The Family Photo That Didn’t Have Me In It Chapter 04

The Family Photo That Didn’t Have Me In It Chapter 04

According to his narrative, I was a deeply bitter, jealous sister who intentionally weaponized an advanced academic text to humiliate her sibling on a public stage.

He had even attached a picture of Skyler looking devastatingly beautiful while crying her eyes out.

The comment section immediately fell for the narrative.

[The sister was just trying to help her out by stepping up, and she gets stabbed in the back? Academic overachievers are always so mentally unhinged.]

[I feel so bad for the sister. Having a sibling who constantly tries to tear you down behind closed doors is a living nightmare.]

I returned to my dorm late that night. The moment I unlocked the door, a bowl of cold, soggy oats was hurled directly at my head.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I was just trying to throw out some trash, I didn’t see you there,” my new roommate sneered, leaning against her desk with her chin tilted high. “You’re not going to cry about it, are you?”

The slimy oats clung to my hair and dripped down my cheeks.

My roommates immediately pulled out their phones, snapping photos of my humiliated, ridiculous state.

They began chatting loudly among themselves, making sure every word carried a barb.

“Imagine sabotaging your own blood. Who knows what kind of psycho traps she’s going to set for us in this room?”

“We seriously need to look out for ourselves. Keep your distance from the resident mean girl.”

I ignored them entirely, walking over to my desk to open the bottom drawer.

Inside lay the official transfer paperwork the academic affairs office had finalized that afternoon, along with a train ticket out of the city for tomorrow morning.

The red university seal on the document was active and legally binding.

I folded the papers neatly, slid them into my backpack, and began packing my life into a single suitcase.

I sat by my phone for the rest of the night, watching the screen stay entirely dark.

My parents and Garrett didn’t send a single text to ask where I was or what had happened.

The very last shred of hope I held for them finally withered into nothing.

The next morning, I dragged my suitcase past the campus gates.

There were still five hours left before my train to the Far North Campus departed.

I left my luggage with the campus security kiosk and walked down to a local frame shop near the edge of the university district.

I wanted to buy a sturdy frame for the only piece of property I owned that actually included me—our old family portrait.

It was taken ten years ago, back when my grandmother was still alive, and she had practically forced the entire family to stand together for a professional photo.

Right as I approached the storefront, my steps faltered.

Standing just past the glass window of a neighboring ice cream shop were five incredibly familiar figures.

My parents, Garrett, and Julian were crowded around Skyler while she picked out her flavors.

Skyler took a bite of her cone, her eyes scanning the street until they locked onto me. Her expression shifted instantly.

“Rowan? What are you doing here?”

Her gaze dropped to the old photograph tucked under my arm. Her brow furrowed into a deep pout as she turned to my mom.

“Mom, look at that old picture. It makes me look so chubby!”

“And those clothes are hideous. It’s literally a walking permanent blemish on my image.”

Mom’s face softened with instant pity as she stroked Skyler’s hair, before turning around to confront me.

“Rowan, Skyler is entering the campus talent showcase next week,” she said, her voice sharp. “If a photo like that leaks out, it’s going to ruin her aesthetic and her brand.”

“You need to get rid of it.”

I pulled the photo tightly against my chest, taking a definitive step backward.

“This is the only family portrait that actually has me in it,” I said, my voice dry and cracking.

Garrett let out a loud, mocking scoff as he stepped into my space.

“It’s a stupid piece of paper, Rowan. Skyler is about to launch her career. As her sister, do you seriously lack the basic decency to look at the bigger picture?”

“We’ll take a million family photos later. Tear that old thing up right now, and we’ll drop the whole convocation situation.”

I fought back the burning in my eyes, my fingers gripping the edges of the photo so hard they turned white.

“What if there is no next time…”

Before the sentence could leave my mouth, Julian lunged forward and wrenched the photo out of my grasp.

With a loud, clean tear, he ripped the portrait right down the center.

He tore it again and again, crumpling the fragments into a tight ball before tossing them carelessly into a street trash can.

“There,” Julian said, turning back to Skyler with a warm smile. “Problem solved. No more blemishes.”

Skyler’s pout instantly vanished into a bright laugh.

“Awesome! Hey, since everything’s sorted out, do you want to come grab lunch with us, Rowan? We’re getting sushi.”

I looked down at the tiny scraps of paper littering the rim of the trash bin.

Without giving Skyler a single glance, I turned on my heel and walked away.

I retrieved my luggage and boarded the train heading deep into the north.

Three weeks later.

The campus theater was packed to capacity for the annual talent show finals.

Skyler stood center stage in a breathtaking, custom performance outfit, basking in the roaring cheers of the crowd.

Suddenly, the massive LED backdrop screen flickered violently.

The stage graphics cut out, replaced by a crystal-clear security camera feed.

In the video, a girl could be seen sneaking into the backstage dressing rooms during the semi-finals, carefully pouring a vial of white powder into the water bottle belonging to the competition’s top-ranked frontrunner.

When the girl turned her face directly toward the camera, it was unmistakably Skyler.

The entire auditorium erupted into a chaotic uproar.

The judges at the front table bolted to their feet. “What is the meaning of this! Call the police immediately!”

The backstage area dissolved into pure pandemonium as campus security and local officers flooded the venue within minutes.

My parents were sweating through their clothes out of sheer panic while Garrett frantically tried to block the officers, shouting explanations.

Julian stared blankly at the massive screen, his mind racing until a sudden realization hit him, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, “That’s not Skyler in the video!”

“That’s her identical twin sister, Rowan Sterling!”

Mom caught onto the lifeline instantly, her voice shrieking in agreement. “Yes! Yes, exactly! That’s Rowan, not my Skyler!”

But before their outrage could sway the crowd, the dean of academic affairs pushed his way through the press of bodies.

“Rowan Sterling officially transferred to the Far North Campus three weeks ago,” the dean announced, his voice booming across the PA system.

“She is currently over a thousand miles away. How exactly could she have poisoned anyone here?”