She dropped out of college to work full-time. The moment she was offered a scholarship again, she took it—even knowing how brutal the schedule would be. Every class, every shift, every sleepless night—it was all for him.
She ate once a day, sometimes not at all. She skipped every indulgence. Every outfit was thrifted, every dollar saved. All for Jamie’s surgery. All for a future that didn’t constantly feel like a countdown.
She returned to the bedroom in silence, tugging on an old hoodie and curling up on the thin mattress beside her brother’s room. She stared at the ceiling in the dark, letting the silence wrap around her.
Next week would be better. Her new schedule—MWF at Blackwood, classes in the evening, barista work the rest of the week—was brutal but doable. She just needed to fi
