The Twin They Saved, The Twin They Destroyed Chapter 03

The Twin They Saved, The Twin They Destroyed Chapter 03

“Yes! Blake did so well—we have to celebrate!”

They crowded around her, buzzing about the party plans.

Tate instinctively shoved me aside to get closer to her. I stumbled, my feet tangling, and before I could catch myself, my head cracked against the edge of the coffee table.

The sound it made was loud. Sharp. Like something breaking.

Nobody even turned around.

A huge bruise swelled on my forehead. I didn’t make a sound. I just pulled myself up and walked out the door. They wouldn’t care if I said something anyway.

Besides, I still had to go earn my college tuition.

Later that night, I clocked in at the club. Server uniform on, I moved through the VIP section, working the tables—selling bottles, pouring champagne, keeping the smile plastered on.

Then I heard familiar voices. I pushed open a door and Blake stared at me, surprised. “Avery?”

I stopped short. Mom, Cole, and Tate all turned at once.

Mom scanned my uniform and her face went cold.

“Avery, what the hell is wrong with you? You bombed the SAT, fine—we said you’d take a gap year and reapply it. Not this.”

“You’re so smart—are you really going to throw your life away as a bottle girl?”

Cole frowned. “You’re trying to destroy yourself.”

Tate grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the door. “You’re coming home right now. You’re starting test prep tonight.”

I stared at them and almost laughed. They’d spent years scheming to make me fail, and now that I had, they were mad?

The next few days, they locked me in my room and forced me to study. All this sudden “attention” just made me sick.

“Mom, do you have my dress ready? Today is my big day!”

Mom came running with a garment box. “Blake, baby, this is a designer dress—cost over five thousand dollars!”

Cole presented a velvet case. “And this is for my Blake—a seventy-thousand-dollar diamond necklace.”

Tate wasn’t about to be outdone. “Look at mine! A tiara my mom had custom-made. Worth almost two million.”

Blake beamed as they dressed her up like a princess. Then she climbed into a luxury car, surrounded by all of them, and rode off to the venue. Like a princess.

They left me behind in my room. A while later, a text popped up on my phone. [Avery, get yourself to the venue.]

I didn’t say no. Not when I’d been waiting to watch this show unfold.

By the time I got there, I was drenched in sweat and my clothes stuck to my back.

Mom saw me and wrinkled her nose. “What happened to you? Today is Blake’s big day—you showing up like this is embarrassing.”

Embarrassing?

If I’d had any money, I wouldn’t have had to walk all the way there. But I didn’t bother defending myself. They never saw me anyway.

Cole appeared with a server uniform and tossed it at me. “Change into this.”

“Don’t sit anywhere near us. Find some corner and stay out of the way.”

“Don’t ruin Blake’s acceptance party.”

The party kicked off, and everyone kept coming up to Mom, going on about how she raised such a brilliant daughter.

Then a commotion erupted at the entrance.

“Oh my god, is that the Harvard admissions rep?”

“Yeah, and that guy’s from Yale!”

“That Lawson girl is insane—Stanford’s here too!”

Blake soaked in the whispers and grinned at Mom. “See? I told you I killed it. I might actually be in the running for the state scholarship.”

Tate’s parents practically swarmed her, each grabbing a hand. “Blake, sweetheart, you’re just incredible. You and Tate at Harvard together—finally.”

They used to say those exact words to me.

The Harvard, Yale, and Stanford counselors all turned at once and started walking toward Blake—fast, like they were trying not to run but couldn’t help themselves.

“Avery Lawson!” We want to discuss your options. All of them. Full rides, top priority—”