair broyer.

00:41:58Where the writing was blurred,

00:42:00I slowly filled it back in

00:42:01with a pencil.

00:42:04I worked until one in the morning.

00:42:06The next morning,

00:42:07Ashley sat in my old seat,

00:42:09chatting happily with Mom.

00:42:10No one asked why the circles

00:42:11under my eyes were so dark

00:42:13or what had happened last night.

00:42:14And I no longer needed to wait

00:42:16for that one last time.

00:42:18From that day on,

00:42:19I began preparing to leave.

00:42:21Until the day I received

00:42:22my acceptance letter,

00:42:23I knew the time had come

00:42:24to leave this house.

00:42:25I packed my suitcase

00:42:26and bought a Greyhouse ticket

00:42:27for the early dawn departure

00:42:29the next day.

00:42:29The destination was Pittsburgh.

00:42:31Then I walked to the door

00:42:32and placed my house key

00:42:33on the small entryway table.

00:42:35I left the group chat

00:42:36and deactivated

00:42:37my old phone number.

00:42:39The screen went dark.

00:42:40The whole world suddenly

00:42:42became much quieter.

00:42:44I pulled my suitcase,

00:42:46opened the door,

00:42:47and closed it softly behind me.

00:43:01This family celebrates

00:43:03everyone's birthday.

00:43:05Everyone's but mine.

00:43:06Because my parents

00:43:07only love my twin siblings,

00:43:08Ethan and Chloe.

00:43:10They don't love me.

00:43:11When Ethan wants

00:43:12a birthday party,

00:43:13my parents book a private room

00:43:15at his favorite steakhouse

00:43:16a month in advance.

00:43:18When it's Chloe's turn

00:43:19and she wants to go to Six Flags,

00:43:21the whole family goes.

00:43:22Mom even posts nine photos

00:43:24on Instagram.

00:43:25But on my birthday,

00:43:26this house always treats it

00:43:28like any other day.

00:43:29I thought turning 18

00:43:30would be different.

00:43:31That morning,

00:43:32I got up early on purpose,

00:43:34put on light makeup,

00:43:35and sat on the living room

00:43:37couch to wait.

00:43:38Mom walked past me

00:43:39on her way out,

00:43:40carrying Chloe's dance bag.

00:43:42Heat up your own lunch.

00:43:44I'm taking Chloe

00:43:45to her intensive class.

00:43:47Dad was watering tomatoes

00:43:48in the backyard.

00:43:50Ethan called him

00:43:51to go play basketball

00:43:52at the park,

00:43:53and the two of them

00:43:54left soon after.

00:43:55At noon,

00:43:56I was the only one

00:43:57left in the house.

00:43:58I sent a message

00:44:00in the family group chat.

00:44:01I'm 18 today.

00:44:03No one replied.

00:44:05At seven that night,

00:44:06everybody came home.

00:44:07No one sang.

00:44:08No one felt like

00:44:09anything was missing.

00:44:11I was 18 now.

00:44:13At last,

00:44:14I could decide for myself

00:44:15where I wanted to go.

00:44:17Mallory,

00:44:17delete that message

00:44:18from the group chat.

00:44:20I almost missed

00:44:21Grandpa's voice message.

00:44:23Ethan didn't even look up.

00:44:25He tapped the edge

00:44:26of his plate,

00:44:27lightly with his dinner knife,

00:44:29signaling Mom

00:44:30to give him more ribs.

00:44:33I looked down

00:44:34at my phone.

00:44:35The message

00:44:35in the family chat,

00:44:37I'm 18 today,

00:44:38was still sitting there.

00:44:39No one had replied.

00:44:42Mom came over

00:44:43with a plate

00:44:43of garlic bread

00:44:44and set it

00:44:45in the middle

00:44:45of the table.

00:44:48All right.

00:44:49No phones at dinner.

00:44:53I looked at the food

00:44:53on the table.

00:44:54Ethan liked ribs.

00:44:56Chloe liked mac and cheese.

00:44:58Mom had made

00:44:58the salad for herself.

00:45:00Not a single dish

00:45:01was for me.

00:45:02I liked seafood.

00:45:04Grilled salmon

00:45:05was my favorite.

00:45:06I had said it

00:45:07so many times.

00:45:09No one in this family

00:45:10remembered.

00:45:12Dad,

00:45:13today...

00:45:14Dad set down

00:45:15his iced tea

00:45:16and glanced at me.

00:45:18The next second,

00:45:19he turned back

00:45:20to Ethan.

00:45:21How's your wrist

00:45:21from basketball

00:45:22this afternoon?

00:45:23Does the sprain

00:45:24still hurt?

00:45:25It's okay.

00:45:26Shoot.

00:45:27It aches a little

00:45:27when I shoot.

00:45:28I'll take you

00:45:29to a sports therapist

00:45:29tomorrow.

00:45:30My words died

00:45:31in midair.

00:45:33I finished dinner

00:45:34quietly

00:45:34and went to

00:45:35wash the dishes.

00:45:36I turned the faucet

00:45:38on high.

00:45:40From the living room

00:45:41came the sound

00:45:42of Chloe

00:45:42practicing ballet basics,

00:45:44her toes landing

00:45:45against the floor

00:45:45one by one.

00:45:46Mom counted beats

00:45:47beside her.

00:45:48Ethan was playing

00:45:49Xbox in his room,

00:45:50shouting every few minutes.

00:45:52Dad was on the couch

00:45:53with his iPad.

00:45:54Everyone in this house

00:45:55had something of their own.

00:45:57Everyone had someone

00:45:58answering them.

00:46:00Except me.

00:46:03I stood in the kitchen,

00:46:04washing platelets

00:46:05and cups

00:46:06for five people.

00:46:08The water was loud.

00:46:09Loud enough

00:46:10that even if I cried,

00:46:12no one would hear.

00:46:13After the dishes,

00:46:14I went back to my room

00:46:15and shut the door.

00:46:16My phone lit up.

00:46:17It was a message

00:46:18in the class group chat.

00:46:19It was the only happy birthday

00:46:20I had received all day

00:46:21from a classmate

00:46:22I had known

00:46:23for less than a year.

00:46:24I replied,

00:46:25thank you.

00:46:26Then I opened my photo album

00:46:27and kept scrolling back.

00:46:28After I turned six,

00:46:30Mom's camera

00:46:30had almost completely

00:46:31turned toward them.

00:46:32Most of the photos

00:46:33were of them.

00:46:34I scrolled for a long time

00:46:36before I finally found one.

00:46:37It was from when I was nine

00:46:38and had entered

00:46:39the school speech contest.

00:46:40Mom had taken it

00:46:42from the audience.

00:46:43The photo was blurry.

00:46:45Only half my body was in it

00:46:46because the other half

00:46:47of the frame

00:46:48was Chloe in the front row,

00:46:50turning back toward the camera

00:46:51with a bright smile.

00:46:53I stood off stage

00:46:54in front of the microphone,

00:46:56my face barely visible.

00:46:58The phone screen dimmed

00:46:59and my face appeared

00:47:01in the black reflection.

00:47:03Eighteen-year-old Mallory Hayes

00:47:05had spent the whole morning

00:47:06putting on makeup,

00:47:07waited all day,

00:47:08and still hadn't gotten

00:47:09a single happy birthday.

00:47:10Mom's voice came

00:47:12from outside the door.

00:47:14Mallory,

00:47:15wake your sister

00:47:16at seven tomorrow morning.

00:47:18She has training

00:47:19at eight-thirty.

00:47:22Okay.

00:47:25Hey, sis.

00:47:26It's seven.

00:47:27Chloe had woken up

00:47:28on her own.

00:47:29She stood in my doorway

00:47:30in a pink leotard,

00:47:32her hair half-tied.

00:47:33I checked my phone.

00:47:35Six-fifty-three.

00:47:36My alarm hadn't even gone off.

00:47:38You got up by yourself?

00:47:40Yeah.

00:47:41I set an alarm.

00:47:43Mom told you to wake me,

00:47:44but I was afraid

00:47:45you didn't sleep well

00:47:46last night.

00:47:47She said it so casually,

00:47:49but the words still stung.

00:47:50She knew I hadn't slept

00:47:51well last night.

00:47:53I'll help you tie your hair.

00:47:55No.

00:47:56It's fine.

00:47:57I can do it.

00:48:00She turned and left.

00:48:03Chloe had always been

00:48:04like that with me.

00:48:05She wasn't cruel.

00:48:07She just wasn't close.

00:48:10She called me sis,

00:48:11but the word carried no weight.

00:48:14The twins had their own rhythm,

00:48:16and I had never been able

00:48:17to enter it.

00:48:18At breakfast,

00:48:19Mom was warming milk for Chloe.

00:48:21Ethan wasn't up yet.

00:48:23Mallory, have you eaten?

00:48:25I have.

00:48:26I hadn't.

00:48:28She didn't even check

00:48:29whether there was a bowl

00:48:30I'd used on the table.

00:48:31She just nodded.

00:48:33Chloe, did you pack

00:48:34your water bottle?

00:48:35It's hot today.

00:48:36Drink more water.

00:48:37I did.

00:48:39Mallory, drive your sister there.

00:48:41She still doesn't know

00:48:42the stops near the training center.

00:48:44Chloe had been going

00:48:45to that training center

00:48:46for two years.

00:48:47Mom still said

00:48:48she didn't know the way.

00:48:50Okay.

00:48:52As we were leaving,

00:48:53Ethan finally got up

00:48:54and called from his doorway.

00:48:56Mom, what's for breakfast?

00:48:59I left you a bagel

00:49:00and yogurt on the table.

00:49:02A bagel and yogurt?

00:49:04Ethan's regular breakfast.

00:49:06No one had ever asked

00:49:07what I wanted in the morning.

00:49:09On the way to the training center,

00:49:11Chloe sat in the passenger seat

00:49:13scrolling through her phone.

00:49:15She wasn't trying to be cold.

00:49:17It just never occurred to her

00:49:19to talk to me.

00:49:22Sis?

00:49:24When she suddenly spoke,

00:49:25my palm tightened on the wheel.

00:49:28What?

00:49:29That message you sent

00:49:31in the group chat yesterday?

00:49:32Ethan told you to delete it?

00:49:35Yeah.

00:49:37Did you?

00:49:39No.

00:49:41She nodded,

00:49:42then lowered her head

00:49:43to look at her phone again.

00:49:44I waited for a long time,

00:49:45waiting for her to say

00:49:47happy birthday.

00:49:48She didn't.

00:49:50When we reached the training center,

00:49:52she unbuckled her seat belt.

00:49:54Sis, I'm here.

00:49:56Yeah.

00:49:56Train hard.

00:49:58Can you pick me up this afternoon?

00:49:59I finish at five.

00:50:00I have a study group this afternoon.

00:50:02That was a lie.

00:50:03I had nothing this afternoon.

00:50:05I just didn't want to go.

00:50:06Then I'll ask Mom to pick me up.

00:50:08Okay.

00:50:10At 4.50 that afternoon,

00:50:12Mom sent a message

00:50:13in the family group chat.

00:50:15Chloe finishes training at five.

00:50:16Who can pick her up?

00:50:18I'm in a meeting.

00:50:18I'm at a friend's house.

00:50:20Mallory, aren't you free this afternoon?

00:50:22I looked at that message.

00:50:24She started with,

00:50:25who can pick her up?

00:50:26But in the end,

00:50:26it still landed on me.

00:50:27It's on your way anyway, right?

00:50:29Just go pick her up.

00:50:30It wasn't on my way at all.

00:50:31But in this family,

00:50:32my road was always on the way.

00:50:34My time was always free.

00:50:36I typed okay and sent it.

00:50:38Then I turned my phone face down on the desk.

00:50:42Suddenly, I wondered,

00:50:45what would happen

00:50:46if one day I didn't reply with okay?

00:50:49If I turned off my phone,

00:50:51canceled my number,

00:50:52and disappeared too,

00:50:53would they first panic

00:50:55because no one could pick up Chloe?

00:50:57Or would they think of me first?

00:50:58I knew the answer.

00:51:00When I picked Chloe up,

00:51:01her face was flushed from training

00:51:03and her hair was damp.

00:51:04Sis, I'm thirsty.

00:51:06Where's your water bottle?

00:51:07Finished it.

00:51:09I handed her the spare bottle of water in the car.

00:51:11Thanks, sis.

00:51:13On the way home,

00:51:14she soon fell asleep against the window.

00:51:16I adjusted the air conditionings

00:51:17so the car wouldn't be so cold.

00:51:19She was the little princess

00:51:20everyone in the family revolved around.

00:51:22And most of the roads

00:51:22I had driven through this city

00:51:24had been for someone else,

00:51:25but not for much longer.

00:51:27Not long after,

00:51:28the school college counselor

00:51:30called me into her office.

00:51:31Mallory Hayes,

00:51:32I saw your awards record.

00:51:34Honorable Ments

00:51:35in the National Math Olympias.

00:51:36That's impressive.

00:51:37Awards like that carry real weight.

00:51:39Which schools are you considering

00:51:40for early applications?

00:51:42I'm still looking.

00:51:43What do your parents think?

00:51:44I haven't told them yet.

00:51:46Something this important

00:51:47and you're not discussing it

00:51:48with your family first?

00:51:50I want to look into it myself first.

00:51:52I knew that even if I told them,

00:51:53no one would take it seriously.

00:51:55On last month's mock exam

00:51:56I ranked third in the entire grade.

00:51:57I took a photo of my report card

00:51:59and sent it to the family group chat.

00:52:00My third place ranking stayed in the chat

00:52:01for only a very short while.

00:52:02All it got from mom

00:52:03was one sentence.

00:52:04Not bad.

00:52:05The next message

00:52:05was a video mom sent

00:52:07of Chloe dancing.

00:52:08That afternoon,

00:52:08when I got home,

00:52:09I found a dusty letter

00:52:10among a pile of bills and flyers

00:52:12on the coffee table.

00:52:13It said,

00:52:14Congratulations,

00:52:15Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

00:52:16Your daughter,

00:52:17Mallory Hayes,

00:52:17has received an honorable mention

00:52:19in the National High School

00:52:20Mathematics Olympiad.

00:52:21Two months had passed.

00:52:22The envelope hadn't even been opened.

00:52:24It was tucked between bills

00:52:25and pizza courons.

00:52:26Completely forgotten.

00:52:28At dinner,

00:52:28mom answered a FaceTime call

00:52:30from my aunt.

00:52:30My aunt asked about

00:52:31Ethan's swim meet.

00:52:32Mom said he had taken

00:52:33second place in the district,

00:52:35pride filling her voice.

00:52:36My aunt asked about

00:52:37Chloe's dance competition.

00:52:38Mom said she had won gold

00:52:40at regionals,

00:52:40and the judges had praised

00:52:42how steady she was off dyes.

00:52:44How's Mallory?

00:52:44She's applying to college

00:52:45soon too, right?

00:52:48She's doing fine.

00:52:50Third in my grade,

00:52:51a National Math Olympiac award.

00:52:53In mom's mouth,

00:52:54all of it became

00:52:54doing fine.

00:52:55I sat at the dining table,

00:52:57still holding the award letter

00:52:58that had been forgotten

00:52:58for two months.

00:52:59No one asked how

00:53:00I had been lately.

00:53:01No one turned to me and said,

00:53:03Mallory, what about you?

00:53:04I went back to my room,

00:53:05opened my laptop,

00:53:06and started looking up colleges

00:53:07that would actually care

00:53:08about competition backgrounds.

00:53:09In the end,

00:53:10I stopped at Carnegie Mellon.

00:53:12Hundreds of miles away from home,

00:53:13no one would remember me,

00:53:14only when they needed someone

00:53:15to pick up my sister.

00:53:16I opened the application page.

00:53:18My fingers hovered over the screen

00:53:20for three seconds

00:53:21before I finally closed it.

00:53:23I decided to try one more time.

00:53:25If they still couldn't see me this time,

00:53:27I would leave.

00:53:29Completely.

00:53:32Mallory,

00:53:33Ashley is coming to stay

00:53:34with us for a while.

00:53:37Give her your room

00:53:38and share with Chloe for now.

00:53:40Saturday morning,

00:53:41mom said it casually

00:53:42while changing shoes by the door.

00:53:44I was sitting at the dining table

00:53:45eating cereal.

00:53:46My spoon stopped in midair.

00:53:51Why my room?

00:53:52Your room gets the best natural light.

00:53:55Ashley hasn't been feeling well lately,

00:53:57and the doctor said

00:53:57more sunlight would be good for her.

00:53:59Ethan's room has a window, too.

00:54:01Your brother is a boy.

00:54:02Ashley is a girl.

00:54:02How could they share a room?

00:54:04Then let her stay with Chloe.

00:54:05Chloe needs space to stretch at night.

00:54:07Your room only has a bed and a desk.

00:54:09It's easy to clear out.

00:54:10How long is she staying?

00:54:11About half a month.

00:54:12Her summer program is over here.

00:54:13Okay.

00:54:13I didn't argue anymore.

00:54:15Experience had taught me

00:54:16a long time ago

00:54:16that arguing was useless.

00:54:18That afternoon,

00:54:19Ashley came in

00:54:20dragging two large suitcases,

00:54:22smiling sweetly.

00:54:25Auntie, uncle?

00:54:27You're here!

00:54:28Come in!

00:54:29Mom was so warm

00:54:31as if an important guest had arrived.

00:54:33Ashley pushed her suitcases

00:54:35into my room

00:54:36and looked around from the doorway.

00:54:38Auntie,

00:54:39can this bookshelf be moved out?

00:54:40I want to put a vanity mirror here.

00:54:43Of course.

00:54:44Mallory,

00:54:45move the bookshelf out.

00:54:47On my bookshelf

00:54:48were three years of notebooks,

00:54:49reference books,

00:54:50and a few certificates.

00:54:52It took me an hour

00:54:53to move everything

00:54:53into a corner of Chloe's room.

00:54:56That night,

00:54:56I laid a mattress

00:54:57on the floor of Chloe's room.

00:55:00Sis,

00:55:01why don't you sleep on the bed?

00:55:02I'll sleep on the floor.

00:55:04No,

00:55:05the floor is fine.

00:55:07Ashley is actually okay.

00:55:09Don't be upset.

00:55:11Ashley was never

00:55:12what upset me.

00:55:14What hurt

00:55:15was that in this house,

00:55:16I was always the one

00:55:18expected to give way.

00:55:20On the third day,

00:55:21I went back to my room

00:55:22to get review materials

00:55:23and opened the door

00:55:24to find Ashley

00:55:25flipping through

00:55:25my math competition notes.

00:55:27These are yours?

00:55:28Your handwriting is so neat.

00:55:30Yeah.

00:55:31Please put them back.

00:55:32I was just looking.

00:55:33You're way too protective

00:55:34of this stuff.

00:55:35She casually put the notebook

00:55:36back on the desk.

00:55:37I glanced over

00:55:38and suddenly realized

00:55:39one was missing.

00:55:40There was a blue one

00:55:41on the desk.

00:55:41Where is it?

00:55:42I didn't touch it.

00:55:43I didn't see it.

00:55:44I searched for ten minutes

00:55:45and finally found it

00:55:46in the trash can.

00:55:48Half the cover

00:55:48had been torn off

00:55:49and several pages inside

00:55:50were soaked with coffee.

00:55:52The writing blurred

00:55:52into smears.

00:55:53It was the problem-solving notebook

00:55:54I had been organizing

00:55:55since freshman year.

00:55:57Three years.

00:55:57I only had that one copy.

00:55:59Ashley,

00:56:00this?

00:56:00Oh, maybe I knocked it over

00:56:02when I was carrying coffee.

00:56:03Just write another one.

00:56:04I stood in the doorway

00:56:04holding the drenched notebook,

00:56:06my hands shaking.

00:56:10I took the notebook

00:56:11back to Chloe's room

00:56:12and dried it page by page

00:56:14with a hair broyer.

00:56:17Where the writing was blurred,

00:56:19I slowly filled it back in

00:56:20with a pencil.

00:56:23I worked until one in the morning.

00:56:25The next morning,

00:56:26Ashley sat in my old seat,

00:56:28chatting happily with Mom.

00:56:29No one asked why the circles

00:56:30under my eyes were so dark

00:56:32or what had happened last night.

00:56:33And I no longer needed to wait

00:56:35for that one last time.

00:56:37From that day on,

00:56:38I began preparing to leave

00:56:40until the day I received

00:56:41my acceptance letter.

00:56:42I knew the time had come

00:56:43to leave this house.

00:56:44I packed my suitcase

00:56:45and bought a Greyhouse ticket

00:56:46for the early dawn departure

00:56:48the next day.

00:56:48The destination was Pittsburgh.

00:56:50Then I walked to the door

00:56:51and placed my house key

00:56:52on the small entryway table.

00:56:54I left the group chat

00:56:55and deactivated

00:56:56my old phone number.

00:56:58The screen went dark.

00:56:59The whole world

00:57:00suddenly became much quieter.

00:57:03I pulled my suitcase,

00:57:05opened the door,

00:57:07and closed it softly behind me.

00:57:20This family celebrates

00:57:22everyone's birthday.

00:57:24Everyone's but mine.

00:57:25Because my parents

00:57:26only love my twin siblings,

00:57:27Ethan and Chloe.

00:57:29They don't love me.

00:57:30When Ethan wants

00:57:31a birthday party,

00:57:32my parents book

00:57:33a private room

00:57:34at his favorite steakhouse

00:57:35a month in advance.

00:57:37When it's Chloe's turn

00:57:38and she wants to go

00:57:39to Six Flags,

00:57:40the whole family goes.

00:57:41Mom even posts

00:57:42nine photos on Instagram.

00:57:43But on my birthday,

00:57:45this house always treats it

00:57:47like any other day.

00:57:48I thought turning 18

00:57:49would be different.

00:57:50That morning,

00:57:51I got up early on purpose,

00:57:53put on light makeup,

00:57:54and sat on the living room

00:57:56couch to wait.

00:57:57Mom walked past me

00:57:58on her way out,

00:58:00carrying Chloe's dance bag.

00:58:01Heat up your own lunch.

00:58:03I'm taking Chloe

00:58:04to her intensive class.

00:58:06Dad was watering tomatoes

00:58:07in the backyard.

00:58:09Ethan called him

00:58:10to go play basketball

00:58:11at the park,

00:58:12and the two of them

00:58:13left soon after.

00:58:15At noon,

00:58:15I was the only one

00:58:16left in the house.

00:58:18I sent a message

00:58:19in the family group chat.

00:58:20I'm 18 today.

00:58:22No one replied.

00:58:24At seven that night,

00:58:25everybody came home.

00:58:26No one sang.

00:58:27No one felt like

00:58:28anything was missing.

00:58:30I was 18 now.

00:58:32At last,

00:58:33I could decide for myself

00:58:34where I wanted to go.

00:58:36Mallory,

00:58:36delete that message

00:58:37from the group chat.

00:58:39I almost missed

00:58:40Grandpa's voice message.

00:58:42Ethan didn't even look up.

00:58:44He tapped the edge

00:58:45of his plate,

00:58:46lightly with his dinner knife,

00:58:48signaling Mom

00:58:49to give him more ribs.

00:58:52I looked down at my phone.

00:58:54The message in the family chat,

00:58:56I'm 18 today,

00:58:57was still sitting there.

00:58:58No one had replied.

00:59:01Mom came over

00:59:02with a plate of garlic bread

00:59:03and set it in the middle

00:59:04of the table.

00:59:07All right.

00:59:08No phones at dinner.

00:59:11I looked at the food

00:59:12on the table.

00:59:13Ethan liked ribs.

00:59:15Chloe liked mac and cheese.

00:59:17Mom had made the salad

00:59:18for herself.

00:59:19Not a single dish

00:59:20was for me.

00:59:21I liked seafood.

00:59:23Grilled salmon

00:59:24was my favorite.

00:59:25I had said it

00:59:26so many times.

00:59:28No one in this family

00:59:29remembered.

00:59:31Dad,

00:59:32today...

00:59:33Dad set down

00:59:34his iced tea

00:59:35and glanced at me.

00:59:37The next second,

00:59:38he turned back to Ethan.

00:59:40How's your wrist

00:59:40from basketball

00:59:41this afternoon?

00:59:42Does the sprain

00:59:43still hurt?

00:59:44It's okay.

00:59:45Shoot.

00:59:46It aches a little

00:59:46when I shoot.

00:59:47I'll take you

00:59:48to a sports therapist

00:59:48tomorrow.

00:59:49My words died

00:59:50in midair.

00:59:52I finished dinner quietly

00:59:53and went to wash

00:59:54the dishes.

00:59:55I turned the faucet

00:59:57on high.

00:59:59From the living room

01:00:00came the sound

01:00:01of Chloe practicing

01:00:02ballet basics,

01:00:03her toes landing

01:00:04against the floor

01:00:05one by one.

01:00:06Mom counted beats

01:00:06beside her.

01:00:08Ethan was playing

01:00:08Xbox in his room,

01:00:10shouting every few minutes.

01:00:11Dad was on the couch

01:00:12with his iPad.

01:00:13Everyone in this house

01:00:14had something

01:00:15of their own.

01:00:16Everyone had someone

01:00:17answering them except me.

01:00:22I stood in the kitchen

01:00:23washing platelets

01:00:24and cups for five people.

01:00:27The water was loud,

01:00:28loud enough that

01:00:29even if I cried,

01:00:31no one would hear.

01:00:32After the dishes,

01:00:33I went back to my room

01:00:34and shut the door.

01:00:35My phone lit up.

01:00:36It was a message

01:00:37in the class group chat.

01:00:38It was the only happy birthday

01:00:39I had received all day

01:00:40from a classmate I had known

01:00:42for less than a year.

01:00:43I replied, thank you.

01:00:44Then I opened my photo album

01:00:46and kept scrolling back.

01:00:47After I turned six,

01:00:49Mom's camera had almost

01:00:50completely turned toward them.

01:00:51Most of the photos

01:00:52were of them.

01:00:53I scrolled for a long time

01:00:55before I finally found one.

01:00:56It was from when I was nine

01:00:57and had entered

01:00:58the school speech contest.

01:01:00Mom had taken it

01:01:01from the audience.

01:01:02The photo was blurry.

01:01:04Only half my body

01:01:05was in it

01:01:05because the other half

01:01:06of the frame

01:01:07was Chloe in the front row,

01:01:09turning back toward the camera

01:01:10with a bright smile.

01:01:12I stood off stage

01:01:13in front of the microphone,

01:01:15my face barely visible.

01:01:17The phone screen dimmed

01:01:18and my face appeared

01:01:20in the black reflection.

01:01:22Eighteen-year-old Mallory Hayes

01:01:24had spent the whole morning

01:01:25putting on makeup,

01:01:26waited all day,

01:01:27and still hadn't gotten

01:01:28a single happy birthday.

01:01:30Mom's voice came

01:01:31from outside the door.

01:01:33Mallory,

01:01:34wake your sister at seven

01:01:36tomorrow morning.

01:01:37She has training at 8.30.

01:01:46Chloe had woken up on her own.

01:01:48She stood in my doorway

01:01:49in a pink leotard,

01:01:51her hair half-tied.

01:01:52I checked my phone.

01:01:536.53.

01:01:55My alarm hadn't even gone off.

01:01:57You got up by yourself?

01:01:59Yeah.

01:02:00I set an alarm.

01:02:02Mom told you to wake me,

01:02:03but I was afraid

01:02:04you didn't sleep well last night.

01:02:06She said it so casually,

01:02:08but the words still stung.

01:02:09She knew I hadn't slept well last night.

01:02:12I'll help you tie your hair.

01:02:14No, it's fine.

01:02:16I can do it.

01:02:19She turned and left.

01:02:22Chloe had always been

01:02:23like that with me.

01:02:24She wasn't cruel.

01:02:26She just wasn't close.

01:02:29She called me sis,

01:02:31but the word carried no weight.

01:02:33The twins had their own rhythm,

01:02:35and I had never been able

01:02:36to enter it.

01:02:37At breakfast,

01:02:38Mom was warming milk for Chloe.

01:02:40Ethan wasn't up yet.

01:02:43Mallory,

01:02:43have you eaten?

01:02:44I have.

01:02:45I hadn't.

01:02:47She didn't even check

01:02:48whether there was a bowl

01:02:49I'd used on the table.

01:02:50She just nodded.

01:02:52Chloe,

01:02:52did you pack your water bottle?

01:02:54It's hot today.

01:02:55Drink more water.

01:02:56I did.

01:02:58Mallory,

01:02:59drive your sister there.

01:03:00She still doesn't know

01:03:01the stops near the training center.

01:03:03Chloe had been going

01:03:04to that training center

01:03:05for two years.

01:03:06Mom still said

01:03:07she didn't know the way.

01:03:09Okay.

01:03:11As we were leaving,

01:03:12Ethan finally got up

01:03:13and called from his doorway.

01:03:15Mom,

01:03:16what's for breakfast?

01:03:18I left you a bagel

01:03:19and yogurt on the table.

01:03:21A bagel and yogurt?

01:03:23Ethan's regular breakfast.

01:03:25No one had ever asked

01:03:27what I wanted in the morning.

01:03:28On the way to the training center,

01:03:30Chloe sat in the passenger seat

01:03:32scrolling through her phone.

01:03:34She wasn't trying to be cold.

01:03:36It just never occurred to her

01:03:38to talk to me.

01:03:41Sis?

01:03:43When she suddenly spoke,

01:03:44my palm tightened on the wheel.

01:03:47What?

01:03:48That message you sent

01:03:50in the group chat yesterday?

01:03:51Ethan told you to delete it?

01:03:54Yeah.

01:03:56Did you?

01:03:58No.

01:04:00She nodded,

01:04:01then lowered her head

01:04:02to look at her phone again.

01:04:03I waited for a long time,

01:04:05waiting for her to say,

01:04:06happy birthday.

01:04:07She didn't.

01:04:09When we reached the training center,

01:04:11she unbuckled her seat belt.

01:04:13Sis, I'm here.

01:04:15Yeah.

01:04:15Train hard.

01:04:17Can you pick me up this afternoon?

01:04:18I finish at five.

01:04:19I have a study group this afternoon.

01:04:21That was a lie.

01:04:22I had nothing this afternoon.

01:04:24I just didn't want to go.

01:04:25Then I'll ask mom to pick me up.

01:04:27Okay.

01:04:29At 4.50 that afternoon,

01:04:31mom sent a message

01:04:32in the family group chat.

01:04:34Chloe finishes training at five.

01:04:35Who can pick her up?

01:04:37I'm in a meeting.

01:04:37I'm at a friend's house.

01:04:39Mallory,

01:04:40aren't you free this afternoon?

01:04:41I looked at that message.

01:04:43She started with,

01:04:44who can pick her up?

01:04:45But in the end,

01:04:45it still landed on me.

01:04:46It's on your way anyway, right?

01:04:48Just go pick her up.

01:04:49It wasn't on my way at all.

01:04:50But in this family,

01:04:51my road was always on the way.

01:04:53My time was always free.

01:04:55I typed okay and sent it.

01:04:57Then I turned my phone

01:04:58face down on the desk.

01:05:01Suddenly,

01:05:02I wondered,

01:05:04what would happen

01:05:05if one day

01:05:06I didn't reply with okay?

01:05:08If I turned off my phone,

01:05:10canceled my number,

01:05:11and disappeared too?

01:05:12Would they first panic

01:05:14because no one could pick up Chloe?

01:05:16Or would they think of me first?

01:05:17I knew the answer.

01:05:19When I picked Chloe up,

01:05:20her face was flushed from training

01:05:22and her hair was damp.

01:05:23Sis, I'm thirsty.

01:05:25Where's your water bottle?

01:05:27Finished it.

01:05:28I handed her the spare bottle

01:05:29of water in the car.

01:05:30Thanks, sis.

01:05:31Mm.

01:05:32On the way home,

01:05:33she soon fell asleep

01:05:34against the window.

01:05:35I adjusted the air conditionings

01:05:36so the car wouldn't be so cold.

01:05:38She was the little princess

01:05:39everyone in the family

01:05:40revolved around.

01:05:41And most of the roads

01:05:42I had driven through this city

01:05:43had been for someone else,

01:05:44but not for much longer.

01:05:46Not long after,

01:05:47the school college counselor

01:05:49called me into her office.

01:05:50Mallory Hayes,

01:05:51I saw your awards record.

01:05:53Honorable Ments

01:05:54in the National Math Olympias.

01:05:55That's impressive.

01:05:56Awards like that carry real weight.

01:05:58Which schools are you considering

01:05:59for early applications?

01:06:01I'm still looking.

01:06:02What do your parents think?

01:06:03I haven't told them yet.

01:06:05Something this important

01:06:06and you're not discussing it

01:06:07with your family first?

01:06:09I want to look into it myself first.

01:06:11I knew that even if I told them,

01:06:12no one would take it seriously.

01:06:14On last month's mock examine,

01:06:15I ranked third in the entire grade.

01:06:16I took a photo of my report card

01:06:18and sent it to the family group chat.

01:06:19My third place ranking

01:06:20stayed in the chat

01:06:20for only a very short while.

01:06:22All it got from mom

01:06:22was one sentence.

01:06:23Not bad.

01:06:24The next message

01:06:24was a video mom sent

01:06:26of Chloe dancing.

01:06:27That afternoon,

01:06:27when I got home,

01:06:28I found a dusty letter

01:06:29among a pile of bills and flyers

01:06:31on the coffee table.

01:06:32It said,

01:06:33Congratulations,

01:06:34Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

01:06:35Your daughter,

01:06:36Mallory Hayes,

01:06:36has received an honorable mention

01:06:38in the National High School

01:06:39Mathematics Olympiad.

01:06:40Two months had passed.

01:06:41The envelope hadn't even been opened.

01:06:43It was tucked between bills

01:06:44and pizza courons,

01:06:45completely forgotten.

01:06:47At dinner,

01:06:47mom answered a FaceTime call

01:06:49from my aunt.

01:06:49My aunt asked about

01:06:50Ethan's swim meet.

01:06:51Mom said he had taken

01:06:52second place in the district,

01:06:54pride filling her voice.

01:06:55My aunt asked about

01:06:56Chloe's dance competition.

01:06:58Mom said she had won gold

01:06:59at regionals,

01:06:59and the judges had praised

01:07:01how steady she was off dyes.

01:07:03How's Mallory?

01:07:04She's applying to college

01:07:04soon too, right?

01:07:07She's doing fine.

01:07:09Third in my grade,

01:07:10a National Math Olympiac Award.

01:07:12In mom's mouth,

01:07:13all of it became doing fine.

01:07:14I sat at the dining table,

01:07:16still holding the award letter

01:07:17that had been forgotten

01:07:17for two months.

01:07:19No one asked how I had been lately.

01:07:20No one turned to me and said,

01:07:22Mallory, what about you?

01:07:23I went back to my room,

01:07:24opened my laptop,

01:07:25and started looking up colleges

01:07:26that would actually care

01:07:27about competition backgrounds.

01:07:28In the end,

01:07:29I stopped at Carnegie Mellon.

01:07:31Hundreds of miles away from home,

01:07:32no one would remember me,

01:07:33only when they needed someone

01:07:34to pick up my sister.

01:07:35I opened the application page.

01:07:37My fingers hovered over the screen

01:07:39for three seconds

01:07:40before I finally closed it.

01:07:42I decided to try one more time.

01:07:44If they still couldn't see me this time,

01:07:46I would leave.

01:07:48Completely.

01:07:52Mallory,

01:07:52Ashley is coming to stay with us

01:07:54for a while.

01:07:56Give her your room

01:07:57and share with Chloe for now.

01:07:59Saturday morning,

01:08:00mom said it casually

01:08:01while changing shoes by the door.

01:08:03I was sitting at the dining table

01:08:04eating cereal.

01:08:05My spoon stopped in midair.

01:08:10Why my room?

01:08:12Your room gets the best natural light.

01:08:14Ashley hasn't been feeling well lately

01:08:16and the doctor said

01:08:16more sunlight would be good for her.

01:08:18Ethan's room has a window too.

01:08:20Your brother is a boy,

01:08:21Ashley is a girl.

01:08:21How could they share a room?

01:08:23Then let her stay with Chloe.

01:08:24Chloe needs space to stretch at night.

01:08:26Your room only has a bed and a desk.

01:08:28It's easy to clear out.

01:08:29How long is she staying?

01:08:30About half a month.

01:08:31Her summer program is over here.

01:08:32I didn't argue anymore.

01:08:34Experience had taught me

01:08:35a long time ago

01:08:35that arguing was useless.

01:08:37That afternoon,

01:08:38Ashley came in

01:08:39dragging two large suitcases,

01:08:41smiling sweetly.

01:08:44Auntie, uncle.

01:08:46You're here!

01:08:47Come in!

01:08:48Mom was so warm

01:08:50as if an important guest had arrived.

01:08:52Ashley pushed her suitcases

01:08:54into my room

01:08:55and looked around from the doorway.

01:08:57Auntie,

01:08:58can this bookshelf be moved out?

01:08:59I want to put a vanity mirror here.

01:09:02Of course.

01:09:03Mallory,

01:09:04move the bookshelf out.

01:09:06On my bookshelf

01:09:07were three years of notebooks,

01:09:08reference books,

01:09:09and a few certificates.

01:09:11It took me an hour

01:09:12to move everything

01:09:12into a corner of Chloe's room.

01:09:15That night,

01:09:15I laid a mattress

01:09:16on the floor of Chloe's room.

01:09:19Sis,

01:09:20why don't you sleep on the bed?

01:09:21I'll sleep on the floor.

01:09:23No,

01:09:24the floor is fine.

01:09:26Ashley is actually okay.

01:09:28Don't be upset.

01:09:30Ashley was never what upset me.

01:09:33What hurt

01:09:34was that in this house,

01:09:35I was always the one

01:09:37expected to give way.

01:09:39On the third day,

01:09:40I went back to my room

01:09:41to get review materials

01:09:42and opened the door

01:09:43to find Ashley

01:09:44flipping through

01:09:44my math competition notes.

01:09:46These are yours?

01:09:47Your handwriting is so neat.

01:09:49Yeah.

01:09:50Please put them back.

01:09:51I was just looking.

01:09:52You're way too protective

01:09:53of this stuff.

01:09:53She casually put the notebook

01:09:55back on the desk.

01:09:56I glanced over

01:09:57and suddenly realized

01:09:58one was missing.

01:09:59There was a blue one

01:10:00on the desk.

01:10:00Where is it?

01:10:01I didn't touch it.

01:10:02I didn't see it.

01:10:03I searched for 10 minutes

01:10:04and finally found it

01:10:05in the trash can.

01:10:07Half the cover

01:10:07had been torn off

01:10:08and several pages inside

01:10:09were soaked with coffee.

01:10:11The writing blurred

01:10:11into smears.

01:10:12It was the problem-solving notebook

01:10:14I had been organizing

01:10:14since freshman year.

01:10:16Three years.

01:10:16I only had that one copy.

01:10:18Ashley,

01:10:19this?

01:10:20Oh,

01:10:20maybe I knocked it over

01:10:21when I was carrying coffee.

01:10:22Just write another one.

01:10:22I stood in the doorway

01:10:23holding the drenched notebook,

01:10:25my hands shaking.

01:10:29I took the notebook

01:10:30back to Chloe's room

01:10:31and dried it page by page

01:10:33with a hair broyer.

01:10:36Where the writing was blurred,

01:10:38I slowly filled it back in

01:10:39with a pencil.

01:10:42I worked until

01:10:43one in the morning.

01:10:44The next morning,

01:10:45Ashley sat in my old seat,

01:10:47chatting happily with Mom.

01:10:48No one asked why

01:10:49the circles under my eyes

01:10:50were so dark

01:10:51or what had happened

01:10:52last night.

01:10:52And I no longer needed

01:10:54to wait for that

01:10:54one last time.

01:10:56From that day on,

01:10:57I began preparing to leave

01:10:59until the day I received

01:11:00my acceptance letter.

01:11:01I knew the time had come

01:11:02to leave this house.

01:11:03I packed my suitcase

01:11:04and bought a Greyhouse ticket

01:11:05for the early dawn departure

01:11:07the next day.

01:11:08The destination was Pittsburgh.

01:11:09Then I walked to the door

01:11:10and placed my house key

01:11:11on the small entryway table.

01:11:13I left the group chat

01:11:14and deactivated

01:11:15my old phone number.

01:11:17The screen went dark.

01:11:18The whole world suddenly

01:11:20became much quieter.

01:11:22I pulled my suitcase,

01:11:24opened the door,

01:11:25and closed it softly

01:11:27behind me.

01:11:39This family celebrates

01:11:41everyone's birthday.

01:11:43Everyone's but mine.

01:11:44Because my parents only love

01:11:45my twin siblings,

01:11:46Ethan and Chloe.

01:11:48They don't love me.

01:11:49When Ethan wants

01:11:50a birthday party,

01:11:51my parents book

01:11:52a private room

01:11:53at his favorite steakhouse

01:11:54a month in advance.

01:11:56When it's Chloe's turn

01:11:57and she wants to go

01:11:58to Six Flags,

01:11:59the whole family goes.

01:12:00Mom even posts

01:12:01nine photos on Instagram.

01:12:03But on my birthday,

01:12:04this house always treats it

01:12:06like any other day.

01:12:07I thought turning 18

01:12:08would be different.

01:12:09That morning,

01:12:10I got up early on purpose,

01:12:12put on light makeup,

01:12:13and sat on the living room

01:12:15couch to wait.

01:12:16Mom walked past me

01:12:18on her way out.

01:12:19Carrying Chloe's dance bag.

01:12:20Heat up your own lunch.

01:12:22I'm taking Chloe

01:12:23to her intensive class.

01:12:25Dad was watering tomatoes

01:12:27in the backyard.

01:12:28Ethan called him

01:12:29to go play basketball

01:12:30at the park,

01:12:31and the two of them

01:12:32left soon after.

01:12:34At noon,

01:12:34I was the only one

01:12:35left in the house.

01:12:37I sent a message

01:12:38in the family group chat.

01:12:39I'm 18 today.

01:12:41No one replied.

01:12:43At seven that night,

01:12:44everybody came home.

01:12:45No one sang.

01:12:46No one felt like

01:12:47anything was missing.

01:12:49I was 18 now.

01:12:51At last,

01:12:52I could decide for myself

01:12:53where I wanted to go.

01:12:55Mallory,

01:12:55delete that message

01:12:56from the group chat.

01:12:58I almost missed

01:12:59Grandpa's voice message.

01:13:01Ethan didn't even look up.

01:13:03He tapped the edge

01:13:04of his plate,

01:13:05lightly with his dinner knife,

01:13:07signaling Mom

01:13:08to give him more ribs.

01:13:11I looked down at my phone.

01:13:13The message in the family chat,

01:13:15I'm 18 today,

01:13:16was still sitting there.

01:13:17No one had replied.

01:13:20Mom came over

01:13:21with a plate of garlic bread

01:13:22and set it in the middle

01:13:23of the table.

01:13:26All right.

01:13:27No phones at dinner.

01:13:30I looked at the food

01:13:31on the table.

01:13:32Ethan liked ribs.

01:13:34Chloe liked mac and cheese.

01:13:36Mom had made the salad

01:13:37for herself.

01:13:38Not a single dish

01:13:39was for me.

01:13:40I liked seafood.

01:13:42Grilled salmon

01:13:43was my favorite.

01:13:44I had said it

01:13:45so many times.

01:13:47No one in this family

01:13:48remembered.

01:13:50Dad,

01:13:51today...

01:13:52Dad set down

01:13:53his iced tea

01:13:54and glanced at me.

01:13:56The next second,

01:13:57he turned back

01:13:58to Ethan.

01:13:59How's your wrist

01:14:00from basketball

01:14:00this afternoon?

01:14:01Does the sprain

01:14:02still hurt?

01:14:03It's okay.

01:14:04Shoot.

01:14:05It aches a little

01:14:05when I shoot.

01:14:06I'll take you

01:14:07to a sports therapist

01:14:07tomorrow.

01:14:08My words died

01:14:09in midair.

01:14:11I finished dinner quietly

01:14:13and went to wash

01:14:13the dishes.

01:14:14I turned the faucet

01:14:16on high.

01:14:18From the living room

01:14:19came the sound

01:14:20of Chloe practicing

01:14:21ballet basics,

01:14:22her toes landing

01:14:23against the floor

01:14:24one by one.

01:14:25Mom counted beats

01:14:26beside her.

01:14:26Ethan was playing

01:14:27Xbox in his room,

01:14:28shouting every few minutes.

01:14:30Dad was on the couch

01:14:31with his iPad.

01:14:32Everyone in this house

01:14:33had something of their own.

01:14:35Everyone had someone

01:14:36answering them.

01:14:38Except me.

01:14:41I stood in the kitchen,

01:14:42washing platelets

01:14:43and cups

01:14:44for five people.

01:14:46The water was loud.

01:14:47Loud enough

01:14:48that even if I cried,

01:14:50no one would hear.

01:14:51After the dishes,

01:14:52I went back to my room

01:14:53and shut the door.

01:14:54My phone lit up.

01:14:55It was a message

01:14:56in the class group chat.

01:14:57It was the only happy birthday

01:14:58I had received all day

01:14:59from a classmate

01:15:00I had known

01:15:01for less than a year.

01:15:02I replied,

01:15:03thank you.

01:15:04Then I opened my photo album

01:15:05and kept scrolling back.

01:15:06After I turned six,

01:15:08Mom's camera had almost

01:15:09completely turned toward them.

01:15:10Most of the photos

01:15:11were of them.

01:15:12I scrolled for a long time

01:15:14before I finally found one.

01:15:15It was from when I was nine

01:15:17and had entered

01:15:17the school speech contest.

01:15:19Mom had taken it

01:15:20from the audience.

01:15:21The photo was blurry.

01:15:23Only half my body

01:15:24was in it

01:15:24because the other half

01:15:25of the frame

01:15:26was Chloe in the front row,

01:15:28turning back toward the camera

01:15:29with a bright smile.

01:15:31I stood off stage

01:15:32in front of the microphone,

01:15:34my face barely visible.

01:15:36The phone screen dimmed

01:15:38and my face appeared

01:15:39in the black reflection.

01:15:41Eighteen-year-old Mallory Hayes

01:15:43had spent the whole morning

01:15:44putting on makeup,

01:15:45waited all day,

01:15:46and still hadn't gotten

01:15:47a single happy birthday.

01:15:49Mom's voice came

01:15:50from outside the door.

01:15:53Mallory,

01:15:53wake your sister

01:15:54at seven tomorrow morning.

01:15:57She has training

01:15:58at 8.30.

01:16:00Okay.

01:16:03Hey, sis.

01:16:04It's seven.

01:16:05Chloe had woken up

01:16:06on her own.

01:16:07She stood in my doorway

01:16:08in a pink leotard,

01:16:10her hair half-tied.

01:16:11I checked my phone.

01:16:136.53.

01:16:14My alarm hadn't even gone off.

01:16:16You got up by yourself?

01:16:18Yeah.

01:16:19I set an alarm.

01:16:21Mom told you to wake me,

01:16:22but I was afraid

01:16:23you didn't sleep well

01:16:24last night.

01:16:25She said it so casually,

01:16:27but the words still stung.

01:16:28She knew I hadn't slept

01:16:29well last night.

01:16:31I'll help you tie your hair.

01:16:33No, it's fine.

01:16:35I can do it.

01:16:38She turned and left.

01:16:41Chloe had always been

01:16:42like that with me.

01:16:43She wasn't cruel.

01:16:45She just wasn't close.

01:16:48She called me sis,

01:16:49but the word carried no weight.

01:16:52The twins had their own rhythm,

01:16:54and I had never been able

01:16:55to enter it.

01:16:56At breakfast,

01:16:57Mom was warming milk

01:16:58for Chloe.

01:16:59Ethan wasn't up yet.

01:17:02Mally, have you eaten?

01:17:03I have.

01:17:05I hadn't.

01:17:06She didn't even check

01:17:07whether there was a bowl

01:17:08I'd used on the table.

01:17:09She just nodded.

01:17:11Chloe, did you pack

01:17:12your water bottle?

01:17:13It's hot today.

01:17:14Drink more water.

01:17:15I did.

01:17:17Mally, drive your sister there.

01:17:19She still doesn't know

01:17:20the stops near the training center.

01:17:22Chloe had been going

01:17:23to that training center

01:17:24for two years.

01:17:25Mom still said

01:17:26she didn't know the way.

01:17:28Okay.

01:17:30As we were leaving,

01:17:31Ethan finally got up

01:17:32and called from his doorway.

01:17:34Mom, what's for breakfast?

01:17:37I left you a bagel and yogurt

01:17:39on the table.

01:17:40A bagel and yogurt?

01:17:42Ethan's regular breakfast.

01:17:44No one had ever asked

01:17:46what I wanted in the morning.

01:17:47On the way to the training center,

01:17:49Chloe sat in the passenger seat

01:17:51scrolling through her phone.

01:17:53She wasn't trying to be cold.

01:17:55It just never occurred to her

01:17:57to talk to me.

01:18:00Sis?

01:18:02When she suddenly spoke,

01:18:03my palm tightened on the wheel.

01:18:06What?

01:18:08That message you sent

01:18:09in the group chat yesterday?

01:18:10Ethan told you to delete it?

01:18:13Yeah.

01:18:15Did you?

01:18:17No.

01:18:19She nodded,

01:18:20then lowered her head

01:18:21to look at her phone again.

01:18:22I waited for a long time,

01:18:24waiting for her to say,

01:18:25happy birthday.

01:18:26She didn't.

01:18:28When we reached the training center,

01:18:30she unbuckled her seat belt.

01:18:32Sis, I'm here.

01:18:34Yeah.

01:18:34Train hard.

01:18:36Can you pick me up this afternoon?

01:18:37I finish at five.

01:18:38I have a study group this afternoon.

01:18:40That was a lie.

01:18:41I had nothing this afternoon.

01:18:43I just didn't want to go.

01:18:45Then I'll ask Mom to pick me up.

01:18:46Okay.

01:18:48At 4.50 that afternoon,

01:18:50Mom sent a message

01:18:51in the family group chat.

01:18:53Chloe finishes training at five.

01:18:55Who can pick her up?

01:18:56I'm in a meeting.

01:18:56I'm at a friend's house.

01:18:58Mallory,

01:18:59aren't you free this afternoon?

01:19:00I looked at that message.

01:19:02She started with

01:19:03who can pick her up,

01:19:04but in the end,

01:19:04it still landed on me.

01:19:05It's on your way anyway, right?

01:19:07Just go pick her up.

01:19:08It wasn't on my way at all,

01:19:09but in this family,

01:19:10my road was always on the way.

01:19:12My time was always free.

01:19:14I typed okay and sent it.

01:19:16Then I turned my phone

01:19:17face down on the desk.

01:19:20Suddenly,

01:19:21I wondered,

01:19:23what would happen

01:19:24if one day

01:19:25I didn't reply with okay?

01:19:27If I turned off my phone,

01:19:29canceled my number,

01:19:30and disappeared too,

01:19:31would they first panic

01:19:33because no one

01:19:34could pick up Chloe,

01:19:34or would they think

01:19:36of me first?

01:19:36I knew the answer.

01:19:38When I picked Chloe up,

01:19:39her face was flushed

01:19:40from training

01:19:41and her hair was damp.

01:19:42Sis, I'm thirsty.

01:19:44Where's your water bottle?

01:19:46Finished it.

01:19:46I handed her

01:19:47the spare bottle of water

01:19:48in the car.

01:19:49Thanks, sis.

01:19:51On the way home,

01:19:52she soon fell asleep

01:19:53against the window.

01:19:54I adjusted the air conditionings

01:19:55so the car wouldn't be so cold.

01:19:57She was the little princess

01:19:58everyone in the family

01:19:59revolved around,

01:20:00and most of the roads

01:20:01I had driven through this city

01:20:02had been for someone else,

01:20:03but not for much longer.

01:20:05Not long after,

01:20:07the school college counselor

01:20:08called me into her office.

01:20:09Mallory Hayes,

01:20:10I saw your awards record.

01:20:12Honorable Ments

01:20:13in the National Math Olympias.

01:20:14That's impressive.

01:20:16Awards like that

01:20:16carry real weight.

01:20:17Which schools are you considering

01:20:18for early applications?

01:20:20I'm still looking.

01:20:21What do your parents think?

01:20:22I haven't told them yet.

01:20:24Something this important

01:20:25and you're not discussing it

01:20:26with your family first?

01:20:28I want to look into it

01:20:29myself first.

01:20:30I knew that even if I told them,

01:20:31no one would take it seriously.

01:20:33On last month's mock examine,

01:20:34I ranked third

01:20:34in the entire grade.

01:20:35I took a photo of my report card

01:20:37and sent it to the family group chat.

01:20:38My third place ranking

01:20:39stayed in the chat

01:20:39for only a very short while.

01:20:41All it got from mom

01:20:41was one sentence.

01:20:42Not bad.

01:20:43The next message

01:20:44was a video mom sent

01:20:45of Chloe dancing.

01:20:46That afternoon,

01:20:47when I got home,

01:20:47I found a dusty letter

01:20:48among a pile of bills

01:20:49and flyers on the coffee table.

01:20:51It said,

01:20:52Congratulations,

01:20:53Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

01:20:54Your daughter,

01:20:55Mallory Hayes,

01:20:55has received an honorable mention

01:20:57in the National High School

01:20:58Mathematics Olympiad.

01:20:59Two months had passed.

01:21:00The envelope hadn't even been opened.

01:21:02It was tucked between bills

01:21:03and pizza courons.

01:21:05Completely forgotten.

01:21:06At dinner,

01:21:06mom answered a FaceTime call

01:21:08from my aunt.

01:21:08My aunt asked about

01:21:09Ethan's swim meet.

01:21:11Mom said he had taken

01:21:11second place in the district,

01:21:13pride filling her voice.

01:21:14My aunt asked about

01:21:15Chloe's dance competition.

01:21:16Mom said she had won gold

01:21:18at regionals

01:21:18and the judges had praised

01:21:20how steady she was off dyes.

01:21:22How's Mallory?

01:21:23She's applying to college soon too, right?

01:21:26She's doing fine.

01:21:28Third in my grade,

01:21:29a National Math Olympiac award.

01:21:31In mom's mouth,

01:21:32all of it became doing fine.

01:21:33I sat at the dining table,

01:21:35still holding the award letter

01:21:36that had been forgotten

01:21:37for two months.

01:21:37No one asked how I had been lately.

01:21:39No one turned to me and said,

01:21:41Mallory, what about you?

01:21:42I went back to my room,

01:21:43opened my laptop,

01:21:44and started looking up colleges

01:21:45that would actually care

01:21:46about competition backgrounds.

01:21:47In the end,

01:21:48I stopped at Carnegie Mellon.

01:21:50Hundreds of miles away from home,

01:21:51no one would remember me,

01:21:52only when they needed someone

01:21:53to pick up my sister.

01:21:54I opened the application page.

01:21:56My fingers hovered over the screen

01:21:58for three seconds

01:21:59before I finally closed it.

01:22:01I decided to try one more time.

01:22:03If they still couldn't see me this time,

01:22:06I would leave.

01:22:07Completely.

01:22:11Mallory,

01:22:11Ashley is coming to stay with us

01:22:13for a while.

01:22:15Give her your room

01:22:16and share with Chloe for now.

01:22:18Saturday morning,

01:22:19mom said it casually

01:22:20while changing shoes by the door.

01:22:22I was sitting at the dining table

01:22:23eating cereal.

01:22:24My spoon stopped in midair.

01:22:29Why my room?

01:22:31Your room gets the best natural light.

01:22:33Ashley hasn't been feeling well lately,

01:22:35and the doctor said more sunlight

01:22:36would be good for her.

01:22:37Ethan's room has a window too.

01:22:39Your brother is a boy.

01:22:40Ashley is a girl.

01:22:40How could they share a room?

01:22:42Then let her stay with Chloe.

01:22:43Chloe needs space to stretch at night.

01:22:45Your room only has a bed and a desk.

01:22:47It's easy to clear out.

01:22:48How long is she staying?

01:22:49About half a month.

01:22:50Her summer program is over here.

01:22:51I didn't argue anymore.

01:22:53Experience had taught me a long time ago

01:22:54that arguing was useless.

01:22:56That afternoon,

01:22:57Ashley came in dragging

01:22:59two large suitcases,

01:23:00smiling sweetly.

01:23:03Auntie, uncle.

01:23:05You're here!

01:23:06Come in!

01:23:07Mom was so warm,

01:23:09as if an important guest had arrived.

01:23:11Ashley pushed her suitcases

01:23:13into my room

01:23:14and looked around from the doorway.

01:23:16Auntie,

01:23:17can this bookshelf be moved out?

01:23:18I want to put a vanity mirror here.

01:23:21Of course.

01:23:23Mallory,

01:23:23move the bookshelf out.

01:23:25On my bookshelf

01:23:26were three years of notebooks,

01:23:27reference books,

01:23:28and a few certificates.

01:23:30It took me an hour

01:23:31to move everything

01:23:32into a corner of Chloe's room.

01:23:34That night,

01:23:34I laid a mattress

01:23:35on the floor of Chloe's room.

01:23:38Sis,

01:23:39why don't you sleep on the bed?

01:23:40I'll sleep on the floor.

01:23:42No,

01:23:43the floor is fine.

01:23:45Ashley is actually okay.

01:23:47Don't be upset.

01:23:49Ashley was never

01:23:50what upset me.

01:23:52What hurt

01:23:53was that in this house,

01:23:54I was always the one

01:23:56expected to give way.

01:23:58On the third day,

01:23:59I went back to my room

01:24:00to get review materials

01:24:01and opened the door

01:24:02to find Ashley

01:24:03flipping through

01:24:03my math competition notes.

01:24:05These are yours?

01:24:06Your handwriting is so neat.

01:24:08Yeah.

01:24:09Please put them back.

01:24:10I was just looking.

01:24:11You're way too protective

01:24:12of this stuff.

01:24:12She casually put the notebook

01:24:14back on the desk.

01:24:15I glanced over

01:24:16and suddenly realized

01:24:17one was missing.

01:24:18There was a blue one

01:24:19on the desk.

01:24:20Where is it?

01:24:20I didn't touch it.

01:24:21I didn't see it.

01:24:22I searched for 10 minutes

01:24:24and finally found it

01:24:24in the trash can.

01:24:26Half the cover

01:24:26had been torn off

01:24:27and several pages inside

01:24:29were soaked with coffee.

01:24:30The writing blurred

01:24:30into smears.

01:24:31It was the problem-solving notebook

01:24:33I had been organizing

01:24:33since freshman year.

01:24:35Three years.

01:24:35I only had that one copy.

01:24:37Ashley,

01:24:38this?

01:24:39Oh,

01:24:39maybe I knocked it over

01:24:40when I was carrying coffee.

01:24:41Just write another one.

01:24:41I stood in the doorway

01:24:42holding the drenched notebook,

01:24:44my hands shaking.

01:24:48I took the notebook

01:24:49back to Chloe's room

01:24:50and dried it page by page

01:24:52with a hair broyer.

01:24:55Where the writing was blurred,

01:24:57I slowly filled it back in

01:24:58with a pencil.

01:25:01I worked until one

01:25:02in the morning.

01:25:03The next morning,

01:25:04Ashley sat in my old seat,

01:25:06chatting happily with Mom.

01:25:07No one asked why the circles

01:25:08under my eyes were so dark

01:25:10or what had happened last night.

01:25:11And I no longer needed

01:25:13to wait for that one last time.

01:25:15From that day on,

01:25:16I began preparing to leave

01:25:18until the day I received

01:25:19my acceptance letter.

01:25:20I knew the time had come

01:25:21to leave this house.

01:25:22I packed my suitcase

01:25:23and bought a Greyhouse ticket

01:25:24for the early dawn departure

01:25:26the next day.

01:25:27The destination was Pittsburgh.

01:25:28Then I walked to the door

01:25:29and placed my house key

01:25:30on the small entryway table.

01:25:32I left the group chat

01:25:33and deactivated

01:25:34my old phone number.

01:25:36The screen went dark.

01:25:37The whole world suddenly

01:25:39became much quieter.

01:25:41I pulled my suitcase,

01:25:43opened the door,

01:25:45and closed it softly

01:25:46behind me.

01:25:47my dad tells me,

01:25:50because one of the people

01:25:51was supposed to be

01:25:51and was onlooks.

01:25:53And some of the things

01:25:55were almost

01:25:55following in the back.

You Ignored My Birthday So I Erased Myself From The Family HD Movie ENG | The Pain of Being the Invisible Child 😔

类别

文字稿

评论

推荐视频