Chapter 2

2: 2

Back in the dorm.

When my roommates saw me come in, they all fell quiet.

My fingertips curled up without my noticing. Slowly, I spoke.

"I'm sorry I woke you all this morning. If there's anything I can do to make up for it, just say."

The room stayed silent after my words.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and forced out a small smile.

Then I walked over to my bunk and lay down without a word.

I pulled out my phone and saw a new post my cousin had put up.

There was a screenshot of a chat with her roommates and a group photo.

In the chat, her roommates thanked her over and over for bringing them breakfast.

In the photo, she had her arm looped affectionately through a roommate's.

I sniffed.

Serena was doing it again.

Taking what I'd done and claiming it as her own, so other people would thank her, praise her.

Back in kindergarten, there was an award for helping out. She secretly took my chore card and traded it in with the teacher for the prize.

When I ran to my family in tears, Mom just told me not to nitpick with my cousin over every little thing. It was only a certificate. It wasn't worth anything.

Then she turned around and praised Serena, and took her to the Olympics, the trip I'd been dreaming about for so long.

When they came back, Mom brought me a little mascot keychain, and I jumped for joy.

Until I saw the big plush mascot doll Serena was hugging behind her.

The tears came down before I could stop them, and my shoulders trembled in small, held-back shakes.

Right then, a friend request popped up at the top of the screen.

It was Felicia Harding, our dorm leader.

The second I hit accept, a message came through.

[We didn't mean for it to be like this. I'm sorry.]

[Someone who said she was your cousin came to our dorm and told us you didn't like us, that we should keep our distance from you.]

I stared at the message, my mind going blank.

Then another one came:

[When you spoke up just now, we didn't react in time. But after thinking it over, we figured you're not that kind of person.]

With shaking hands, I typed back:

[Thank you for being willing to believe me.]

The next second, she pulled me into the dorm group chat.

I stared blankly up at the ceiling and didn't move for a long time.

I opened the chat with my cousin.

[Why did you go to my dorm and say those things about me!]

It was a good half hour before Serena replied:

[Lolly, has someone been turning you against me? I'm your own cousin.]

I looked at those words, my own cousin, and all I could do was find them funny.

I set my phone down by the pillow and stopped paying her any attention.

Just then, a phone rang.

It was Ralph Fox.

"Lola Garner, open your eyes and look properly. Don't believe just anyone and start misjudging your own cousin."

The air went still, and the roommates' chatter vanished all at once.

I raised a hand to them in apology.

I turned away and lowered the volume.

Then Ralph's cold voice came through again.

"I know you've got some grudge against her in your heart, but you don't have to be this petty. You're reading too much into most of it. She's nowhere near as bad as you make her out to be."

I smiled, grief buried deep in my eyes.

Right. It's all my fault. I'm the narrow-minded one.

No matter what happens, in their mouths, the one in the wrong is always me.

I hung up, and Ralph's voice kept circling in my head.

In the first eighteen years of my life, the one who'd stayed by my side the longest was Ralph.

When I heard my cousin was coming back to the country, I said to him, a little unreasonably,

"After she's back, don't forget about me like the rest of them. It would really hurt me if you did."

He said he wouldn't.

And in the end, he turned out just like Mom, just like my brother.

Thinking about it, I slowly closed my eyes.

In the dream, I was in a huge white space, curled tightly into myself, quietly crying.

Then all at once the scene changed.

I was standing on a track, running with the wind at my back.

Not caring what anyone said, just running forward.

The wind carried off my tears and scattered the sorrow.

My eyes snapped open. I grabbed my phone,

and sent a message to one name on my list:

[Coach Head, I'll do it. I'll compete in the championship!]