Mikey was scared when the blood came out.
He backed away.
“You were being careless. You killed
yourself.”
I laughed and cried.
“You’re her favorite. You shouldn’t die. I’m the
one who should.”
My body was no longer in pain.
I closed my eyes and left my body.
The phone rang.
Nobody answered.
The phone kept ringing.
Mikey answered the phone in a panic.
Janet started yelling.
“Amy, where the hell are you? Why did it take
you so long to answer? You threatened me,
but I’m not scared.”
“Can’t you understand what I’m saying? Are
you a mute? Reply?”
“Did you mess something up again? How’s
“Did you mess something up again? How’s
Mikey doing?”
Janet got mad when she didn’t get a reply.
“Amy, how dare you act like a mute? Wait
until I get home!”
Mom, I’m dead.
You’re probably glad that you don’t have to
look at me every day.
く
Chapter 2
Mikey dragged my body to the corner of the
junk room and piled a bunch of crap around
me to hide it.
He didn’t need to be so scared.
I volunteered to take the hit for him.
With me gone, Janet wouldn’t have to worry
about anyone figuring out I was her daughter.
My life ended that day.
I wouldn’t look more and more like her as
time went on.
After Mikey wiped the blood off the floor, he
grabbed a paring knife from the kitchen.
He made a few cuts on his hands and feet.
He timed it perfectly.
Then, he seemed to remember something.
He grabbed my phone and sent a text in my
voice.
“I’m out. I’m never coming back. Don’t look
<
Janet threw the door open fifteen minutes
later.
She didn’t even take off her shoes.
She ran to my bedroom.
“Amy! You actually left, you little brat?”
Janet was sweating and looked a little
panicked as she called my phone.
The phone was ringing under the sofa.
She crouched down and grabbed it.
“Trying to start a riot? You didn’t even take
your phone?”
She saw Mikey with the cuts and her face
changed.
“Mom, Amy went crazy. She tried to kill me
with a knife. I was so scared. I’ve been hiding
in the closet since she left.”
“Damn it! When I catch her, I’ll make her
apologize on her knees.”
Janet teared up.
I wondered how she would react when she
く
saw my body in the junk room.
Would she cry? Or laugh?
Janet got up and walked toward the junk
room.
“I put the wheelchair in the junk room. Wait
here, I’ll get it.”
Mikey looked at the junk room in terror,
clutching his stomach.
“Mom, it hurts! I need to go to the hospital. I
don’t want the wheelchair.”
“Okay, honey. Mommy will take you now.”
Janet sped off to the hospital with Mikey.
I followed them.
Mikey started throwing up as soon as they
got to the hospital.
After running some tests and admitting him,
the doctor told Janet that Mikey’s condition
was getting worse.
He asked if Mikey had been reacting
strangely to his medication.
く
She nervously called me, cursed for a bit,
then sheepishly said, “His aunt takes care of
him. His dad and I are working.”
The doctor frowned.
“The girl who donated bone marrow? She
can’t be more than a few years older than
your son. Aunt, huh? I thought she was his
older sister.”
Janet repeated a few times with a strained
smile, “Aunt! Aunt!”
The doctor asked Mikey if he was taking his
meds as he did his rounds.
He said that he did.
“That’s not right.”
The doctor furrowed his brows.
Mikey’s condition was worsening at an
alarming rate.
The hospital scheduled an emergency
treatment meeting for him.
Janet burst into the meeting, suggesting they
<
do another bone marrow transplant.
She said the first one might have failed.
She questioned the doctor’s skill.
The director told her not to question the
doctors‘ expertise.
She said she didn’t get it.
She knew that Mikey needed a new
transplant.
Mikey and I were a perfect match.
The attending physician told her she was
nuts.
The donor couldn’t handle multiple
transplants in a short amount of time.
Besides, I was already in bad shape.
The hospital tried to stop the first donation.
Janet wouldn’t listen.
She started ranting about me on social media.
She made up a lot of stories about me being
an ungrateful brat.
She asked people in her social media circle to
<
let her know if they saw me.
Her son was counting on me to save his life,
so she hoped everyone would help out.
Mikey’s roommate was a little girl whose
mom died when she was born.
Her dad did food delivery to raise money for
her treatment.
Janet felt bad for the little girl because no
one took care of her during the day.
She volunteered to help out.
The girl liked her.
She offered her food.
“You’re so nice. Your daughter must feel so
loved.”
She blurted out, “Daughters are nothing but a
burden.
The little girl tore up.
“I’m a burden to my dad, too.”
She stammered.
“I didn’t mean you. I was talking about myself.
く
You’re the best girl. Everyone loves you.”
I couldn’t breathe.
She was warm and kind to strangers, but she
treated me like trash.
A new patient was assigned to the room in
the afternoon.
It was a girl about my age.
A woman with sunglasses and a few
bodyguards burst in fifteen minutes later.
She took off her sunglasses.
It was the hottest female popstar out there.
Janet covered her mouth in disbelief.
The bodyguards stood at the door.
The attending physician came quickly.
After talking for a bit, the popstar tearfully
begged the doctor, “Please, save her. She’s
so young. It’s all my fault.”
The doctor sighed and shook his head.
He took Janet away as he left.
“Can we do a bone marrow transplant? I’ll get
L
in touch with my sister and have her tested
ASAP…”
The doctor cut her off.
“That little girl isn’t your sister, is she? I’ve
seen all kinds of liars at the hospital.
I just want to remind you, don’t regret this.
She might die if you donate bone marrow
again.
Besides, Mikey’s condition isn’t stable enough.
for a transplant…‘
“Why can’t we transplant? If you’re worried
about the donor, don’t be. I can decide for
her. And don’t judge me based on my private
life.”
Janet lost her temper.
She could barely contain her anger because
she was talking to a doctor.
The doctor couldn’t take it anymore and
started scolding her.
“We found out that Mikey was intentionally
く
not taking his medication. We found out that
he hasn’t taken a single pill in months.”
“That’s not possible. We ran out of medicine
at home. I asked his aunt. She said he was
taking them every day.”
