StartNovelChapter 489
September 13th - Clear skies
Mood: Awful
The chubby kid next door tried to bribewith a “snack mega-pack” if I'd hand over my little sister. | told him
to get lost.
Max snapped his journal shut and glanced over at little Alessia, already fast asleep.
How could she sleep so soundly when he was this upset?
A strange itch prickled at his fingers. Unable to resist, he walked over to Alessia’s bed and gave her cheek a
gentle pinch.
Her face was still full of baby fat-plump and soft, perfect for squishing.
Max couldn’t help himself, pinching again and again until, inevitably, he
disturbed her.
Their eyes met. Max quickly wiped the smile off his face and pulled his hand away.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
At first, Alessia looked startled. But as soon as she recognized him, she relaxed, her eyes fluttering as if she
might drift right back to sleep.
Seeing her dazed and drowsy, Max found himself slipping into old habits-patting her back, just like he used to
when she was little and couldn't fall asleep alone. Before long, she was snoozing again.
Max let out a silent breath of relief.
“You ungrateful little monster-call‘big brother’ only when there's candy in it for you,” he muttered, giving
her cheek one last squeeze. He dug out a piece of candy from his pocket and placed it on her pillow.
Soon, the day cfor Max to start elementary school. Yvonne and Scott's business seemed to be thriving-they
were already house-hunting for something bigger.
Yet before they even moved in, they sent their son off to boarding school. Rumor had it he was bound for
Aristocrat Academy, where the annual tuition was through the roof.
Compared to their daughter, Yvonne and Scott seemed far more invested in their son’s future.
Max didn’t want to go to sfancy boarding school. He had only one little sister-if he wasn’t around, who
would protect her from bullies?
But he was just a kid. He didn’t get a say.
Just as he'd feared, his sister started growing up while he was gone. When kids picked on her, she didn’t need
her big brother to fight her battles anymore-she could take care of herself.
Even thunderstorms didn’t scare her like they used to; she no longer curled up at his side, clutching his shirt.
She was smart-picked things up after being shown only once. She could read picture books all by herself now.
He couldn't help but feel proud. She really was his little sister.
But there was an ache in his chest, too.
Did she even need him anymore?
Eventually, they moved into a much larger house, and Max's visits hbecless frequent. As if desperate
for attention, he found himself provoking her on purpose, just to get a reaction before heading back to school,
Then Cole showed up.
Now, when Max chome, there was no little kid running out to greet him, hands on hips, yelling, “Max, you're
in trouble!”
For the first time, he realized how cold a big house could feel.
He wondered, when he was away, did Alessia spend all her talone in that enormous place? Eating alone,
watching TV alone, reading alone...
sometimes, she didn’t even have anyone to talk to.
Even though he knew this, the knowledge didn’t make him feel any better. If anything, it just made him want to
pester her more.
One day, after he'd gotten her all riled up again, she shoved a crumpled note into his hand.
It was a ticket to her kindergarten sports day.
Max scoffed, rolling his eyes as he smoothed out the ticket and folded it into his pocket.
“See, you do still know who your brother is,” he grumbled.
On the day of the sports meet, Max dressed with extra care and snuck out of school with a well-rehearsed lie.
He'd only told his desk mate where he was going-that he was skipping class to watch his sister's sports day. He
never imagined that would
backfire.
But his desk mate used that information to set him up-to have him kidnapped.
All because Max was ranked first. Because his parents always compared their achievements.
“You're just nouveau riche-trash from the projects. How dare you outshine me.” The words cfrom his usually
polite, mild-mannered desk mate. Now, his face twisted with hatred,
Max was left speechless.
It was the first the truly grasped how terrifying jealousy could be, and the first the realized just how
many faces a person could wear.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
