Everett, the always stern and domineering Big Brother, who was known to be cold and unforgiving, rushed to comfort her, “Stop saying that nonsense, Erica!” he snapped. “You are the precious daughter of this family. If Evangeline ever try to pick on you, I'll break her legs!”
His words cut deep, even more than the cold seeping into my bones. I stared at the concern in his eyes, the same eyes that had glared with hatred when he shoved me from the car.
Tears spilled down my cheeks despite myself. “Then you should’ve pushed harder, Everett. That way, you’d have broken both my legs and not just one.”
Everett’s head snapped up, his sharp eyes zeroing in on the window where I stood.
Panic gripped me. I quickly brushed the snow off my coat and forced a smile, trying to act like everything was fine.
For a second, he hesitated, his face softening into something I hadn’t seen in years—kindness. He smiled back at me, warm and radiant.
The icy weight in my chest lifted and I waved frantically, shouting, “Happy New Year!”
Before I could catch my breath, fireworks exploded in the sky, their brilliant colors reflecting in the glass. Everett’s smile lingered, but not for me.
He turned back to mom, dad and Erica, wrapping an arm around them as they posed for a family photo.
It hit me then. They hadn’t been looking at me. They were waiting for the fireworks to capture this happy moment of family joy.
Wiping the tears from my face with trembling fingers, I hid in the corner only show a bit in the lens. My lips curled into a bittersweet smile as I whispered, “Three, two, one… Happy New Year, Mom, Dad and Everett.”
Thank you for capturing me at my best.
The cold wind lashed against my wounds, each gust like a blade cutting into my skin. I pulled my frostbitten hands into my sleeves and crouched in the corner by the wall, wrapping my arms around myself, too afraid to keep watching the scene unfold.
As my consciousness began to fade, the sharp cracks of fireworks coming from the yard startled me awake.
“When did you get back? Why are you crouching here instead of coming inside? Oh, don’t say you are trying to fake another sickness.”
Everett stood over me, his face twisted with disdain. The moment he saw me stir, he took a quick step back, as if even standing too close might somehow tainted him.
I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the dizziness that lingered.