Chapter 2

I went through the motions. School, homework. Reviewing material I already knew by heart.

When I got tired, I’d work on the LEGO set. Some weekends, I’d spend hours on a single section.

Finally, six months later…

The Star Destroyer was complete.

I barely had time to admire it before Sarah shattered it. She’d discovered the finished model in my room and invited her friends over to see it.

Wanting to show it off, she’d tried to carry the massive thing to the living room, despite her supposed fragility.

It crashed to the floor, a plastic explosion. She scraped her forehead in the process. Tears streaming, she apologized.

Promised she’d put it back together.

“Okay,” I said.

She started gathering the pieces. Some scratched her feet. Others hid in crevices, covering her in dust.

Mom saw her disheveled state and pointed a finger at me.

“It’s just a toy, Ashley! Does your sister have to crawl around like a dog looking for pieces? Can’t you show some consideration for her health?”

She seemed to have forgotten that Sarah offered to fix it. She also forgot that I’d spent months “crawling around like a dog” to build it in the first place.

But it didn’t matter.

I’d never expected anything from Mom. No expectations, no disappointments. I looked at Sarah, tears still welling in her eyes.

“I do understand you’re delicate,” I said. “So, don’t bother. ”

Sarah shook her head, body trembling.

“No, I broke it. I have to fix it.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small, bitter laugh.

“But if you’re hurt, Mom and Dad will be upset. They’ll think I was being inconsiderate, that I was bullying you. Sarah, do you want to help me, or do you want me to get yelled at?”

Sarah froze.

Mom, too.

I spoke calmly.

“This Star Destroyer… it wasn’t really mine, was it? I took it, Sarah’s toy. That’s why she tried to move it without asking.”

“I was being selfish. Dad was just being nice, and I took something that wasn’t mine.”

“Mom, Sarah, don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”

“I’ll know my place from now on.”

Mom and Sarah were speechless. Mouths open slightly, unable to form words. I didn’t want to waste any more time. I went back to my desk.

Put on my headphones. Listened to English lessons. The sounds filled my mind, blocking everything else out.

All that mattered was studying.

I could buy my own LEGOs later.