Two Thousand Kilometers South, Away From Everyone I Loved Chapter 01

Two Thousand Kilometers South, Away From Everyone I Loved Chapter 01

The day my admission results came out, I ran into the living room with my laptop.

“Mom, Dad—I got into Northwestern. I’ll be in the same city as my brother and Lucas now.”

No one answered. The living room was empty.

A row of city magnets lined the refrigerator. The Chicago one—Lucas had given it to me last year. He’d said, “Once you get in, I’ll take you to eat your way through the whole city.” I’d held onto those words through countless sleepless nights.

Now the magnet hung crooked. Beneath it, three flight tickets were tucked: Mom, Dad, my little sister. Destination: Chicago. Departure: this morning.

I stared for a long time before I saw the new video in the family chat. My brother Leo was pulling my sister’s suitcase, smiling gently. “Welcome to Chicago, Anna. You’re going to love prep school.”

Lucas stood beside her, handing her a bouquet of sunflowers. My sister’s voice came through, small and unsure. “Will Stella be mad?”

Lucas laughed. “She’s tough. She’ll survive one trip without us.”

My fingers went cold, inch by inch. The city I’d been racing toward—they’d already gone there with someone else.

My phone buzzed. Mom had finally remembered me. “Don’t post about your acceptance in the group chat. Anna’s finally in good spirits—don’t steal her thunder.”

Then Lucas chimed in: “Be good. You already aced the SAT. Stop fighting for scraps of attention.”

The Chicago magnet fell off the fridge. Crack. Split in two. I crouched down and picked up the pieces. I didn’t cry. I just suddenly felt that Chicago was too far away—too far to want to go anymore.

***

“Stella, you didn’t change the password on that pink suitcase, did you?”

My brother Leo’s voice came through the phone. In the background, airport announcements echoed. I crouched by the trash can, staring at the broken magnet in my hand.

“0521.”

That was Anna’s birthday. It was also mine. But every password in this house belonged only to her.

A crisp click came through the phone—the suitcase latch popping open. Then Anna’s whiny complaint: “Leo, my sunscreen leaked.”

“It’s okay. Lucas will take you to the counter to get a new one.” Leo’s voice was gentle.

The phone changed hands. Lucas’s low voice came through. “Stella, why aren’t you answering my video calls? Anna’s starting prep school here, and the dorms don’t have AC. Transfer that twenty thousand in scholarship money to me. I’ll rent her a place with heating.”

I walked to the sink, turned on the faucet. Cold water ran over my fingers.

“I paid tuition with it.”

Silence for a second. Then Lucas’s voice went flat. “Stella, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. Northwestern just sent out acceptances—what tuition? That scholarship’s still sitting there.”

He always did this. Always convinced he knew everything about me.

“Anna’s not well. You’re at the main campus—you have decent housing. Can’t you just cut her some slack?”

I pulled a paper towel and dried my hands, bit by bit. “I spent it.”

“On what?” Lucas’s tone turned interrogating.

“Shopping.”

“Stella!” He was clearly losing patience. “Why are you being so selfish now? Anna’s been crying every day since she got her exam results. You’re her sister, and instead of caring, you’re here picking fights over a little money?”

I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes weren’t red. My face was calm.

“You took her to Chicago without telling me, didn’t you.”

I said it very softly. But Lucas heard. He sighed.

“We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to overthink it. You got into Northwestern—you’re the family’s pride. Anna’s insecure. We just wanted to spend some time with her, build her confidence. You’re strong. What’s the big deal about spending a few days alone?”

I listened quietly. In their eyes, doing well on the exam was my original sin. Because I was strong, I didn’t need company. Didn’t need celebration. Didn’t even deserve the scholarship I’d earned through my own hard work.

“I understand,” I said softly.

Lucas thought I’d given in. His tone softened. “Be a good girl. Transfer the money to Mom later—don’t make her worry. Gotta go—Anna’s calling for deep-dish pizza.”

The call ended. The busy signal echoed through the empty living room.

I didn’t transfer the money. I turned and walked back to my bedroom, opened my laptop, and logged into the admission system. Northwestern was an early admission school, but before the official filing, there was still a campus reassignment option.

I opened the page. The cursor hovered between “Northwestern Main” and “Miami Campus.” Miami Campus was newly built. Over two thousand miles from home. No Chicago glamour. No Lucas.

I gripped the mouse and checked the Miami Campus box without a shred of hesitation. Clicked confirm.

I closed my laptop. Turned around, pulled open my closet, and took out my suitcase. I started folding my clothes one by one. The thick winter coats I’d bought specifically for Chicago—I stuffed them back into the deepest corner of my closet. Miami was warm. I wouldn’t need them.

My phone buzzed on the bed. A message in the family chat. Mom had posted a photo. Anna, wearing the new necklace Lucas had bought her, beaming radiantly. Caption: “Anna’s so much happier today.”

I didn’t reply. I just muted the chat.