Chapter 3

Whenever Mom used that line, I knew I couldn't ask for anything anymore.

I turned around and walked into the kitchen.

The sink was piled high with greasy plates and utensils.

I stepped onto the little wooden stool, plunged my hands into the freezing water, and began scrubbing them one by one.

After the dishes, I carried the family’s dirty laundry from yesterday into the bathroom, squatting on the floor to scrub the clothes by hand.

My hands turned bright red from the cold, but my mind was still on tomorrow's Open House.

When I finally finished and went back to my room, what I saw made me freeze in my tracks.

My backpack had been dumped out. My things were scattered everywhere.

Tommy was sitting on the floor, holding my perfect-score midterm paper, tearing it into tiny pieces.

I rushed over and shoved him away.

"Don't touch my things!"

Tommy immediately threw himself onto the floor, screaming and crying at the top of his lungs.

Hearing the noise, Mom and Dad stormed in.

Without asking a single question, Dad kicked my shin hard.

I lost my balance and fell heavily onto the sharp pieces of torn paper.

"How dare you hit your brother! Have you lost your mind?" Dad roared, pointing at my face.

Mom scooped Tommy up, cuddling him and patting his back.

I pointed at the shredded paper on the floor, tears finally spilling over.

"That was my test! I got a perfect score! I was first in the class!"

Mom snapped back, exasperated.

"It’s just a stupid piece of paper! Your brother is younger than you. Why can't you just let him have his way? If you're this petty now, how are you going to survive in the real world?"

Mason leaned against the doorframe, chewing on a piece of chicken, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"So what if you're first? Mom and Dad don't even want you. How embarrassing."

I didn't argue. I knelt on the floor under the dim light of my room, picking up the torn pieces of my paper one by one.

That night, I stayed up until my eyes were bloodshot, using glue to piece my test back together.