Chapter 4

My college applications were already in.

But Celeste still hadn't left.

I happened to see her medical records, and it turned out she'd come home to protect the pregnancy, not because of my applications.

That night she started bleeding, and my parents panicked and rushed her to the hospital.

When they came back the next day, they both looked worn out.

"Your sister's pregnancy is unstable. The doctor says she needs to be hospitalized to keep the baby."

They shot me a glance, laced with blame.

"Look at that. She wore herself down worrying over your business, and you still can't show a little sense?"

Of course.

The moment anything happened to Celeste, she was the one being wronged.

And I was the one taking advantage.

Before, I really would have felt guilty.

But this time, I said nothing.

Mom was packing clothes, getting ready to go stay at the hospital.

Just then, Dad's phone rang.

It was Grandma Powell.

She'd fallen while working.

I thought about it for a moment.

In my last life, it was exactly this time too. She'd been shucking corn and slipped and fell.

After that, she never stood up again.

Later, my parents brought her over from back home and moved her into my room.

Grandma was still crying out on the line, and the sound of it threw Dad into a panic.

Celeste on one side, Grandma on the other.

In the end, the two of them had to split the work.

Dad went back home to look after Grandma, and Mom went to the hospital to look after Celeste.

As she left, my mom looked at me with a complicated expression.

"It'd be best if you didn't get in this time."

In my last life, I hadn't understood that sentence.

This time, I did.

Nursing school was so I could take care of Celeste's baby.

Not going meant I could start right away, taking care of Grandma and Celeste both.

Either way, they came out ahead.

Half a month later, the admissions results began rolling out.

I logged into the system and checked my status.

【Millbrook Vocational College, directed-enrollment program. Admitted.】

The corners of my mouth lifted a little.

Perfect.

My parents were getting ready to head out, both of them exhausted.

Today they were bringing Celeste and Grandma home from the hospital.

Then the doorbell rang.

My deskmate, Jemima James, stood at the door, waving an envelope in her hand.

"Gay, your acceptance letter got mailed to the school! I grabbed it for you on my way over!"

Three pairs of eyes swung straight to her.

I lunged to snatch it, but my dad was faster.

"I was wondering why it hadn't come yet. Why was it sent to the school?"

He moved to tear it open right there.

I quickly pressed down on his hand.

"Dad, aren't you supposed to go pick up Grandma? And Mom, you're supposed to bring Celeste home."

"Why don't we wait until the whole family's together to open it."

My palms were sweating, and even my legs were trembling a little.

My dad shook my hand off.

"We'll look now, and look again when they get back."

I grabbed hold of him again, fast.

"But Grandma and Celeste are waiting…"

"No rush, no rush. It's a one-minute thing."

He held on to the envelope, refusing to let go.

"Your business is what matters most."

Even now, he couldn't resist a bit of playacting.

I turned to look at my mom.

"In that case, shouldn't there be a little ceremony for a moment like this?"

My mom remembered right away.

"Yes, yes, record a video, set off the party poppers!"

When Celeste opened her acceptance letter before, the whole family had done exactly this.

She called out to Dad.

"Go get the party poppers from the storage room, and I'll set up the phone stand."

Dad nodded with a smile and put the envelope back in my hands.

A moment later, they were both ready.

"Come on, come on, everyone line up. Gay in the middle."

Dad had his hand on a party popper, and Mom got the phone stand adjusted.

Once the shot was framed, they shouted.

"Okay, open it now!"

Under their eager stares, I slowly reached out and slid the acceptance letter from the envelope……