MY FATHER GAVE MY GRADUATION INVITATION TO MY STEPSISTER AND SHOVED ME INTO THE RAIN — “YOU’RE ONE CADET OUT OF FOUR HUNDRED. NOBODY’S GOING TO NOTICE.”
HE HAD NO IDEA I WAS FIRST IN MY CLASS, HAD THE MEDAL, AND WAS ABOUT TO GIVE THE ADDRESS.
Chapter 1: The Ticket He Gave Away
My father gave my only graduation invitation to my stepsister and shoved me away from the entrance in the rain — he had no idea I was giving the address.
My name is Kade. The night before my graduation, I handed my father the one gold family ticket and asked him to come. He looked at it for a second and passed it to my stepsister. “She’s family.” My stepmother started listing the important people her daughter could meet.
He laughed at me. “You’re one cadet out of four hundred. Nobody’s going to notice.”
