My Life Is Mine

On my birthday, my acceptance letter from Mar University finally arrived.

Mom even did something completely out of character: she ordered my favorite strawberry cake.

For a moment, I thought my parents had finally remembered that today wasn’t just the day for my brother’s medical checkup—it was my birthday, too.

However, right after I blew out the candles, Mom pulled out my brother’s acceptance letter from a local community college.

“Mason, your brother didn’t do well in his SATs, so he’ll only be able to get into a community college,” she said.