"You're a girl—all you care about is eating, drinking, and having fun. How could that be more important than your brother's future?"
I thought of the criminal record I now carried because I couldn't afford a lawyer when I was wrongfully accused. I lowered my head and smiled.
"Right. It's not important anymore."
——
Ryan caught my reaction. Surprise flickered in his eyes before he spoke again, his tone falsely sweet.
"But my sister is pretty impressive too. She works at a big company in Seaside City."
"Hey, you've been there five years now. You must have good news about a promotion or raise to share with everyone, right?"
Every pair of eyes at the table locked onto me, sizing me up with obvious judgment. I took a deep breath.
"No. Actually, I quit. I'm still job hunting."
Mom's frown deepened, disgust flashing across her face. She grabbed my arm like I'd just announced a crisis.
"Alex, I told you to hold onto that job—why didn't you listen! Jobs are impossible to find right now. Quitting over the holidays means losing all that income!"