e distinct scents of instant noodles and strawberry body spray greeted me l

adphones on, bopping her head to music that I

if you so much as breathed on it, and a wardrobe that we had diplomatically divi

s, and motivational quotes like "You got this!" and "

e of unread books, and a single framed picture of my mom from before

sighed, kind of ripping off my blazer lik

bordered on uninterested, but I knew she cared-she was simply one of those

half of it," I said,

teased, smirking as sh

on't start. I don't w

der. "Fine, fine. But, like, if you

!" I snapped, a l

out the word like it was

ow. My body felt heavy, but my mind was bustling. Why did Mr. Wright treat me like I was s

utiful smile frozen the time. That's when the memories started to p

ed away when I was ten, and for a while, Dad and I had this unsp

up-Stephanie, the woman who somehow convinced

ling like she'd just won a beauty pageant, you know that hot, sexy, s

-aggressive comments that c

esses," she'd say, like I wasn't sitting right there. Or, "Alina,

Stephanie had flipped some switch in his

comment about how I was "too much like my mother (of course, not in a nice way)," a

auled off to this boarding school li

had already been juggling a full-time job in IT and barely had time fo

st that he is too emotional and protective. Sometimes it be

-----

focus on my homework, when Ethan burst in. (Yes, he literally b

his voice tight an

t are you d

you doing here? Why didn't you

"I didn't think it

hool like you were some unwanted pet! And you are saying it is not a big

little too close to my heart. I trie

t to bother y

na, you're my sister. You can bother me whenever an

--

thering? Don't you even think of

don't know

ted at me-I could see that. It was aimed square

t thing that came into my mind, "

d polished shoes made the rest of us mere m

nowhere, he pok

rally he p

e shelves, his expression lighting

is the Mr. Wright, I

is voice filled wit

hugging in that awkwardly enthusiastic way guys do when they're

was smiling-like, really smiling. Not the slightly strained, I'm-tolerating-

nder my breath. I looked

hug, and Ethan clapped a hand on his shoulde

e was something melancholy about his ton

ssively. "But I'm here now. Oh, and this-" he turned to me with a flou

single second, he seemed absolutely blindsided. Not in a terrible

ght repeated, his gaz

reconcile the concept that I-the always unimpressed, snarky st

g my arms. "I know it's hard to believe someon

bland. "That's not what I meant," he said cautiously, though

.. Keep tellin

n. "She's a handful, I know," he murmu

ped, slapping

stantly refocused on Ethan. "I can't believe you never mentioned

tone suddenly serious. "Actuall

is couldn

re sitting in a coffee

while I sat there like a third wheel, sipping

chair, "why didn't you tell me about her be

but I didn't know or even think, someon

't even m