Chapter 2

"Come on, eat. What are you staring at?" Emily said as she scooped some mashed potatoes onto my plate.

Their enthusiasm was infectious, and as I ate, I gradually got pulled into their lively conversation.

Outside, the sharp pops of sparklers filled the air as kids played.

Emily pulled out a box of sparklers from the cabinet and pressed them into my hands.

"Go on, have some fun," she said with a smile.

I blinked in surprise. I asked, "Don't I need to help out?"

"It's Christmas Eve. Nobody cleans today. We'll take care of it tomorrow morning. Just relax and go have some fun," Emily said, giving me a gentle nudge.

So, seeing how insistent they were, I stepped outside.

Watching a bunch of kids way younger than me running wild under the night sky, celebrating, I couldn't help but crack a smile.

Truth was, I never cared much for the holidays.

I was never that "perfect kid" everyone always talked about. At those loud family gatherings, even just trying to breathe quietly in a corner felt like a crime.

But this year, spending Christmas away from home for the first time, I actually felt a lot more comfortable.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I quickly checked. It was a message from the family group chat.

My dad had posted a family photo.

I held my phone for a long time, kept waiting for my parents to ask where I was, but they never did.

I let out a long breath, not sure if I was disappointed or just relieved.

I tapped on the photo and saw everyone gathered around my grandparents, Peter and Nancy standing on either side, all of them grinning from ear to ear.

Without me in the picture, it somehow looked even more harmonious.

Suddenly, I felt a warm, heavy coat settle over my shoulders.

I turned around and saw Emily.

She glanced at my phone screen, then looked at me.

"Are you missing home?" she asked softly.

Before I could answer, Emily started talking, her words spilling out in a gentle stream.

She said, "I was the third child in my family, too.

"But unlike you, I had two older sisters and a younger brother. Honestly, Christmas was always the time I dreaded most.

"We didn't have much, so new toys and clothes were always reserved for my older sisters and my brother.

"After my sisters wore them, I'd get their hand-me-downs the next year.

"And my brother? He got everything because he was the boy in the family."

She paused for a moment. As if remembering something, she let out a little laugh.

She added, "Lucky for me, I ended up moving far away after getting married. Now I don't have to go back and deal with all that family hassle ever again."

After listening to Emily's story, my eyes started to sting, and I felt tears threatening to fall.

But I reminded myself: if I cried on Christmas, I would be crying for the whole year.

So I tilted my head back and stared up at the blank sky. There was nothing up there, but my eyes just burned with dryness.

I said, "It's not like I don't want to go home.

"I always feel out of place there, like I don't really belong. Maybe it's better if I just stay away and don't get in the way."

The days at the guesthouse flew by in a blur of busy work, but life felt easier and more meaningful than ever.

It wasn't until six days after Christmas that I finally got my first message.

I pulled out my phone, my heart pounding. When I saw it wasn't from my parents, but from Luna Green, the cousin I never really got along with, my feelings were all over the place.

Still, I opened the chat.

Luna texted: [Did you get into a fight with your parents or something? You weren't at the family gathering on Christmas Day. I didn't dare say anything, afraid it'd start drama.]

Even through the screen, I could practically see her grinning, just waiting for some juicy gossip.

Luna texted: [Honestly, you really shouldn't keep trying to compete with Nancy and Peter. They're good-looking, smart, and always do what they're told. What do you even have to compete with them?]

I looked at her text, wanting to tell her the truth—that they'd left me behind, that I'd never tried to compete with Peter or Nancy.

But before I could hit send, I deleted every word, one by one.

What would sending it even prove?

Who knows, maybe if my parents realized I wasn't there, it'd just mess up their mood.

I figured I'd play dumb and get through this winter gig. At least with some cash, I wouldn't go hungry next time they forgot my allowance.

But I never expected that on the eighth day, I'd bump into my aunt Amy Green and my cousin Luna Green at the guesthouse. They were here on vacation.

They spotted me in an apron, cleaning tables. Both looked pretty surprised, but still greeted me with enthusiasm.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"I'm just working here for the winter break," I answered honestly.

Amy stared at me in disbelief. She said, "Your family's pretty well-off, why are you working during winter break?

"I'll call your parents and find out what's going on."

I had no idea how to respond, so I kept my mouth shut.