Page 28 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

Sounds simple enough, right?

The problem is I have no idea where to start.

I chuckle. “Are we talking favorite color or tragic backstory? Both can be arranged, but I might need something stronger than coffee for option number two.”

He laughs. “That bad, huh? Now I just have to know.”

“Long story short, my parents got a divorce when I was young. I was raised by my mom and stepdad, while my biological father had kids with someone else. I’ve always been close with him and my half-siblings in spite of my mom trying her hardest to turn me against them. When I turned eighteen, my biologicalfather died in a car crash. My siblings had no one to take care of them. Just me. So, I took them in and became the legal guardian to two kids right out of high school.”

His eyes widen, the shock oozing out of him telling me he didn’t expect me to be responsible for one kid, let alonetwo.

“So, you’re practically a parent, then?” he asks.

I can’t seem to decipher the look on his face. Is he totally freaked out? I wouldn’t blame him if he were. I don’t know many college sophomores who would be willing to date a single mom.

“Sort of, yeah. Granted, they’re sixteen and twelve, so it’s not like I’m going around changing diapers every half hour or anything. I don’t know what I would’ve done if they’d been infants. You know, with all the crying and fussing and…” I manage to stop my rambling, TJ’s advice rushing back into my mind.

3, 2, 1.

“Anyway, that’s my story. What’s yours?”

He doesn’t seem like he’s ready to move past my confession just yet, a thousand questions lingering in his eyes. “Wait… so you gave up your entire life for your siblings?”

“I guess I did,” I confirm.

He doesn’t speak for a short moment. It’s as though he’s trying to put his feelings into words.

“You’re incredible” is all he says.

“What?” I can’t hide my surprise.

“It takes an incredibly courageous person to step up like that. Your parents did a hell of a job raising you.”

His praise stings a little. I know it might look like I’m some sort of altruist for taking care of Sierra and Oli, but just because I made the right decision about them doesn’t mean I lived a life Mother Teresa would approve of.

“If I’m being honest, I was a bit of a spoiled brat growing up. I was the popular girl, captain of the cheerleading team, andmy friends were professional mean girls. I wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination.”

I went from a rich, nasty little bitch to a struggling college student with five dollars to her name.

Becoming a caregiver for my siblings while dirt-poor humbled the hell out of me, but it took my dad’s death, a dose of reality, and a truckload of self-work in order for me to realize I’d been living in a privilege bubble my whole life.

We forget about the little things when confronted with what matters the most. Nothing is as important as the people you love, something we only realize once those same people are gone.

“Still. In the end, you did the right thing.”

I force a smile. “What about you? You got a tragic backstory for me?”

“Oh, man. Do you want the long or short version?”

“The long version, obviously.”

He smiles. “Just remember you asked for it.”

I never thoughtI’d say this, but…

I regret asking for the long version.

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