Unrepairable Pain

Chapter 1

My mega-rich parents, totally paranoid that my brother, Jake, and I were after their fortune, kept us on a super tight budget of like, two hundred bucks a month.

Then, Jake gets into this car wreck, like, life-threatening. I go begging to Mom and Dad for help with the medical bills, and they just ice me, tell me I’m being manipulative.

“Using your brother to get money? Seriously, Alex? How low can you go?”

“At least try a little harder next time, maybe photoshop a death certificate.”

Desperate, I end up fighting in these underground boxing matches, risking my neck to make some real money, and finally scraping together enough for Jake’s surgery.

But, when I’m about to pay for the surgery, I check my account and every last cent is GONE.

I’m about to call my manager when my parents call me, sounding pissed.

“That was a large deposit in your account, you didn’t take money from our company account, did you? You are truly spoiled.”

“I’m taking that money back, as a lesson. We’re cutting your and your brother’s allowance in half, effective immediately!”

And just like that, they hung up, leaving me high and dry.

Jake died in the hospital because he didn’t get the operation.

After the funeral, I see what my adopted brother, Tyler, posted online:

“Just moved into a sick new mansion! Thanks to the best parents ever!~”

Looking at this mega-mansion that’s worth like, a cool thirty million, I just stared at it for a minute. I finally commented:

“Congrats, it’s all yours now, I guess.”

1.

Stepping out of the funeral home, the wind cut right through me.

I clutched Jake’s picture like it was a lifeline.

My phone buzzed. “Dad” flashed across the screen.

I answered, and he started yelling before I could even say hello.

“What the hell did you post online? Take that down now!”

“Tyler’s been feeling sick after reading that, he had chest pains and had to go to the hospital!”

Same old song and dance.

Tyler’s classic move, faking sick so Mom and Dad would jump through hoops for him.

I used to try to explain things.

Now, I was just tired and bitter.

I forced a smile, but my voice sounded raspy and wrecked.

“Did I lie?”

“Did you even treat Jake and me like your sons? Tyler’s your real family now.”

There was this short silence on the other end, then Mom’s voice, smoother, trying to butter me up.

“Honey, we got that house so Tyler could be close to his school. It’s a long drive every day.”

“You’re his big brother, you should understand.”

Easy for him to get to school?

Jake and I went to the same school, and every day we took a crowded bus for hours. Every time we mentioned getting a ride, our parents said it was too expensive and we were spoiled.

But Tyler gets chauffeur-driven everywhere.

They wouldn’t pay for Jake’s surgery, but they bought Tyler a thirty-million-dollar house without thinking twice.

Who were their sons again?

I could feel the anger bubbling in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

My dad, cut Mom off, sounding impatient.

“Why are you even explaining it to him? I can buy my son anything I want! If he doesn’t apologize to Tyler, he’s not entering that art contest he keeps talking about!”

The art contest…

Jake lived and breathed art. His teachers always said he had real talent.

The contest could have gotten him a scholarship to his dream school.

He skipped breakfast every day to save up the entry fee.

We begged Mom and Dad to let him enter. It took forever, but they finally caved.

Tyler, on the other hand, got everything he wanted, no questions asked.

When Jake and I were sick, they’d say, “Just tough it out.”

Tyler sneezed, and they’d have a team of doctors on standby.

The memories crashed down on me, overwhelming me.

I could see Jake lying in that hospital bed, pale, barely breathing.

He kept waiting for Mom and Dad, his eyes shining with hope. And then, slowly, that light just went out.

Even as he was dying, he was trying to comfort me, telling me our parents loved me, that I shouldn’t be mad at them, that I needed to get along with the family.

He told me he’d be watching over me.

Tears blurred my vision, and I choked back a laugh.

“I told the truth, and I’m not apologizing.”

“Keep the contest entry fee, for your son!”

“I don’t want parents like you!”

And I hung up, hard.

2.

A funeral home worker handed me a tissue, whispering, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

I took it, thanked her, and hailed a ride.

Back in the city, Tyler’s giant picture was plastered everywhere. It was sickening.

My head was spinning, completely numb.

The young couple in the car with me were talking.

“Who’s the lucky guy? I’ve never seen anything like this! Advertising space must have cost a fortune!”

“I know, right? It’s like a movie!”

“That’s Tyler Stone, from the Stone Group. They’re the richest family in the city. They aren’t gonna hold back for their son’s birthday.”

“Rich, good-looking, and with parents who adore him. Tyler is so lucky!”

So that’s what this was. Mom and Dad throwing Tyler a party.

And their actual sons never got anything like it.

My phone buzzed. It was a birthday reminder from some shopping app.

Today was Jake’s birthday too…

I put Jake’s birthday into every account.

Trying to swallow the bitterness, I stared out the window.

The driver joined the conversation.

“The Stone’s rented out the whole city square for the fireworks show. Are you headed that way?”

“Totally! We gotta get there early to grab a spot.”

We pulled up to the square, and the young couple practically jumped out of the car.

I looked up. The sky was full of drones blinking lights.

Slowly, they spelled out, “Happy Birthday, Tyler!”

Then the fireworks exploded, lighting up the night like it was noon.

The driver started the car again, shaking his head.

“My friend works for the fireworks company. He said the Stones started planning this months ago. They spared no expense.”

I just stared, numb.

I checked my phone. My social media feed was flooded with pictures from Tyler’s party.

“OMG! This is insane! I wish I was a Stone!”

“Tyler’s their only baby! Of course, they spoil him!”

“He’s always gotten everything he wants. He’s living the dream!”

Everyone was so happy for him.

I felt like an outsider, watching it all from the sidelines.

All these years, Mom and Dad had pretended Tyler was their only son.

Jake and I were like ghosts, invisible.

Outside, the cheers got louder and louder.

The memories came flooding back.

There was a time when Mom and Dad loved Jake and me.

We used to be a family.

When Tyler came to live with us, Jake and I were excited. We wanted to be good older brothers.

But Tyler didn’t want anything to do with us. He ignored everything we tried to do for him.

He even lied to make Mom and Dad pay more attention to him.

He “accidentally” fell into the pool and blamed it on me.

He “caught” a cold and told them Jake got him sick.

He’d pretend to be a victim, telling them we gave him moldy food and made him wear ripped clothes.

Jake and I tried to tell them the truth, but they trusted Tyler more.

They thought he was just a kid and didn’t understand his motives. They thought we were just jealous and mean.

So, Mom and Dad got stricter with Jake and me. They started cutting back on what we could spend.

I wanted to leave.

But Jake wouldn’t. He kept believing Mom and Dad loved us and would come around.

Until Jake got into that wreck, lying in the hospital, and they refused to pay for his care.

I was desperate. I went to an underground boxing ring and fought for my life to earn the money.

I finally got the money for the surgery, but Mom and Dad took it to buy Tyler a birthday present.

Jake died because he didn’t get the treatment he needed.

That’s when I knew. I was wrong.

I hated myself for not being stronger, for not dragging Jake out of there.

And I hated my parents for being so cold, for treating their own son’s life like it meant nothing.

But now, it was too late.

This stupid party, that mansion, it all cost more than what could’ve saved Jake’s life.

It was sick.

A real son’s life wasn’t worth the pleasure of their adopted son.

This wasn’t a family, and I didn’t need it.

3.

The cold error message, “Fingerprint Authentication Failed,” felt like a slap in the face.

I stood outside the front door, my arm throbbing, my clothes covered in dirt, looking like a homeless bum.

It took forever for the housekeeper to answer. She looked surprised to see me.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like a wreck, a sharp contrast to Tyler, who was standing behind me in a tailored suit, surrounded by a mountain of presents.

“Oh, hey Alex! Sorry, I was busy counting my presents and didn’t notice you.”

He pretended to be surprised, but he was clearly loving it.

“Oh man! Mom and Dad were so mad today, they deleted your fingerprint access, I couldn’t stop them!”

I would’ve yelled at him before.

But today, I didn’t have the energy for his act.

I turned and headed for the stairs, but he grabbed my injured arm. The pain made me flinch, and I pulled away.

Tyler immediately clutched his arm, looking hurt.

“Alex, do you hate me? Do you not want me to touch you?”

“I know I’m from an orphanage, I’m not good enough for you and Jake…”

Mom and Dad heard the commotion and rushed over. They immediately started yelling at me.

“Alex! How could you! It’s Tyler’s birthday! You shouldn’t treat him like this!”

“Look what you did! You hurt him! You have no manners!”

I just stared at them, silent.

Tyler lowered his head, crying softly.

“I sent the boys so many messages today, but they didn’t respond.”

“I know they don’t like me. They don’t want to celebrate my birthday.”

I fought back my anger and stopped his act.

“I didn’t get any messages.”

“And I’m tired…”

Tyler started sobbing.

“Guys, I know you don’t like me.”

“I had a hard life, I never had a family.”

“I’m so jealous that you have parents that love you.”

Mom and Dad pulled Tyler into a hug.

They didn’t notice the dirt or blood on me, they were too busy hugging Tyler.

“Tyler was excited for his birthday, and you two didn’t even come back, it’s shameful!”

“Apologize to him.”

I snapped.

“But today is Jake’s birthday, too!”

“You only remember Tyler! You completely forgot your own son!”

Mom looked taken aback.

“Where’s Jake? Why didn’t you two come back together?”

She called Jake, but he didn’t answer.

“That boy. He’s always in a mood.”

“Just because we forgot his birthday, he doesn’t come home.”

“Alex, go get him!”

I was devastated. I managed to choke out the words.

“Jake is dead! He died! You’ll never see him again!”

“SMACK!”

Dad slapped me. My face burned. I fell to the floor.

He walked over to Tyler and checked him over.

“Are you hurt?”

He ignored me, lying in broken glass, bleeding.

Trying to ignore the pain, I pointed to the glass.

“That was Jake’s favorite sculpture, it’s our family! Tyler broke it on purpose!”

“It was dusty, and I was going to wipe it off.”

“Alex pushed me, and the sculpture fell. Why are you lying about me?”

Mom hugged Tyler and looked at the broken glass.

“It’s just glass, we can get him another one. Tyler is already so upset, you really shouldn’t bully him.”

She was about to come over and help me but Tyler grabbed his stomach.

“Mom! Dad! I don’t feel good!”

She immediately forgot about me. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Same old trick, but Mom and Dad fell for it every time.

Dad picked Tyler up, ignoring me.

“Clean yourself up.”

Mom quickly said that, and then ran after them.

I was exhausted, in the hospital trying to fix everything after Jake died.

Dad hit me, and I was covered in blood and glass. I could barely see.

I mustered the strength to call 911.

I managed to tell them where I was before blacking out.

4.

I woke up in the hospital again.

The paramedics had found me passed out. The doctors said I was just exhausted, and I was running on empty.

I didn’t have money to stay, so I paid what I could and checked out.

As I was leaving, someone called out to me.

It was one of Tyler’s friends.

He stormed up to me.

“How could you do that to Tyler? Do you have any idea who he is?”

“Do you know how much money his family has?”

“You need to go apologize to Tyler, or you’ll be sorry!”

I took a step back.

“First, I never did anything to Tyler, it’s always the other way around.”

“Second, he’s just a kid Mom and Dad adopted from an orphanage. I’m their real son.”

“Finally, I don’t want any trouble. Please get out of my way.”

Tyler’s friends started cracking up.

“You’re so funny! You? A Stone? You’re a joke!”

They all started laughing.

“Everyone knows Tyler is their son, he’s at every event.”

“You need to come up with a better story than that, you are crazy if you think that’s going to work!”

“He’s trying to get money. I think he wants to pretend to be rich and get with a rich woman.”

They all started laughing.

I shook and pulled out my birth certificate and waved it in their face.

“Here! Take a look!”

They didn’t bother looking and swatted it away.

“Who knows if that’s even real?”

“Probably fake. These days it’s easy to photoshop anything.”

“This is what he gets for lying! Someone needs to teach him a lesson!”

They came at me, kicking and hitting me.

I couldn’t fight back. I curled up in a ball to protect my head.

I was in so much pain.

I thought I saw Mom and Dad rushing towards me.