They Forgot My Name, They Forgot My Ticket, They Forgot Me Chapter 03

They Forgot My Name, They Forgot My Ticket, They Forgot Me Chapter 03

The next day, my aunt came over to talk about college applications.

She sat on the couch, munching trail mix. My cousin Vincent Chase was next to her, head down, glued to his phone.

Yasmin pulled up a school on her tablet. “Vincent can definitely get into City University with this score. Their medical program is excellent. You want to study medicine, right?”

He didn’t even look up, just grunted.

Yasmin’s smile froze.

“Yasmin’s amazing—I knew asking you was the right call,” my aunt said quickly. Then she turned to me, sitting on the stool.

“Um… you…” She searched for my name and came up empty. “Never mind. How’s your job search going?”

I was used to it.

“Auntie, I—”

“Her name is Jocelyn Vance.”

Vincent put down his phone and looked up. “I don’t get what’s so hard about saying a name. Yasmin, you’re being ridiculous.”

The living room went dead silent.

Yasmin shot up, ran into the kitchen, and came back with a knife pressed to her throat. “Is that what you want? Me dead? So she can take my place and steal my parents?”

Her voice was hoarse from screaming. “Why was I switched at birth? Why did I have to suffer? I thought I was an unwanted child—but you’re telling me someone else got my life while I suffered in her place? Why should I pay for your mistakes!”

Mom’s face went white. Dad held his hands out, trying to calm her.

Cedric rushed in. “Yasmin, you’re their only daughter—and you have me, don’t I count? I’ve always been here for you.”

He edged closer. “Be good. Give me the knife.”

Just as he was about to take it from her—

She lunged at me instead. The blade cut a line of blood down my arm.

“Yasmin! Are you okay!”

“You scared Mom to death!”

“Mom and Dad love only you!”

They all crowded around her. No one saw my arm bleeding.

“You’re bleeding! Come on, we’re going to the hospital!” Vincent grabbed my aunt and pulled me out the door.

On the way, he kept apologizing. “I didn’t think she’d actually lose it and hurt you. I’m sorry.”

He was the only one in this house who still remembered my name.

I told him it wasn’t his fault.

Yasmin had done it on purpose. She wasn’t crazy. She just used this method to drive me out.

I didn’t tell anyone the truth. Because no one would have believed me.

I didn’t get three texts until after I’d been bandaged up and left the hospital.

Mom: [Don’t say anything when you get home. Yasmin can’t be upset again.]

Dad: [Don’t blame Yasmin for what happened today.]

Cedric: [Are you happy now? You pushed her over the edge.]

No one asked about my injury.

I walked home carrying the plastic bag of medicine.

In the attic, my suitcase was open on the floor, my things scattered everywhere. All my documents were gone.

Cedric’s voice was flat. “Yasmin won’t allow anything with your name in this house. To calm her down, I threw them all out.”