Chapter 7
Since I was little, I’ve always been stronger than most people my age, which made others keep their distance. Even Patrick warned me not to show it off.
He once said, “My family doesn’t need someone strange like that.”
But Jacob had a different opinion. He said, “That’s awesome!”
He pushed me to take up Taekwondo and came to watch me train every day, his eyes shining with excitement.
That’s when I realized that I was actually good at this, and maybe this was what I was meant to do.
When a competition came around, my coach signed me up.
He said, “Georgia, I just know you’re going to crush them out there.”
And he was right.
At first, I messed up a little because I was nervous, but I quickly got back on track and caught up.
In the end, I won first place and stood proudly on the podium.
I spotted Jacob in the crowd, practically bouncing with excitement, pulling at people and bragging.
“Look! That’s my girlfriend, the one in the first place!”
At that moment, he was the only person I saw. I couldn’t help thinking
how lucky I was to have him.
On the way back, Jacob excitedly mimicked my moves, talking about how cool I looked.
“Georgia, that kick of yours was insane! You totally knocked them out!
“But you’re so tough, I better never make you mad. You might just knock
me out.
I gave him a fake glare. “Oh? You dare make me mad?”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
But
my smile faded instantly, and I froze as I looked past Jacob.
Standing there was Patrick, still in his suit, but he looked worn out and covered in dust.
His eyes were cold and unreadable, and his clenched jaw made it clear that he was angry.
“Georgia.”
I stayed quiet, sitting in the back seat and staring out the window.
“Why did you change your major?”
I said calmly, “I’ve been in Seattle too long. I just want to go see other places.”
Patrick let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “So, you’ve got your own wings now, huh? Was I too soft on you, and now you think you can do whatever you
want?
“There’s a line. You can’t just blow up whenever you feel like it.”
Chapter 7
11
Then I turned to face him and asked slowly, “Are you talking to me like that as my brother?”
He went silent, caught off guard.
I took that as me giving in. “The semester’s nearly done, and you’re only now realizing I’m not studying in Seattle? What right do you have to act like you care all of a sudden?”
Guilt flickered in Patrick’s gaze. “Eva’s been unwell for a while, and I’ve stayed by her side in the hospital. I figured you’d reach out if you needed anything.”
He always calls the shots between us. As long as he throws me a few kind words, I end up waiting like a fool.
But I’m not that naïve girl anymore.
“You’re right. I didn’t go looking for you because I didn’t need you.”
My cold look cut into him, and he tried to grab my hand, but I stepped back.
“Georgia, don’t be mad anymore, please. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have left you alone to handle school by yourself. Please forgive me?”
When I first came to Orlando, it was all exciting and new. But soon, I started longing for Seattle, its streets, its snacks, and mostly, its people.
Back then, I waited day after day for him to show up and make things right.
I even had this dumb hope that if he came to me, I’d forgive him.
But then I heard from others that he was completely caught up in Eva, and I had never even crossed his mind, his so–called “sister“.
Chapter 7
When letdowns pile up too high, you eventually realize it’s time to stop clinging to someone, no matter how much they once meant to you.
I gazed at him with a steady expression.
I simply said, “No.”
