My Family Forced Me To Submit A Blank Paper

My family always used me as an example to teach Yvette Langley, my twin sister, a lesson. When we were little, my mom would purposely leave me alone on the street. She would let Yvette watch me break down in tears so she would learn never to wander off. My brother, Martin Langley, would get kids from outside school to corner me in an alley. He wanted Yvette to see me get slapped and forced to my knees so she would learn to stay away from troublemakers. So I became more and more timid, and they grew to like me less and less. Then, the day before the SAT, my mom gave me an order I could not refuse. “Tomorrow, you’re going to turn in a blank SAT.” I stared at her in shock. Tears filled my eyes as I asked, “Why?” Martin sat beside her and spoke as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. “Once you fail the SAT and have to struggle because you can’t get into college, Yvette will learn to appreciate her chance to go to college. She’ll work harder and become a better student. “We need you to push her forward.” They talked about sacrificing my future as if it were nothing. My heart sank. I had held everything inside for nineteen years. That last thread finally snapped. All I felt was heartbreak. That was when I finally decided to leave my family behind, the family that had always sacrificed me for Yvette. Chapter 1 When I did not answer, Yvonne, my mom, gave me a shove. “Did you hear him?” I clenched my fist at my side. “What about my future?” Both my parents and Martin froze. It was as if they had only just remembered that I had a future to worry about too. My mom clicked her tongue in annoyance. “If you’re not going to college, then get a job. Your uncle owns a cement factory. You can work there and haul bags of cement. It’ll be good for you. You’ll get some exercise.” I looked up sharply. Tears filled my eyes. Martin stepped forward. He was never as harsh or cold as my mom. He had always been gentle with me. He never seemed to think I deserved any less than Yvette. But that was exactly what made his treatment of me so cruel. He would hurt me, then offer me a little kindness. That kind of treatment left me so confused that I did not even know where to begin fighting back. Martin reached out and rubbed my head. “Come on. There’s nothing wrong with working at the factory. You can still come home whenever you want. “Once Yvette goes to college, she won’t be able to stay with us the way you can.” But I felt like I was suffocating. My face grew paler. It had always been this way for years. When I was little, they purposely left me alone so I would get lost. When I got older, they purposely had those thugs bully me. They even wanted to sacrifice my future too. “I don’t want to.” It was the first time I had ever refused them. They all stared at me in shock for several seconds. Robert, my dad, had been drinking his tea. He suddenly slammed the cup onto the floor beside my feet, and his face darkened. “We’ve raised you for nineteen years! You don’t have the right to refuse!” My mom frowned. “Natalie, be sensible.” Martin pressed his lips together and shook his head. “We’ve already made our decision. You don’t get a choice.” I stood there and faced all three of them. The broken pieces of the cup cut my ankle. A sharp pain shot through my leg, and blood seeped from the wound. But no one cared. I lowered my eyes and gave a bitter smile. “I understand.” Only then did the tension leave their faces. Yvette Langley sat on the soft couch. She ate cake as she watched everything unfold. Finally, she smiled. “Then I’ll leave it to you. Don’t worry. Once I get to college, I’ll work hard. I’ll make sure I learn from your example.” I took a deep breath and forced down my sadness before I went back to the room that had once been a storage closet. The damp, musty smell hit me as soon as I opened the door. I had lived with that smell for more than a decade, so I was used to it. There were no windows. The only ventilation came from a rattling fan that made an awful noise. I closed the door. My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor. Teardrops fell onto my knees. All I could hear was the laughter of the other four people in my family. I remembered what happened in middle school, when a group of thugs cornered me. There were five of them. Each one slapped me across the face. No matter how much I begged them to stop, they did not care. They kept shouting, “Hit her harder! That guy said we’d get more money if we hurt her more!” I never remembered how long they kept hitting me. I could only recall curling up on the ground with my arms over my head as punches and kicks came down on me. The pain was unbearable. I would never forget it. After they left, Martin showed up with Yvette. She looked a little scared. He pointed at me and said, “See that, Yvette? Stay away from thugs like them when you grow up. Got it?” Yvette nodded quickly. Then they left without giving me another look. When I finally stumbled home with bruises all over me, the four of them were sitting around the table and enjoying a big dinner together. The pain in my ankle brought me back to the present. I gave a bitter smile. This time, they had taken away my chance to take the SAT. Once again, they were sitting outside and enjoying a big dinner as if nothing had happened. I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. I packed all the supplies I would need for the SAT the next day. Then I lay down on my damp bed and closed my eyes. The next morning, I was about to leave when I realized there was no room for me in the car. My mom waved her hand impatiently. “There’s no room. Take the bus.” Before closing the door, Martin warned me, “Remember what we talked about yesterday. Turn in a blank test or write random answers.” Then they drove away with a very proud-looking Yvette. I tightened my grip on the printout with my SAT registration details and looked away. I would not turn in a blank test, and I would never again let myself be the sacrifice my family used to teach Yvette a lesson. Chapter 2 The SAT was finally over. My mom stood at the entrance with a bouquet of flowers, my dad held a diamond necklace, and Martin had a brand-new phone in his hand. They all stood there and waited eagerly. I was not foolish enough to think that any of those gifts were for me. Sure enough, the next second, they walked right past me and went straight to Yvette. My mom gently wiped the sweat from Yvette’s forehead. “You’ve worked hard, sweetheart. Now you can take a good rest and wait for college to start.” Martin handed Yvette a brand-new phone, tablet, and all the latest accessories. “Latest models. You can give your old ones to Natalie.” He turned around and held Yvette’s old phone out to me. The affection in his eyes disappeared the moment he looked at me. All that remained was indifference. “Take it. Don’t say we favor Yvette.” I did not reach for it. I stared at the phone. It was still almost brand-new, but my eyes began to sting. For years, everything I got was something Yvette no longer wanted. Electronics, clothes, shoes, everything. She got the latest models every year. So even when I got her hand-me-downs, they were still good things. But those good things hurt me more than a slap ever could. “I don’t want it.” I refused. A flash of surprise crossed Martin’s eyes before he tossed the phone aside. “Fine. Don’t take it. It’s not like I was begging you to.” Then he seemed to remember something, and his brows furrowed. He asked, “You’ve been acting strange today. Did you turn in a blank SAT or not?” I froze. No. I had answered every question to the best of my ability and completed the entire test. But I nodded anyway. Only then did he stop watching me. He turned back to Yvette and held an umbrella over her to shield her from the sun. Plenty of other parents had come to pick up their kids. My family was right there, yet I felt like an orphan. I lowered my eyes and stopped looking at them. I was about to leave when Yvette called my name. She stepped forward and grabbed my arm. “Natalie, don’t blame Mom, Dad, or Martin. They’re only doing this for me. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you in the future.” I pulled my hand away without a word. “You don’t have to.” Her face stiffened. She bit her lip and looked hurt. My mom could not stand it. She stepped forward and shoved me hard. “Who do you think you’re giving that attitude to?” I stumbled back several steps before I managed to steady myself. I wanted to fight back. I wanted to ask them why they treated me so unfairly. Why was I always the one they sacrificed to teach Yvette a lesson? Why did they have to ruin my future just to give Yvette a better one? But when I saw the disgust in my mom’s eyes, the words died in my throat. I could not bring myself to ask. All the strength drained out of me. There was no point anymore. All three of them looked at me with contempt. Then they surrounded Yvette and got into the car. There was still no room for me, even though it was a seven-seater. I forced on a smile. I took a deep breath and pushed down the bitterness in my chest. It did not matter anymore. I had finished my test. All I had to do was stay away from them in the future. The moment they drove away, heavy rain came pouring down. The other students left with their parents. My mom and dad did not even stop. They actually sped up and drove away. I looked away with a bitter smile and ran toward the bus stop. By the time I got home, I was soaked from head to toe. They were sitting on the couch and drinking ginger tea. My mom froze when she saw me. “There’s no more ginger tea. Dry your hair yourself.” My voice was flat. “Okay.” I went back to my room. The cold seeped into my bones. A little while later, someone knocked on my door. Martin stood outside with a cup of ginger tea. “I made some more.” I froze. I reached out to take it, but he suddenly smiled. “After you drink it, remember to call Uncle Ryan. Tell him you’re going to work at his cement factory. We don’t have time to deal with you.” My whole body went still. A bitter smile crossed my face. “Okay.” He turned and walked away. That was the last time I felt anything for him. It did not matter anymore. I did not care anymore. Chapter 3 The day the SAT scores came out, the whole family gathered around Yvette. My mom gently smoothed Yvette’s hair. “Relax. With your grades, I’m sure you did well.” Martin rubbed her shoulders to calm her down. I sat off to the side. No one paid any attention to me. They did not even look my way. At 12 p.m., Yvette suddenly cried out, “1250! “Mom, this score should be enough to get me into a good college. Don’t worry. I promise I’ll keep working hard once I get there.” Then she looked at me with a smile. There was a mocking glint in her eyes that only I could see. “Natalie, don’t worry. I’ll think about how you’re going to spend your days hauling cement. That will remind me to work hard.” I did not even look up. I was too focused on checking my own score. My palms were sweaty. The page kept loading. My heart pounded so hard that it felt like it might burst. Three seconds later, my score appeared. [Name: Natalie Langley] [Total Score: 0] My vision went black for a second. It felt like someone had hit me over the head with a sledgehammer. I sat there in complete shock. Yvette saw my score and giggled. “Thank you, Natalie. You were willing to sacrifice yourself for me.” I could not hear her anymore. My whole body shook. “This can’t be…” I had answered every question. I had even checked my answers afterward and estimated that I would score at least 1385. There was no way I could have gotten a zero! I needed to request a score review! The moment that thought crossed my mind, I started turning around with the thought of running to the test center. However, Martin grabbed me and stopped me. “Where are you going?” My voice was hoarse. “I couldn’t have gotten a zero! I need to request a score review!” My mom froze for a second. Then she flew into a rage. “So you were only pretending to listen to us? You never planned to turn in a blank test!” I did not deny it. Her eyes widened. Then she slapped me across the face. “Natalie, how could you be so calculating?” She was furious. “I told you to turn in a blank test because we needed you to motivate Yvette! How could you be so selfish?” I froze. Tears rolled down my cheeks and hit the floor. “I’m selfish? “You’re the selfish ones!” I did not want to argue with them anymore. There was no point. I only wanted to get my score reviewed. Just then, Martin spoke up. “You don’t need to go.” He looked straight at me. His expression was hard to read. “I was worried you would pretend to obey us and do whatever you wanted anyway. That’s why I gave you those pens. The ink only lasts for three hours.” My mind went blank. It felt like thunder had exploded right beside my ears. My legs almost gave out. I slowly looked up. My eyes were bloodshot. “What did you say?” A memory came back to me. It was from two days before the SAT, when Martin came to see me. It was the day before they told me I had to turn in a blank test. Martin found me and handed me two pens. The words “You’ve got this, Natalie!” were printed on them. “I got two pens for you and two for Yvette. I prayed for both of you at the church. Your names are on them.” He rubbed my head and gave me a gentle smile. “Get your pencil case. I want to see you put them inside yourself. That way, you’ll have some good luck.” I had treasured that moment of warmth. I never questioned him. I did not even wonder why he took all my other pens with him before he left. That day, I finally understood everything. Martin’s eyes flickered. “There’s nothing wrong with working at the cement factory. Don’t you want to come home every day?” All the strength left my body. A bitter laugh escaped me. “Home? “This isn’t my home.” My parents and Martin all froze. Then they frowned. “Stop acting like this. If this isn’t your home, where else are you going to go?” Martin softened his voice. He reached for my head, just as he had done so many times before. He thought he could make me give in with that familiar gesture. “Stop trying to be tough.” I took a step back. His hand stopped in midair. His voice turned cold. “Natalie, don’t push your luck.” My body went stiff for a moment. Then I lowered my head and gave a bitter smile. I went back to my room and took out the admission letter I had secretly received from the University of Tolonto last winter through its special admissions program. I gripped it tightly. For the first time in a long while, I felt relieved. Chapter 4 I contacted the admissions office and asked whether my SAT score would affect my admission. She replied right away, “No. Even if you didn’t take the SAT, it would not affect your admission through our special admissions program.” I breathed a sigh of relief. At first, I had hoped to get into Sanford University. I thought it would be even better if I could. So I had kept the University of Tolonto as a backup. But after everything that had happened, I could not believe I had ever thought that way. My family had always used me to teach Yvette a lesson. They were willing to ruin my future just to push her to do better. Thankfully, I still had this way out. I had just checked my admission results in my email. I told the admissions office that I would attend the University of Tolonto. Then Martin pushed open my bedroom door. He glanced at my laptop screen and froze. “What are you doing?” I quickly closed my laptop. “Nothing. What do you want?” He had my favorite cake in his hand. He saw how cold I was toward him and sighed. “Didn’t we agree that you would turn in a blank test? You wouldn’t be this upset if you had just listened to us, right? “This is how we’ve raised you all these years. You should be used to it by now.” I clenched my fist. My palm hurt. I could never get used to it. From the first time they left me alone on the street and let me cry until I could barely breathe, I had never accepted the way they treated me. But I loved them. I always thought that if I behaved better and was more obedient, they would love me the way they loved Yvette. After everything that happened, I finally understood. They did not need a reason to love Yvette. They did not need a reason to sacrifice me just to teach her a lesson, either. I said nothing. I did not even want to argue anymore. There was no point. Martin mistook my silence for regret. He placed the cake in my hand. “I bought this just for you. Yvette didn’t get one. “You’re older than Yvette, so of course you have to make a few more sacrifices for her. You need to be the mature one.” I had no choice but to take the cake. I gave a mocking smile. They thought a little cake could make up for ruining my future. It was ridiculous. I threw the cake into the trash without another glance. Martin froze before all the warmth disappeared from his face and his expression darkened with anger. “You’re so ungrateful!” He slammed the door shut. I stood there in silence for a few seconds. After that, I did not feel sad anymore. From then on, my whole family gave me the silent treatment. They treated me as if I did not exist. They took my chair away from the dining table, stopped making meals for me, and purposely left the house without telling me. They kicked me out of the family group chat. Then they posted photos of their trips with Yvette all over social media. My aunt left a comment under one of the photos. [Where’s Natalie? I haven’t seen her.] My mom replied directly. [We don’t have a daughter named Natalie.] I saw the comment and liked it. When they came home from their trip, they had gifts for everyone. They even bought gifts for the security guard and the cleaners in our neighborhood. But there was still nothing for me. I stood to the side and watched them hand out the gifts. I felt completely calm. I no longer cared about gifts, family, or their love. All I wanted was for college to start so I could finally leave this place. I was about to go back to my room when my mom called me. “College starts tomorrow. You can’t stay home anymore. Go report to your uncle’s cement factory.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve already talked to him. He’ll make sure you learn some discipline. Hopefully, you won’t disappoint me again.” Martin added, “Every three days, send me an update about your life. I can use it to motivate Yvette. Understand?” I did not argue. I gave him a half-hearted “Okay.” I was going to leave anyway. None of it mattered anymore. The next morning, my parents and Martin got into the car with Yvette. Before Martin got in, he checked the time. “Uncle Ryan should be here in about two hours to take you to the cement factory. “Remember what I told you.” My mom urged him impatiently, “Enough. Leave her alone. You’re wasting time.” Then she slammed the door shut. I watched them drive away before going back inside to pack my bags. I went straight to the airport. From that day onward, I would live for myself.