Everyone in My Family Had AC Except Me-So I Walked Away Chapter 02

Everyone in My Family Had AC Except Me-So I Walked Away Chapter 02

The next morning, I did not have to get up early as usual to make breakfast for the whole family. It was Lily’s graduation and college acceptance celebration, and Mom had arranged a party at a hotel, complete with a two-tier cake. We entered the hotel ballroom, walked beneath a flower-covered arch, and sat down at the table our relatives had reserved. The moment Aunt Lucy saw us, she hurried over.

“Lily did wonderfully. Her grades were excellent, and she got into college too. Which school did she choose?”

Anyone could see how proud Mom was of her.

“She’s going to the state university nearby. It’s a good school, and it’s close enough for us to take care of her whenever she needs us. I’d never feel comfortable letting her go too far away.”

Lucy nodded, then turned to me. “Erin graduated too, didn’t she? Where is she planning to work?”

Mom answered casually, “She’s only average. None of the companies she applied to wanted her, so I had to ask a friend to help her find a teacher’s aide position at a private elementary school.”

Lucy glanced at me, with unmistakable disappointment on her face. I wanted to tell her that I was not mediocre. When I graduated from high school, my standardized test scores were nearly perfect, I ranked first in my class, and I had been chosen as valedictorian. Throughout all four years of college, I had earned scholarships and won several research competitions. But in the end, I said nothing.

Back then, when I received acceptance letters from several prestigious universities far from home, Mom and Dad worried Lily would feel inferior. Not only did they refuse to hold a celebration for me, but they also forbade me from mentioning those acceptances at home. They repeatedly told me that going so far away would be unsafe and a waste of money. In the end, they pressured me into giving up the better schools and attending a nearby state university instead.

Every one of my teachers said it was a terrible waste. I lowered my head and ate from my plate while listening to the relatives take turns praising Lily. Her celebration cake sat in the center of the table. Lily noticed that I seemed unhappy and cut me a large slice.

“Erin, I remember how much you love cake. You even made a scene over one before. This cake is big enough, so you can eat as much as you want today.”

Lucy looked at her approvingly.

“You even know how to look after your sister. What a thoughtful girl.”

Then she turned to me. “But Erin, you’re the older sister. You should be more generous instead of always making a fuss over Lily. You might need her help someday.”

I lowered my eyes, cut off a small piece with my fork, and put it in my mouth. It was so sweet that it made me feel sick. I had never truly celebrated a birthday before. The day before my eighteenth birthday, I used the money I had saved from working part-time to buy a small discounted cake from a bakery. That night, I placed it in the refrigerator, thinking that the next day, I might at least get to light birthday candles with my family for once.

But the following morning, I found the cake sitting on the kitchen counter. It was the hottest time of the year. The frosting had already melted, and a sour, spoiled smell drifted from the box. I burst into tears and demanded to know who had taken it out.

Lily walked out of her air-conditioned bedroom and answered without the slightest concern. “I wanted to put a large tub of ice cream in the refrigerator, but there wasn’t enough room, so I had to take your cake out first. How was I supposed to know it would spoil so easily?”

My entire body trembled. I rushed to the refrigerator, grabbed her ice cream, and threw it into the trash. Mom slapped me across the face.

“How dare you throw a tantrum like this in our home? It’s just a cake. You can always buy another one later.”

But I knew that anyone else in the family could have cake whenever they wanted. I was the only one who did not have that privilege. I grabbed the spoiled cake and began shoving it into my mouth. The sour frosting coated my throat. I ate until I gagged, but I still did not stop. That was the first time in my life I had eaten my own birthday cake. Lily’s celebration was only the second time anyone had placed a piece of cake in front of me. As I continued eating, my eyes began to burn.

Mom noticed almost immediately and reached under the table to pinch my thigh hard.

“Today is Lily’s big day. Why are you crying?”

I sniffed, but the tears only became harder to control.

Mom immediately grew anxious and lowered her voice. “Get out. Go home before you embarrass me any further.”

I stood up and fled the ballroom in humiliation, walking quickly out of the hotel. So Mom had always been able to see when my eyes turned red. Then what had all the tears I swallowed at the dinner table over the past twenty years ever meant to her? A notification from my phone suddenly dragged me out of the storm in my head. The person in charge at the biotech research institute had already booked my flight for the next day and reminded me to arrive at the airport on time.

I replied, “Okay,” and some of the pain from moments earlier finally lifted.

I was about to head home and pack when a message from Jordan appeared in the family group chat.

Jordan: Erin, where did you go?

Before I could reply, a second message arrived.

Jordan: Lily got into an argument with our older cousin Brooke, and now she won’t stop crying. Hurry back and comfort her.

My fingers froze over the screen. When I cried in front of our relatives, I was an embarrassment. But when Lily argued with someone and cried at her own celebration, she was suddenly the one everyone rushed to comfort. I did not reply. I simply turned off my phone. When I returned to my cramped, suffocating bedroom, I began packing the things I would take with me the next day. I owned so little that everything fit into a single backpack.