“Come on, sis! Why can’t you let me go to the party? My friends are all going!”

Alissa grunted at the sound of her younger sister, Lulu’s, voice rising from the hallway. It had been the same argument since this morning, and it seemed there was no end in sight. For the last few hours, Lulu had been begging, pleading with her to allow her to attend an overnight party. And for the last few hours, Alissa had been resolutely saying no.

"You know the answer, Lulu," Alissa replied, not even looking up from her computer screen. She was knee-deep in work; freelancing was her bread and butter now. She loved the flexibility, but the pressure was always on. Bills piled up, and the weight of her mother’s unpaid debts never seemed to lift. There were days when the thought of getting a break from it all felt like a luxury she couldn’t afford.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, eyes glued to the screen, but in the back of her mind, she couldn’t ignore the argument she was having with her sister. Lulu was only fifteen. She didn’t need to be out at a party—especially one she knew about. Alissa had worked hard to keep her sheltered from the mess their family had become, from the debts they inherited after their father’s death, and from the judgment that came with it all.

But Lulu didn’t seem to get it.

“Please! Everyone’s going! You’re so mean!” Lulu’s voice rose in frustration, the way it always did when she didn’t get her way.

Alissa sighed, her patience beginning to fray. Her sister’s teenage defiance wasn’t new, but the way she tried to push boundaries felt like a battle every single day.

“Lulu, you’re not going to that party,” Alissa said firmly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

“Ugh! I hate you, Mimi!” Lulu shouted, stomping out of the room. The sound of her footsteps echoed down the hall, the heavy thud of her anger and frustration trailing behind her.

Alissa couldn’t help the bitterness that crept up in her chest. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was only fourteen when a car accident killed their father, and their mother, who had been pregnant at the time, died giving birth to Lulu. Alissa didn’t have a choice then. She was suddenly thrust into a parental role, one that had been far too big for her shoulders.

They’d been left with nothing but a mountain of debt. Alissa had never really had a childhood, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let Lulu grow up to be reckless.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead.

“I hate this,” Alissa whispered under her breath.

It wasn’t fair. She had worked tirelessly to give Lulu everything she never had—a better life, a better future. But the more she gave, the more Lulu seemed to take it all for granted. Everything had become an endless cycle of arguments, of Lulu wanting things she didn’t understand and Alissa struggling to keep everything together.

Lulu’s shrill voice broke through her thoughts once again.

"I hate you, Mimi!"

The words stung, but Alissa refused to let them show. Instead, she slammed her hand down on the desk in frustration, startling herself. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself.

Her phone buzzed on the desk. She grabbed it quickly, momentarily distracted from her frustrations. It was a reminder about a loan payment due next week. The debt was always there, nagging at her, pulling her down further into the mire. It was like a noose tightening around her neck.

With a deep exhale, Alissa glanced at the clock. It was late, and her work was far from over. But her mind was too preoccupied with the worries that weighed on her heart. She couldn’t focus, so she decided to step away for a bit, to clear her head before she cracked under the pressure.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

She removed her headset and walked into the kitchen, hoping the rhythmic act of preparing food would help center her. Maybe she could make something quick, something comforting. A small piece of normalcy amidst the chaos.

But as she reached the kitchen, she noticed the door to Lulu’s room slightly ajar. Curious, she paused and peeked inside. Lulu was lying on her bed, headphones over her ears, her fingers flying across the screen of her iPhone. The glow from the phone illuminated her face in the otherwise dimly lit room.

Alissa stepped inside, taking in the sight of her sister, so absorbed in her world. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. She had been the one to buy that phone, a new, expensive model, because Lulu had begged her for it. It had cost three months of Alissa’s salary, paid off in monthly installments.

The phone was supposed to be a way to show her sister how much she meant to her, but it was a constant reminder of how far apart they had drifted. Lulu wanted things. Expensive things. Things Alissa couldn’t afford. But Lulu had never really understood that.

Alissa silently left the room and went back to her own. The next few hours passed quickly as she worked, her mind constantly wandering back to her sister’s requests, her defiant attitude, and the constant struggle to make ends meet.

When she finally finished her work, it was nearly six in the evening. She stood, stretching, her back aching from sitting so long. The evening was always a quiet time for her—she would cook, and then they’d sit down and eat in silence. It was their routine. She didn’t mind. It gave her time to breathe.

She grabbed her tumbler and went to replenish it, walking past Lulu’s room again. This time, Lulu had her music blasting. The room smelled faintly of incense, and Alissa shook her head with a sigh. She could never get through to her.

She walked into the kitchen and began cooking. Egg and dried fish again—simple, but filling. Alissa knew that Lulu hated the smell of dried fish, but it was one of her favorite dishes. She cooked it anyway, because she couldn’t afford to be picky. She only wished she could make something better for her sister.

“Lulu! Come here! It’s time to eat,” Alissa called out.

Lulu came into the kitchen, grinning, but the smile faded when she saw the food.

“Ugh, you cooked tuyo again?” Lulu groaned, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Alissa couldn’t help but laugh. “What? It’s delicious! I could eat this every day.”

Lulu rolled her eyes but sat down at the table. “Don’t we have any fruits? I’m on a diet, remember?”

Alissa raised an eyebrow and placed a serving of rice on Lulu’s plate. “Lulu, you’re fifteen. You can’t be on a diet. You’re too skinny to be thinking about that.”

She looked at her sister with mild concern as she served her the dried fish.

Lulu glanced at the plate, then back at her sister, her expression softening. “If I eat this, will you let me go to that party?”

Alissa froze, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. “Don’t start with me again, Lulu.”

“But Mimi, I want to go! What’s so wrong with me being with my friends?”

Alissa took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady. “I know what kind of party that is, and I know who Camille’s family is. I don’t want you anywhere near that crowd.”

Lulu’s face hardened for a moment, but then she sighed and began eating without another word.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence. When they finished, Alissa stood to clear the table, her thoughts still racing.

“Wash the dishes, Lulu. I’ve got work to do.”

Lulu’s dramatic sigh could be heard from across the room. “I can’t! The fish smells so bad.”

“You can do it. Just get it over with.”

Alissa returned to her room, the sense of routine washing over her again. The day was always like this—filled with the small, mundane tasks of life, punctuated by arguments and quiet moments of resignation. But for all her frustration with her sister, Alissa knew deep down that Lulu respected her. She had to.

Alissa’s mind wandered again, this time to the quiet ache in her chest. It was late when she finally finished her work. She had a moment to herself before heading to bed, but the gnawing thought of what Lulu had done that day weighed on her.

When she checked the clock, she was surprised to see it was already late. Time had passed quickly. She stood up and prepared to go to bed.

But when she looked at Lulu’s room, the bed was empty.

“Lulu?”

No answer. She stepped closer, and her heart sank when she saw the pillow lined up neatly on the bed, not a trace of her sister in sight.

“Damn it, Lulu,” she muttered, her frustration reaching its breaking point.

Without another word, she stormed out of their apartment, searching for her runaway sister.