Chapter 3

Lauren's POV

It was still pouring outside by the time dinner ended.

Dad pulled the car up to the hotel entrance.

As always, Emily slipped into the front passenger seat without a second thought. She'd gotten carsick ever since she was little. That seat had always been hers.

Mom climbed into the back, and Jake took the seat beside her.

Just like every other time, Patrick was about to get in when he suddenly glanced back at me.

Something in my expression must have given me away. He stepped back from the car. "Mr. and Mrs. Walt, I just remembered I have something to take care of. I'll find my own way home tonight. Lauren got caught in the rain today. Let's not make her take a cab home."

My heart skipped a beat. For one foolish moment, I thought I'd finally get to ride home with my family.

Then Emily leaned out from the front passenger seat. "No way! You promised we'd stay up all night and play board games together. If you break your promise, you're a liar!"

Jake immediately grabbed Patrick by the arm and pulled him into the car. Then, he looked back at me. "Just get yourself an Uber. It's only a little over a mile. It's not that far."

Mom never looked up from her phone while Dad was already starting the engine.

Before I could say a word, the car roared away. Its tires sent muddy water splashing over me. I shivered from the cold.

The rain only grew heavier. I waited by the curb for two hours, but no driver accepted my ride request. In the end, I had no choice but to walk home in the rain.

By the time I got there, I was soaked to the bone and couldn't stop sneezing.

Laughter echoed from the living room. My family was in the middle of a board game, and no one even noticed I'd come home.

Mom had sliced up a plate of fruit. She'd even scooped out the sweetest part of the watermelon and set it aside for Emily.

When she finally noticed me, she handed me an old towel. "Honestly, how do you always end up in such a mess?"

I took it. For just a second, I thought she cared. Then her next words chilled me to the bone.

"Dry yourself off. Your sister's health isn't great. Don't catch a cold and give it to her."

I didn't say anything and headed for my room—the one that had once been a storage room.

The moment I pushed open the door, I froze. It was packed from floor to ceiling with other people's things.

The closet was crammed with Emily's old cosplay costumes and props. My desk had become a dumping ground for Jake's outdated game consoles. The few clothes and pairs of shoes I still kept at home were gone.

But none of that mattered. The culture dishes I'd left behind for my research were gone, too.

I rushed back into the living room. "Where are my culture dishes?"

Emily barely looked up. "Culture dishes? You mean that gross green bacteria? I didn't want it getting on my wigs, so I threw it away."

My mind went blank. The cultures couldn't be moved halfway through the incubation process, so I'd left them at home instead of taking them with me.

Before I left, I'd reminded them over and over again not to touch them.

Now I realized it didn't matter. No one had been listening in the first place.

"How could you go into my room and throw my things away? Those weren't bacteria. They were—"

Mom cut me off before I could finish. "You have some nerve complaining. Your room was filthy, and you left that disgusting bacteria growing in there. I gave birth to you. You think I need your permission to throw out a few of your things?"

Dad chimed in, "Besides, you're barely home anymore. Leaving that room empty is a waste. Do you really expect your brother and sister not to use it just because you're away?"

Jake didn't think it was a big deal either. "So it got thrown out. Just grow another batch. Do you have to make such a fuss and ruin everyone's night?"

Patrick reached for my hand. "Lauren, that's enough. We'll start over. I'll help you grow a new culture."

One after another, they took each other's side. And just like always, I was the outsider.