"Who told you to save me?"
She sat sullenly in the chair, posture rigid, shoulders tight.
"Don't you hate me? Why bother?"
"Just to repay a debt?" Her tone turned brittle. "There's no need. The money used to fund you lot isn't even enough to buy me a handbag."
She glanced at me, expecting anger.
Instead, she found my expression calm. Devoid of humiliation.
It seemed to throw her off balance.
"What do you want?" she added, voice dropping lower. "I can give you anything."
"I do want one thing," I said softly.
Caroline looked up. A flicker of anticipation crossed her eyes.
I held her gaze, voice serious.
"Can we call a truce? Let's just be ordinary classmates and get along. Okay?"
Her complexion shifted—first a flush of embarrassment, then a dark shadow of annoyance. She stood abruptly.
"When did I ever—"
She cut herself off.
"Forget it. Whatever."
She stomped her foot and turned to leave, radiating frustration with every step.
......
I never expected to see my younger brother in the hospital. I hadn't seen him in over a year.
He wore a caregiver's uniform, scrubbing the floor near an elderly patient's bed. A lame leg dragged behind him as he moved. Disheveled. Broken.