Chapter 1Mom's golden rule: Absolute fairness between me and my twin.
My twin sisterJade aces a test—cake, balloons, the works. I ace mine? "You're always good anyway. No need to make a fuss."
Jade's crying—family drops everything for a two-hour pep talk. I'm crying? "Oh come on, Vi. Jade needs us more. You'll be fine."
Now both of us headed to LA for college. Mom shrugs:
"Jade's drop-dead gorgeous, needs serious upkeep—$1000 a month. Violet, you're... plain. $100's enough."
My brother Blake scoffs. "Pretty girls cost more. Plain ones aren't. Duh."
My childhood crush River smiles politely. "Don't worry, Mrs. Hayes—we'll keep an eye on Jade out there."
I laugh until tears stream down.
One minute before deadline?
Deleted every LA school.
Picked Miami instead—1,200 miles south.
Their little princess game? I'm DONE.
---
"Vi! Get out here, snack time!"
Mom's knocking jolted me back to reality.
She stuck her head in, grinning like nothing was off, holding a plate of honeydew.
"So you bombed a test. Who cares? Stop hiding in your room like this."
I shuffled out to the living room.
Mom handed the sweetest pieces straight to Jade, then looked at me with this... pitying smile.
"Honey, even if you only get into community college, we'll still love you. It's not like we can't afford to keep you around."
My phone was still lit up on the coffee table.
[Violet Hayes. SAT Score: 1580/1600. State Rank: #7]
I flipped it face down.
"Yeah. Got it."
Dad had this massive college guide spread out, him and Blake practically vibrating around Jade like she'd won the lottery.
"Babe crushed it! 1450! That's easy UCLA territory. You thinking LA or San Fran?"
Blake sounded ready to explode with pride.
"LA, duh! River's gonna be there!"
Jade was doing her whole baby voice thing, snuggled up against Mom.
Not one person turned to me and asked: "So Vi, how'd YOU do?"
Dad slapped the book shut. "Alright, we'll figure out schools later."
"But right now? Mall. Graduation gifts. My treat. Whatever you girls want, I'm buying. Go get changed!"
Something flickered in my chest.
Since Jade got sick at twelve, I hadn't heard "pick whatever you want" in years.
"Okay."
I basically ran to my room.
I changed into my nicest white shirt, even dabbed on some pale pink lip gloss.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I took a shaky breath.
Maybe they do still care. Even just a little.
I opened my door.
The living room was empty.
Their shoes were gone from the hallway.
I just stood there.
My phone buzzed.
Jade's Instagram story. Posted three minutes ago.
"FAMILY ROAD TRIP FOR MY GRAD GIFT YESSS ✨?✨"
The photo: all four of them packed in the car.
Dad driving. Blake up front. Mom and Jade squished together in back.
Giant smiles plastered on every face.
That car seats five.
There was never a spot for me.
My fingers went numb dialing Mom.
"Hello? Vi? Something wrong?"
Background noise everywhere. Mall music. People chattering.
"You guys... you left?"
My voice came out barely a whisper.
"Oh my GOD, I totally forgot to tell you!"
Mom sounded so breezy. Like it was no big deal.
"You were in your room forever, so I figured you didn't wanna deal with the heat, y'know?"
"Just stay home, blast the AC. There's watermelon in the fridge."
She didn't ask. Didn't check. Just decided for me.
"MOM! I want Häagen Dazs! The strawberry kind!"
Jade's whiny voice cut through the phone.
"Of course, baby! Two scoops, whatever you want!"
Mom's voice went all sweet and warm. Then back to me, flat and rushed:
"Okay Vi, gotta go. Jade's picking out bags right now."
Click.
She hung up.
Chapter 2
I threw my phone on the bed and went straight to the bathroom to wipe off that stupid lip gloss.
Classic.
Playing hide and seek? I was always the one stuck counting.
Blake and Jade would hold hands and hide in Mom and Dad's giant walk-in closet while I got shoved into the dusty attic by myself.
Count to a hundred, they said.
I'd finish counting and open my eyes—empty house.
They'd already ditched me for ice cream at the corner store.
Growing up changes nothing, apparently.
I pulled out this old photo album from my drawer.
First few pages—me at two. Dad holding me up. Mom kissing my face. Blake making goofy faces trying to crack me up.
Some aunt mentioned it at Thanksgiving once:
"Vi, honey! Blake was SO protective of you when you were little!"
"I made ONE comment about your tan and that boy literally chased me down the street screaming!"
So yeah. They DID care. Once upon a time.
Then Jade became prettier and I just disappeared.
She's pale, delicate, gorgeous. We don't even look related.
Relatives walk in the door and immediately: "Oh my GOD, Jade looks like a little PRINCESS!"
Then they see me and force out: "...And you're very... sweet."
Sweet. Quiet. Easy.
That's been my label for eighteen years. My prison sentence.
Someone knocked on my door.
I shoved the album back in the drawer and opened up.
River stood there holding two fancy bakery boxes, grinning in his white gym shirt.
"Vi! Guess what I got!"
Waving the boxes around like he just won the lottery. "Cupcakes! One for you, one for Jade!"
Inside the clear boxes—two identical gooey cheese lava cakes.
"Thanks."
I didn't reach for them.
"Come on, take yours! I specifically picked this one out for YOU!"
He shoved the box into my hands anyway and walked right past me into the living room like he owned the place. "Where's Jade? She's not answering my texts."
"They went to the mall."
I set the heavy box down on the dining table.
River paused for a second, then laughed. "Oh, shopping trip! That's why she's MIA." He plopped on the couch. "And you stayed home? Too hot outside for you, huh?"
Like it was MY choice to get left behind.
I stared at that sickeningly sweet cake. My stomach turned.
Three years ago, River sat right in front of me in math class.
He offered me a butterscotch once. I said no, I hate sweet stuff.
He looked at me. "Wait, WHAT? A girl who doesn't like sugar? That's actually so cool!"
After that? He'd bring me dark chocolate—the bitter, 85% kind.
Whenever he got us boba, he'd write on my cup in huge letters: "NO SUGAR OR SHE WILL LITERALLY KILL YOU."
Three years.
Now? He forgot everything.
Now all he sees is Jade—sweet, bubbly, cupcake-loving Jade.
Freshman year, first time River came over, he walked in on Jade wearing a pink tulle dress, eating strawberry cake.
When he left, he turned to me and said: "Dude, your sister is SO pretty. She doesn't look anything like you."
"No wonder Blake's obsessed with her. Honestly, if I were him, I'd probably—"
I thought he was kidding.
Turns out? That wasn't a joke. That was his actual opinion.
"You gonna eat that or just stare at it?"
River was on the couch now, scrolling through his phone with this huge smile, probably texting Jade.
"I'm eating."
I peeled open the box, stabbed my fork into the gooey center, and forced it into my mouth.
Sweet.
So unbearably sweet I wanted to gag.
"Oh yeah, what's your plan for college apps?"
River didn't even look up, fingers flying across his screen.
"Jade wants to major in finance. I've been sending her a bunch of good programs."
"What about you? Your mom mentioned you're probably looking at community colleges, right? That's totally fine! LA has a ton of good ones!"
"That way we'll all still be in the same city! I'll take you guys out every weekend, grab food, hang out. It'll be great."
I swallowed that disgusting bite and walked over to the coffee table, flipping open my beat-up old laptop.
Logged into the college application portal. All those LA schools I'd carefully selected looked pathetic now.
I moved my cursor.
Deleted UCLA.
Deleted USC.
Deleted every single one.
In the first-choice search bar, I typed: University of Miami.
Twelve hundred miles from LA.
Click. Save. Submit.
River finally put his phone down and glanced over. "So which LA school are you applying to?"
I closed my laptop and looked him straight in the eye.
"Doesn't matter."
Chapter 3
Evening. Keys jingling at the door.
Mom, Dad, Blake, and Jade walked in buried under shopping bags.
Jade twirled in this brand new white silk slip dress, pulling River along.
"So? What do you think? Dad literally just got me this for graduation!"
River's eyes lit up.
"Jesus, Jade. You look amazing."
Mom dug through the bags and tossed me a pink canvas tote.
"Here, Vi. Figured you could use it for books."
I caught the freebie bag with the logo stamped on it.
"Thanks."
Dad kicked off his shoes and patted my shoulder with this proud smile.
"See? This is what I'm talking about. Vi never asks for anything."
He nodded at Jade.
"Not like someone who needs a new outfit every week. You're so chill about everything. Makes life easy."
I stood there rubbing the cheap fabric between my fingers.
They never asked if I wanted anything. They just decided—Jade gets everything, I get scraps. And I'm supposed to act grateful.
Jade noticed I wasn't talking and grabbed Mom's sleeve.
"Wait, Mom. Did I overdo it? She looks kinda pissed."
She turned to me all wide-eyed and shoved her bags at me.
"Oh my god, take it! Take everything! The dress, all of it! Mom and Dad already slipped me eighty grand anyway! And Blake sent me twenty! So like, I'm good! Seriously, it's yours!"
The room went dead silent.
Dad's hand froze mid-pour.
Blake's face drained of color.
A hundred thousand dollars.
Nobody thought to mention it. Not once.
"Vi, come on. Don't make this a thing."
Blake spoke first.
"I'm barely making rent right now. But next paycheck? I'll hook you up. For real."
Mom jumped in fast.
"Exactly! Our CD doesn't even cash out till next month! Soon as it does, you're getting the same! We'd never play favorites!"
They scrambled to backpedal like I'd just caught them with their hands in the cookie jar.
Watching them panic was almost satisfying.
"Don't worry about it."
"Vi, please. Don't be mad at them."
Jade bit her lip. Her eyes landed on my desk—on the wooden music box with chipped paint.
"Wait. What if we swap? Like, all this stuff for that cute little bear music box? I've been obsessed with it forever."
That box was the only thing Grandma left me.
I was ten when Mom and Dad took Jade to Disneyland and dumped me at Grandma's.
It was pouring rain.
Grandma held my hand through the muddy market and bought me that box with money she'd saved from selling eggs.
She cupped my face.
"Jade gets nice things. So my Vi gets nice things too."
Every time I felt like giving up, I'd wind up that box.
It made me feel like she was still next to me.
Mom jumped in before I could answer.
"Oh sweetie, if she wants it that bad, just let her have it. I'll get you something way nicer when you're in LA. Promise."
River nodded along.
"Yeah, seriously. It'd mean a lot to her. Besides, I'll grab you one of those fancy Bluetooth speakers once we're all out there. Way better sound quality."
All of them talking at once, deciding for me.
Trading away the one thing I actually cared about for empty promises and a throwaway bag.
"Sure."
I walked over, picked up the music box, and handed it to Jade.
She clutched it like she'd won the lottery.
"Oh my god, thank you!"
"Alright, enough drama. Let's eat cake!"
River steered her toward the kitchen.
Everyone followed, all smiles and laughter.
I turned around and locked my door.
Pulled up a resale app.
Started listing everything—every single proof I'd ever existed in this house.
One by one.
