The Family Photo That Didn’t Have Me In It Chapter 02

The Family Photo That Didn’t Have Me In It Chapter 02

“Fine, she can have it,” I said without a hint of an argument, calmly taking the key to Room 302.

It didn’t matter anyway. I wouldn’t be using that key for long.

Once the university approved my transfer, I would be leaving this place for good.

“That’s my girl!” Dad beamed, entirely satisfied. “Lunch is on me today. Let’s hit the main campus dining commons to see how the food is and celebrate you two starting college!”

After dropping off my bags, I went down to the dining commons as planned.

I found an empty table near the window and dropped the table number into the family group chat.

No one replied.

The afternoon sun slowly shifted across the floorboards.

One by one, the dining hall staff packed up their stations and clocked out for the afternoon, yet there was still no sign of my family.

I finally dialed my mom’s number.

“Mom, where are you guys?”

There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by my mom’s light, airy laughter.

“Oh, sweetie, look at my brain. I was so busy keeping your sister happy that I completely forgot to text you.”

“Skyler insisted on getting steak, saying the smell of the dining hall made her nauseous.”

“I’ll text you the address in a bit. Just grab a cab and head over.”

The line went dead.

I sat there for twenty minutes, but the promised restaurant address never arrived.

I walked out of the dining commons and headed toward the strip of shops just off campus, pulling up a chair at a cheap local diner to order a bowl of plain chicken noodle soup.

Being left behind was a routine I should have been numb to by now.

Yet when the steaming bowl was placed in front of me, the vapor still managed to sting my eyes.

I ate in silence, my tears splashing quietly into the broth.

A little boy at the next table stared at me curiously, prompting the kindly diner owner to offer a gentle cover.

“The poor girl just isn’t used to our hot sauce, son. Cried right through it!”

I finished my soup and walked back to the university entrance, arriving just as Skyler and the rest of the group walked up, laughing and chatting among themselves.

Dad blinked in mild surprise when he saw me, then recovered quickly.

“Oh, perfect timing, Rowan. Come along with us.”

“We’re heading over to the mall across the street to pick out some new clothes for you girls.”

I wanted nothing more than to go back to my room, but Skyler had already looped her arm tightly through mine, pulling me forward.

“Come on, Rowan. Your old clothes are so childish. Let me style you today!”

My clothes were only childish because for the last eighteen years, every shopping trip had been dictated by her schedule and her tastes.

By the time it was my turn, Mom would simply grab a few random items from the clearance rack to get it over with.

The mall’s air conditioning blasted us the moment we walked through the doors.

The group bypassed the casual shops and headed straight for the high-end designer boutique on the third floor.

Skyler immediately zeroed in on a white evening gown encrusted with delicate crystals, twirling happily in front of the full-length mirror.

“Mom, does this look good?”

“Beautiful! My Skyler looks like a princess in absolutely everything,” Mom gushed, her face flush with pride.

Dad pulled out his credit card without a second thought. “We’ll take it. Wrap it up.”

Garrett leaned back against the plush velvet sofa, appraising his sister with a smug grin.

“You’re going to be the absolute center of attention when you deliver the freshman convocation keynote address tomorrow, Skyler.”

My head snapped up, my gaze locking onto them.

The freshman convocation address?

“I’m the student speaker tomorrow,” I said, my voice cutting through the air. “The university finalized it last week. I’m delivering the speech.”

To prepare for that address, I had spent a week digging through academic journals and rewriting the draft over a dozen times.

Garrett blinked, then casually patted my shoulder.

“Rowan, you’re an introvert. A massive stage like that isn’t your vibe anyway.”

“Why not just let Skyler have the opportunity? She wants to make it as a singer, and she needs a massive campus crowd like this to build her confidence.”

He made the decision for me as if it were the most natural thing in the world while Dad nodded along in agreement.

I clenched my fists, my eyes raking over every single face in front of me.

“And what if I say no?”

The air in the boutique instantly turned frigid.

Julian stepped forward, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

“Rowan, why are you being so incredibly petty today?”

“It’s just a speech. Your grades are phenomenal—you’ll have plenty of opportunities to win federal research grants and publish papers later.”

“Is it really worth ruining the family’s day just to steal the spotlight for five minutes?”

Every word out of his mouth carried the weight of a supposedly fair mediator, yet it was laced with absolute bias.

Looking at Julian, I suddenly realized how pathetic these people truly were.

“Fine. She can have it.”

I pulled up my phone, opened the document app, and forwarded the freshman convocation speech directly to Skyler.

The moment the file cleared, Skyler wrapped her arms around my elbow.

“Thanks, Rowan! You really are the best. I’m going to crush it up there!”

As they drifted off toward the shoe department, I excused myself to use the restroom and walked straight out of the mall instead.

The moment I stepped out onto the concrete plaza, my phone vibrated with an incoming call from a campus landline.

“Rowan Sterling? This is the academic affairs office.”

“We’ve received your transfer request to the Far North Campus. We need one final confirmation from you—once this transfer goes through, you cannot return to the main campus for the entirety of your undergraduate degree.”

“Have you fully thought this through?”

The harsh afternoon sun beat down on my skin, slowly warming my freezing hands.

I glanced back one last time at the glass doors of the luxury mall.

“I’ve thought it through,” I said clearly. “Process the transfer.”