Chapter 2

I should have realized long ago that they didn't love me.

After all, Chloe was always the princess of the house. I was just the other daughter, the disposable one.

Rubbing my tired eyes, I looked down at my phone. The family group chat on Snapchat was buzzing.

As I scrolled up, my finger accidentally tapped a transfer. It was only twenty dollars, sent by Mom with a note: "For Chloe's smoothie."

My finger froze. My instinct was to send it back. But the money had already been accepted automatically.

The next second, Chloe's voice message popped up, dripping with sarcasm.

"Hazel, how can you be so shameless to steal my drink money? Mom clearly sent that to me. You sure are fast with your fingers."

Mom chimed in immediately, her bias showing in every word.

"Hazel, send that money back to Chloe right now. Her ears have been hurting lately, and she just wants something sweet to feel better. Don't fight her over such petty things."

A faint pang of pain went through my heart.

Silently, I Venmoed twenty dollars back to Chloe. Just as I locked my phone, Chloe's whining voice echoed from the living room.

She was hugging Mom's arm, swaying back and forth, saying she needed new clothes for graduation.

It was an intimacy I was never allowed to have.

Perhaps my gaze was too intense. Mom shot me a sideways glance and snapped.

"Hazel, can't you be more like Chloe? If you want something, just say it. Stop standing there with that miserable face. It looks pathetic."

But "just saying it" was a privilege for the beloved, not for me.

Ultimately, Mom dragged me along to the mall.

All along the way, Mom held up dresses against Chloe, buying her everything she wanted.

At the last store, a dress caught my eye. It was a simple, elegant white dress, a style I had secretly liked for a long time. The size was perfect.

I gathered my courage and spoke up.

"Mom, can I try this one on?"

But Chloe grabbed the hanger, refusing to let go. She pulled a brand-new Favoritism Coupon from her purse and stuffed it into Mom's hand.

"Mom, I like this one too. I'm using my coupon. This dress is mine."

Mom looked slightly hesitant. The sales clerk tried to diffuse the tension, saying to Chloe,

"This size might not fit you well, sweetie. We have the latest arrivals over here, why don't you take a look?"

But Chloe remained stubborn. "So what if it doesn't fit? I like it. Besides, Hazel owes me."

Mom immediately stepped forward and forced my hands off the dress.

When she looked at me, her face was cold and hard.

"You're older than her. What does it matter if you have one less dress? Chloe has bad hearing. Any minor irritation makes her ears ring. Just let her have it."

I stood there, my knuckles turning white.

Ever since we were kids, clothes, stationery, snacks. As long as Chloe pulled out a coupon, I was always forced to back down.

The weight of ninety-six past humiliations rushed over me. Suppressing the bitterness, I asked quietly,

"Mom, if I were the one with the hearing loss today, would you make Chloe give in to me for everything?"

I couldn't help but think: What if she only loved Chloe more because of her ears?

But when Mom heard this, her eyes flickered. The next second, she raised her voice, full of accusation.

"Why do you have to compete with Chloe for everything? It's just a dress. Is it really worth being so petty over? Chloe's hearing loss is your fault. Instead of being understanding, you're always comparing yourself to her. How can you be so narrow-minded."

*Caused by me?*

That one casual sentence crushed my last shred of hope.

Their guilt was only reserved for Chloe. I was never within the scope of their care.

Just then, Chloe walked out of the fitting room wearing the ill-fitting white dress, spinning around triumphantly.

She intentionally bumped into my shoulder and whispered mockingly,

"That's what you get for breaking my ears. You owe me. You should give me everything."

I lowered my eyes and quietly looked away, no longer arguing.

On the way home, I pulled out my notebook and crossed out the 97th grid:

*Give the white dress to Chloe.*

Only two empty grids left.

I stared at the dark night outside the window. My heart was completely numb.

Once the last two coupons were used, I would leave this suffocating town forever and never look back.