She tossed a few bucks at me, glaring.
“Grow up, find a quiet place to die, and stop
causing me problems!”
I picked up the cash, squeezing it tight.
“Okay.”
After that, I stood on the school roof a few
times.
Luckily, the teacher always pulled me back.
She always told me college would be great.
My life had something to look forward to.
<
I didn’t want to die.
By saving every penny, I was able to get
through the month.
Janet didn’t give me any more allowance.
She sent me a text telling me to spend some
time to reflect on myself.
Janet barged into class while the teacher was
teaching the day I had one dollar left.
I was too hungry to sit up.
She looked elated.
“You’re a match! Let’s go to the hospital.‘
The teacher stopped her, and she went and
spoke to the dean.
This was the first time she’d taken care of
things as a mom.
Too bad it wasn’t because she loved me, but
because she was making me withdraw from
school.
She drove along and spoke to herself on the
way home.
<
“After keeping you around for so long, you’re
finally useful.”
Leukemia matching is precise, and I took all
the tests again.
The hospital suggested finding another match
because I was too weak and malnourished.
Janet refused.
The hospital could only go along with the
family’s wishes.
I didn’t know anything and worked hard to get
healthy like Janet wanted.
In the days that followed.
She took good care of me, with three meals a
day, and took me running every morning and
evening.
It made me happy that I was finally able to
eat.
After two months of physical conditioning.
My pale face grew rounder.
I looked healthy again.
く
I was so scared on the day of surgery.
I looked at all the doctors.
I grabbed Janet’s hand.
She frowned.
Scared, I quickly pulled away, and said in a
shaky voice, “Sis, I’m…I’m…scared.”
Her eyes turned cold.
“Don’t tell me you regret it?”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
I choked back tears and carefully watched her
expression.
She patted my shoulder.
“Good girl, don’t be scared. I’m right here.”
I almost cried out of joy.
I almost called her mom, but she shot me
down before I could say it.
She frowned and said, “You’re so weak. All
you have to do is give Mikey bone marrow.
You’re making it sound like you’re being
wronged.”
<
“I’ve been taking care of you and feeding you
for two months. Don’t you think you should
give something back?”
“Mikey has suffered so much. You haven’t
even gone through ten percent of the pain.
What’s there to be afraid of?”
I felt like I was freezing.
Everything inside me was freezing.
They wheeled me into the operating room,
and different needles went into my body.
I found out that I hated pain.
The needle was so long and hard.
I was trembling in pain.
The doctors kept telling me not to be scared.
I started crying and fell asleep.
When I woke up, Mikey and I were wheeled
out of the operating room together.
Janet ran to Mikey with flowers in her arms.
She looked at him with love in her eyes.
She looked at Mikey and touched his face.
<
“Good job, sweetie. You’re the best.”
The staff wheeled me to my bed.
The only person around was a nurse that I
didn’t know.
Mikey and I weren’t in the same room.
His condition was more serious.
That’s what the nurses told me because I
never saw Janet.
My teacher and classmates came to visit.
They said everyone missed me.
I smiled and said I would go back to school as
soon as I could.
Janet told me on the way home from the
hospital that she was extending my time away
from school.
Then, she bought a bunch of home health
aide courses online and told me to take them
quickly.
She locked me in the house, and if I didn’t do
well, she would hit me and starve me.
く
I was good at the basics a few months later,
and Mikey came home.
His illness made him a bad person, and his
temper got worse.
Janet and Rick had to work, so I stayed home
to take care of him.
Every day, he beat me until I bled, and I
begged Janet to let me go to school.
She said no.
For the first time, I fought back.
I looked at her angrily.
“If you don’t let me go back to school, I’m
really going to die.”
She slapped me a few times.
“You’re useless! You can’t even handle this!
You want to go back to school? Go die! Stay
home and take care of Mikey. I’ll feed you if
you do well. If you don’t, I’ll kill you!”
My ears, nose, and mouth bled after being
slapped, and I passed out.
<
slapped, and I passed out.
I felt dizzy and weak ever since I donated
bone marrow to Mikey.
I woke up the next morning and was still lying
on the floor from the night before.
Janet stuck her head out while she brushed
her teeth.
“Trying to get out of work? You’re a good
actor.”
Rick looked me up and down.
“Don’t be mad at your sister. She has a good
heart. If you don’t feel good, I’ll take you to
the hospital.”
“Screw off!”
I got off the floor and said, red–eyed.
Janet yelled out.
“Don’t be so ungrateful!”
Then, she turned around and smiled at Rick.
“She’s nothing but trash. Don’t try to be nice
to her.”
14,
ALLOT EGY TOT, IIINGY O
yanked my hair as hard as he could.
He gnashed his teeth.
“Why? I’m the one who’s sick, not you.”
“Why do you get to have hair and I don’t?”
I instinctively fought back and scratched his
face.
Janet beat me again that night.
She said:
“Mikey’s getting fat. Don’t even think about
getting pretty. You need to be as fat and ugly
as him.”
I bit my dry lip, and I said okay with tears
streaming down my face.
Mikey’s body had a bad reaction to the
medicine, so he was crazy.
Beating, yelling, and hitting weren’t enough
for him.
He started putting garbage in my mouth, and
he shoved pills down my throat.
The barmener
ASAA made him tall and strong
く
The hormones made him tall and strong.
I couldn’t beat him.
At first, I tried to fight back, but when I did,
he told on me, and Janet would come home
and beat me.
I didn’t want to fight anymore.
She’s my mom, and my mom doesn’t want me
- to.
So I accepted everything.
Mikey made me eat all his medicine.
His illness got worse because he didn’t take
his medicine, and he hurt himself.
He threatened me with a knife.
One morning, I felt scared and sick.
I threw up, and I felt dizzy.
I sent Janet a text.
“Mom, I think I’m going to die. Can you let
me go back to school? I’m sure college is
great. I want to go to college and be where
the sun is.”
She replied right away.
Of course, she yelled at me.
“Amy, die already! Don’t try to threaten me
with death. I’ll throw a party if you die! You’re
not going back to school!”
Tears streamed down my face.
I hate her.
She cut off the last chance I had.
I replied.
“Mom, you’re so mean. You don’t want me to
live. If that’s the case, I’ll die for you.”
She didn’t reply again.
A few minutes later, Mikey grabbed her
phone.
“Amy, if I die, I’m going to tell Mom. You
better not think you’re going to have fun.”
It started again.
Mikey was trying to hurt himself.
I saved his life by jumping in front of the
knife.
