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He let out a snort. “You play high stakes. Typical Corbin male.”
What did steaks have to do with all this? I’d always been a burger dude, anyway.
“Is that good or bad?” I asked.
“Plainly speaking, it’s an incurable condition stemming from too much money, too much ego, and too much time.” He plucked his leather gloves by the fingers. “We Corbins tend to be rebels with a cause. Hopefully, yours isn’t killing your sister. Rein in on your personality, child.”
This was the most he’d spoken to me in months, maybe even years, so I basked in it. It wasn’t that he ignored me per se. Dad was goodabout making sure I got excellent grades, attended my extracurricular activities, stuff like that. He just wasn’t about talking all that much.
The verdict came along with the x-rays. Gracelynn was suffering from two broken legs and a minor spinal dislocation that required surgery.
She also suffered from a bad case of being a shit bag.
The latter wasn’t a medical diagnosis, but true, nonetheless. As soon as the painkillers kicked in and her legs were cast, she pointed an accusing finger at me, narrowing her tar eyes. “It’s him. He did this to me. Hepushedme, Mommy.”
It was the first time I was truly speechless. Pushed her? I’d tried tosaveher, and she damn well knew it.
“Bull crap! You ran on the ledge and fell,” I said hotly. “I tried to pull you back up. You almost tore my arms off. Here, I can prove it.”
Pushing my sleeves up, I turned to show Dad and Miranda the marks Gracelynn had left on my skin. They were red and deep and raw, already halfway turning into scars.
Gracelynn shook her head adamantly. “You tried to push me, so I fought you. You wanted to get rid of me. You said so yourself. You were tired of sharing Mom and Dad’s attention.”
This sounded exactly like the kind of thingshe’ddo. I hated getting attention from Dad and Miranda. It was always negative and got me in trouble.
My mouth hung open. “Why’re you lying?”
“Why’reyoulying?” She bared her teeth. “You’ve been caught. Just fess up! You could’ve killed me.”
“Oh, my little dove. What’s this monster done to you?” Miranda buried her face in her daughter’s neck, throwing her arms around her. She sounded like she was crying, but I bet her eyes were dry.
I looked around the room, waiting for ... what? Someone to walk through the door and back me up? There was no one in the worldwho could protect me. I always knew that, but suddenly, the weight of my loneliness was pressing hard against my chest, making it hard to breathe.
“Lying’s the cowardly way out, son.” Dad’s fingers wrapped around my shoulder firmly, warning me not to plead my case. “Come clean and face the consequences like a man.”
He didn’t believe me.
He was never going to believe me.
He just wanted this to go away for him and for Miranda, so there’d be no more shouting, screaming, and slapping.
Gracelynn, despite lacking everywhere I excelled, was still their favorite child. Thenormalchild. The one who laughed, and cried, and yawned when others did.
The painful realization I was truly alone in this world slammed into me.
Staring Gracelynn down, jaw clenched, eyes dead, I shrugged. “Sure. I pushed her. My only regret is I couldn’t finish the job. Better luck next time, I guess.”
And then it registered to Gracelynn. That this was all real. Not a part of our stupid, made-up games. I could see it in her eyes. The flash of regret, followed by the adrenaline rush. The recognition that whatever she was doing, it was working, at least for now. That she was finally winning against me at something.
But I would never let her win. Not if I still had breath in me.
I turned around and stalked out of the hospital room, leaving behind the poor imitation of what was supposed to be my family.
Later that night Miranda returned from the hospital without Gracelynn. Dad and I waited in the dining room, staring at our hands silently.
“Doug, a word,” Miranda clipped, summoning my father upstairs. They locked the bedroom door behind them. I pressed my ear to their door, my mouth dry.
“... too much, for too long. This is sheer neglect. I cannot, in good conscience, allow my daughter to become prey in the hands of your out-of-control son. I’ve had enough, Doug.”
