made me laugh.
Family.
A word people often used when they wanted access they had never earned.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“You deliberately hid this from us.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to know how you treated me when you thought I had nothing.”
Nobody answered.
I placed my graduation folder on the table.
“You gave me the answer.”
Mom’s voice softened instantly.
“Claire, sweetheart, families make mistakes.”
“This wasn’t one mistake.”
I started counting.
“When I won the national coding championship, you missed the ceremony because Vanessa had a
