I remembered once, during a school event, I played a piano piece on stage, and everyone clapped for me. Even Marlon said I played well. Yet Diane only shrugged and said, "Don't get too cocky. You should learn from Marlon."
Since our school was far from home, Marlon and I both boarded there. He was two years older and had a heavier course load.
Every weekend, I waited for him to come home.
But Diane never asked me what I wanted to eat when we got back. She always prepared a feast of Marlon's favorites, regardless of what I liked.
Once I hit middle school, I took it upon myself to help out with the cleaning every weekend.
I wanted to save money on tutoring, so I studied hard, chasing after teachers for help until the sun went down, often forgetting to head back to my dorm.
There was one time I studied too late and missed the curfew. I ended up sleeping in the classroom all night, too scared to wake the teacher.