Dad had only lived with Grandpa for three
years.
He said Dad worked hard and never gave up.
I told Grandpa what Dad had done at home,
his sadness.
Grandpa cried.
“I’m sorry for what I did to your dad. I can
never make it up to him. I’ll leave you money.”
I thought about Grandpa and Mom.
Had Grandpa been unfair to Dad, like Mom
had been to me?
Dad was gone.
I couldn’t ask him.
Three months later, my scars were gone.
I was stronger.
I looked more like Dad.
L
I turned on my phone. There were hundreds
of missed calls.
Mom had found the number. She and my
sister had sent me messages.
[Danny, where are you? I can’t find you, and I
feel horrible.]
[I was wrong. I bought a lot of your favorite
shoes. Come home.]
My sister had posted videos, apologizing.
Even Grandpa said, “Your mom’s been
looking for you. Her company’s about to go
bankrupt.”
It didn’t matter to me.
The messages kept coming.
I learned that my video had caused an uproar
online.
People had felt bad for Ryan, but after
watching the security video, they were angry
at Ryan.
[That guy is twisted.]
[He needs to go to jail!]
The thugs said that Ryan had paid them to kill
- me.
Ryan had never wanted me to live.
My old friends said I had been nice to
<
I had never been mean to Ryan.
Ryan had tried to hurt me and ruin my
chances.
People were angry at Ryan.
The sports academy said they wouldn’t
accept Ryan.
Ryan had tried to compete with me.
He started crying.
“Why do you all like him? Why are you all on
his side?”
“He stole everything from me! I’m going to kill
him!”
L
Someone yelled, “Ryan, your dad was a
homewrecker! You’re a homewrecker’s son!
You can’t take things from the real son!”
Others were angry at Mom and my sister.
“How could they hurt their own son for a
bastard?”
People dug up the bad things Ryan had done.
He had stolen things, lied, and hurt people.
Someone dug up his dad’s grave!
I didn’t care.
They deserved it.
On the day I left the hospital, Mom and my
sister were waiting.
“Danny!”
Mom had more gray hair.
She looked older.
“I was wrong.”
“I thought you were being mean to Ryan. I
just wanted to scare you. I never wanted to
hurt you!”
“I didn’t think it would go this far…”
I looked her in the eye and asked, “So, delaying the surgery and posting the video of me being tortured didn’t hurt me?”
Mom didn’t know what to say.
My sister said, “Danny… I didn’t know Ryan
was so twisted…”
They thought they hadn’t done anything
wrong.
I shook my head. “Dad died because of
Ryan’s dad. How could you treat your own
brother like that?”
My sister’s face went white. “What have I
done?!”
Mom didn’t give up.
She grabbed my hand, crying.
“You’re kidding, right? You wouldn’t leave us.”
Г
“You’re still so young. How will you live
without us?”
Mom was begging.
Grandpa blocked them.
He looked kind but had cold eyes.
“My grandson doesn’t want to see you. Don’t
bother him.”
Mom and my sister were surprised.
“Grandpa? What grandpa?!”
