He turned back to mom, dad and Erica, wrapping an arm around them as they posed for a family photo.
It hit me then. They hadn’t been looking at me. They were waiting for the fireworks to capture this happy moment of family joy.
Wiping the tears from my face with trembling fingers, I hid in the corner only show a bit in the lens. My lips curled into a bittersweet smile as I whispered, “Three, two, one… Happy New Year, Mom, Dad and Everett.”
Thank you for capturing me at my best.
The cold wind lashed against my wounds, each gust like a blade cutting into my skin. I pulled my frostbitten hands into my sleeves and crouched in the corner by the wall, wrapping my arms around myself, too afraid to keep watching the scene unfold.
As my consciousness began to fade, the sharp cracks of fireworks coming from the yard startled me awake.
“When did you get back? Why are you crouching here instead of coming inside? Oh, don’t say you are trying to fake another sickness.”
Everett stood over me, his face twisted with disdain. The moment he saw me stir, he took a quick step back, as if even standing too close might somehow tainted him.
I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the dizziness that lingered.