Chapter 2

After dinner, the whole family piled onto the couch to plan a graduation trip.

"Cancun! I want beach photos!"

Tally swiped through travel guides on her iPad, buzzing with excitement.

Dad made the call instantly.

"Done. Cancun it is. Leo, you're in charge of booking. Get the best all-inclusive resort."

Leo agreed with a grin and pulled out his phone to check flights.

I sat quietly in the armchair, calculating how much the cheapest cross-country Greyhound ticket would cost.

Tally suddenly set down her iPad. Bit her lip. Glanced at me. Then spoke in that tone she knew Dad could never refuse.

"Hey, I was thinking…"

"What is it, sweetheart?" Mom leaned in immediately.

"This trip… can we maybe not bring Winter?"

Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to me.

"Winter hates the sun. She just stays in the hotel every time we go to the beach."

"And she's allergic to shellfish. She can't even eat with us without it being awkward."

Tally tugged on Mom's arm, wheedling.

"Please?"

Mom glanced at me. Nodded without hesitation. "Tally's right."

"Winter, you stay home and rest. Look up some East Coast rental listings while we're gone."

Dad agreed. "Yeah. You'd just be miserable. Better to stay and watch the house."

I watched them exclude me in three sentences flat. Didn't feel a thing anymore.

Used to it.

"Fine."

I stood up to head back to my room.

"Winter."

Leo called after me. He followed me to the hallway corner.

He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. Pressed it into my hand.

"Don't be mad at Mrs. McCall. Tally's just being childish." His voice was unusually gentle. A hint of guilt.

"This is for you. Consider it compensation for not bringing you along."

"I'll bring you back something nicer, okay?"

I blinked. Opened the box.

A silver necklace lay inside. A crescent moon pendant, glinting faintly in the dim hallway light.

In that moment, against all reason, something in my deadened chest flickered. A weak, stupid warmth.

"Thanks."

I whispered it. My fingertips were just about to touch the chain.

"Leeee-o!"

Tally's voice rang out from the living room. Sweet. Drawn out.

The next second, she came bouncing over. Around her neck, a necklace glinted.

Same crescent moon shape.

But hers was thicker. The pendant studded with brilliant tiny diamonds, dazzling under the light.

"Does this look good on me?" Tally spun around, showing it off.

"I love this necklace you got me!"

I froze in place. My fingers stopped midair. Went cold.

Leo panicked for a split second. He stepped in front of Tally, blocking her from me, and stammered out an explanation.

"Winter, yours is a little smaller, but I thought it would look beautiful on you, so I just…"

I lowered my gaze. That's when I noticed it. Inside the box lid, a small, unassuming sticker. It said "Complimentary Gift."

After all these years, I'd made peace with being overlooked. Made peace with the fact that his eyes only ever saw Tally.

But I never expected this. Even when he was fobbing me off, he couldn't be bothered to use anything but a free giveaway.

"Nice."

I pulled my hand back. Closed the lid.

Tally leaned in, looked at the box in my hand, and her eyes lit up.

"Winter, your box is so pretty!"

"I accidentally stepped on mine earlier and crushed it. Can I have yours for my necklace?"

Before I could say a word, Mom was already there.

Without asking, she plucked the box right out of my hand and handed it to Tally. Necklace still inside.

"Tally likes the box. Don't be petty. You're the older sister."

I stared at my empty palm. That giveaway necklace had finished off whatever was left of my heart.

"Yeah. She can have it."

I turned around, walked into my room, and shut the door.

The morning of the Cancun trip, the house was chaos.

Three overstuffed suitcases bulging with Tally's cute outfits and sunscreen.

The night before, Leo had said he'd miss me and begged me to come to the airport to see them off.

But now there was too much luggage. The SUV's back seat was packed solid.

"Ugh, how is this supposed to work?" Mom complained.

Leo looked at the crammed car. Then at me, standing off to the side.

"Winter, there's really no room. Just stay home and rest."

He reached out and closed the car door like it was nothing. Waved at me through the window.

"I'll bring you back something from Cancun."

The car sped off. Exhaust swirled dead leaves across the driveway.

I stood there, still. Watched the car disappear at the end of the street.

I pulled out my phone. Instagram. Tally's first story was already up.

[Off to see the ocean with my favorite people! ❤️]

A selfie from the passenger seat. In the back, Leo and my parents beaming with adoration.

I tapped like. Turned around and walked back into the empty house.

I dragged the storage bin out from under my bed. Started packing up every trace of my existence.

There wasn't much.

A whole childhood. An afternoon to erase.

The most valuable thing I owned was a secondhand Dell laptop.

Tally was always the favorite. I was always the afterthought.

All through high school, I'd scraped together pocket money doing freelance coding.

That laptop still held a nearly finished project. Once I submitted it, I'd get a decent final payment.

That money was my ticket. Tuition and living expenses for the West Coast. My escape fund. The only thing I had.