My brother worked part-time for ages, stashing every buck for his graduation car. Our stepdad grabbed the money in one mean act and broke his heart. We were crushed.
But just when our stepdad thought he’d pulled it off, fate hit back. I’m Sage. I’m 20 years old.
If you’d told me six months ago that my brother would show up to his graduation party without the car he spent two years saving for, I would’ve laughed and said, “No chance. He worked too hard for it.”
But people like our stepdad don’t care about “worked for.” They care about what they can take without trouble. Jasper and I aren’t just siblings.
We’re best pals. “You’re my favorite person ever, Sage,” he told me last month, flopped on my bedroom floor after another tough day at his part-time gig. I rolled my eyes.
“What about Felix? Or Rowan? You guys are like best buddies.”
He shook his head.
“Nah! They’re cool, but you really understand me. You see through all the fake stuff.”
That’s the deal with Jasper and me.
We’ve learned to spot the fake things, especially when it comes to Vance, our stepdad. When our parents broke up, it was just us keeping the house from feeling super cold. When Mom married Vance barely six months after the divorce was done, we were already doubting the timing.
Jasper said she wasn’t loyal. “I’m not saying I’m sure,” he said one night. “But the timing’s weird, Sage.
It just doesn’t fit.”
I couldn’t disagree. The whole thing felt off from the start. “Maybe we’re thinking too much,” I said.
“Let’s just let it go.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s focus on our own stuff,” Jasper said, letting out a breath. He’d been saving for a car since his second year of high school.
Every cent from his job at the store went right into his car fund. I’d watch him count those wrinkled dollars night after night, his eyes full of dreams. “I’m almost there,” he’d say, flattening out tens and twenties.
“I just need a small boost to make it.”
When he finally got the guts to ask Mom and Vance for help, they turned him down flat. “We’re not a bank, Jasper,” Vance snapped, not even looking up from his phone. “Want a car?
Work for it.”
“I’ve been working for it!” Jasper’s voice shook. “I’m asking for a tiny bit. That’s all.
You helped Sage with her car last year.”
“That was different,” Mom cut in, sounding annoyed. “How?” Jasper asked. “How’s it different?”
Vance finally looked up.
“Because I say it is.”
The arguments got worse after that. Loud and harsh. The kind you hear through the walls.
After one really bad fight, Jasper came to my room. His eyes were puffy. “I can’t keep doing this, Sage.
I can’t keep asking them.”
My heart hurt seeing him like that. “When I’m steady, I’ll help you pay for the rest if they don’t.”
He hugged me and cried. “You don’t owe me a thing.
You’ve already done plenty. Just having you on my side means everything. I’ll sort this out myself.”
Months went by.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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