I Was Always the Extra Kid

I was the extra kid in my family, the one who didn’t quite fit.

My sister, Victoria, was a beauty queen, and my brother, Daniel, was the valedictorian of his high school, the smartest kid in the whole state.

Me? I was just… ordinary. The only award I ever won was a participation ribbon in kindergarten.

On my eighteenth birthday, I wished to my parents that this New Year’s, I could see the ocean, down south where it’s warm.

When winter break came, Mom and Dad proudly showed off the plane tickets they’d already booked.