The Suitcase They Threw Out, The Ticket I Bought To Leave Chapter 07

The Suitcase They Threw Out, The Ticket I Bought To Leave Chapter 07

The next morning, an upperclassman was waiting for me the moment I stepped off the train.

My Cornell check-in went without a hitch, and I made it to New Student Convocation right on time.

Everything about the north felt foreign to me-the landscape, the little daily habits. The guy who met me had arranged for a junior to show me around campus.

She was a true northerner, wearing slides, throwing an arm casually over my shoulder. “Moving all the way up here alone, aren’t you scared? Trips home take forever. Your parents must miss you

terribly.”

I froze, a dull ache swelling in my chest. No one had ever asked whether I was scared to travel so far

from home.

Back in grade school, I’d walk fifteen minutes to the bus stop, ride a two-hour city bus, then walk another eight minutes just to get to class.

Mom and Dad never wondered if I got scared, if I got lost, if other kids picked on me.

They only cared whether Nadia slept enough, ate proper, nutritious breakfasts, and looked pretty in

her dresses.

For me, there was only loose change in a drawer. “Grab yourself something on the way. A sandwich costs four dollars, don’t waste money.”

Four dollars for breakfast, four for the daily bus pass-that covered every cent of my day’s budget. Spend one extra dollar, and I would get lectured for throwing money away.

I truly never wasted anything. Other kids got extra allowance for snacks: bubble gum for just over a dollar, potato chips, hot dogs. I could only stand there watching, hoping someone might hand me a

leftover bite.

I once begged my parents for a bigger allowance. Mom compared me to Nadia. “You want more cash? Do you even deserve it? Your sister tops every grade. What about you? Failing.half your tests! You don’t care about studying, only stuffing your face. Lazy and greedy.”

She pinched my ear and yanked it up. “How can two girls born minutes apart turn out so completely

different?”

I winced in pain and never dared ask for anything again.

Inside that house, Nadia was the golden child. Twins though we were, she was beautiful, quick-witted, gifted at dance. Every privilege belonged to her. I was the unwanted comparison.

Those two-hour bus rides terrified me. I just never said. I swallowed every tear and turned quiet,

invisible.

“Hey, don’t cry!” The junior panicked, seeing tears welling up. No tissues on hand, she wiped my cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. “Homesick? Gosh, I’m so sorry-I shouldn’t have talked so

thoughtlessly.”

She playfully tapped her own lips, watching my face anxiously.

Her silly, flustered gesture made me laugh.

All of that belonged to the past. Thinking back only brought faint hurt, not real grief.

“I’m okay,” I told her.

She thought I was forcing a brave face and patted my shoulder, sympathy shining in her eyes. I

didn’t correct her.

My luggage shipments arrived one after another. I paid the delivery fees, and she kindly helped haul everything to my dorm room.

Stepping inside, I stared at my brand-new, spotless double room in surprise.

“Surprise, huh?” She grinned, proud.

“Yeah, I really didn’t expect this.”

“Brand-new dorm building. You hit the jackpot, freshman girl. Every suite has its own private

bathroom.”

“If you get confused settling in, you know where to find me.”

I thanked her and started making my bed alone.

Hunter had called multiple times. I let every call go unanswered.

If Hunter had chosen Nadia, he ought to keep his distance from me. Even so, my heart twinged painfully at the thought of him.

Right then Nadia’s texts popped up. Her furious outbursts struck me as childish. I no longer cared whether I would ever set foot in that house again. I blocked her instantly, then blocked Mom and

Dad too.

Once everything was unpacked, I stretched out across my dorm bed and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.