Across his knees was a piece of red fabric.
My stomach tightened the moment I saw it.
“Ethan.”
“I have to do this.”
WE HAD ALREADY LOST TOO MUCH
Only a few months earlier, our family had looked completely different.
Ethan and Mary had competed since childhood.
Who finished breakfast first.
Who got the better grade.
Who reached the car first.
Who got the bigger slice of cake.
If Ethan got ninety-six on a test—
Mary wanted ninety-seven.
If Mary ran faster—
Ethan wanted a rematch.
They teased each other constantly.
But beneath all of it—
they were inseparable.
Then Mary got sick.
And everything changed so quickly that I sometimes felt our old life had simply been erased.
Graduation preparation became medical appointments.
College plans became treatment schedules.
Normal teenage arguments happened beside hospital beds.
The red dress Mary had been so excited to wear to graduation stayed inside a garment bag.
