Left Behind

What about me?

The middle child was supposed to be the one with the short end of the stick. Richard had it down to the very last detail -high school drop out, a pregnant teenage girlfriend, a minimum wage job, no car, and still living at home. 

The oldest child is the one to look up to, most of the time. The example to follow. The one whose life gets better because of their hard work and perseverance. The one that the other two siblings will be compared to whenever a talk about the future is the topic of the day. Alejandro has that one covered, of course.

But what's left for the youngest of them? Christian did top Alejandro's grades, but he cannot go as low as Richard did. For one, he is not into getting jumped into any gang; and two, he does not have a girl. Never has. He's stuck in the friend zone. Seventeen years old, a virgin, no idea what to do after high school, and expected to do better than the other two. But why?

"You didn't have to work this whole time you've been in school." Alejandro reminds Christian for the millionth time; all he has to do now is get a scholarship and send himself to college, something that Richard doesn't see as an option, and that Alejandro can only dream about. 

"I don't want to live your life," Christian exclaims, angry and confused. His whole life, he's had to meet expectations, and this time is his choice of what to do next. He isn't sure what that is yet, but he'll figure it out soon. Eventually. Some day down the road.

"I just want you to have more choices than any of us had. Learn from our mistakes." Alejandro explains himself. Christian wants to retaliate, be resentful, and hate him for the pressure he's been under, but he cannot bring himself to. He knows that Alejandro's intentions are the best, and that Richard has always looked out for him as well; he can't be anything more than thankful to his brothers. Still, the decision as to what to do with his life remains his; not his siblings, or his mother, nor his uncle whom has been the father figure in their lives. 

"We can only hope for the best, right?" He ends the conversation.

It wasn't always all rainbows and butterflies, as people put it -the relationship with his brothers. In the beginning, Alejandro was the typical angst teenager bringing attention onto himself in many ways that Christian cannot do. I guess it comes with the gift of being gay, he told himself. Then Richard became the rebel, another drama queen in the bunch. Petty arguments were prompt to start, and seeming to never end; screaming and a few threats to start punching was usually how it resolved, but didn't go past it. Normal family, you all might think. But Christian was always in the background. Never to be heard. Is it his turn now to go in hiatus, or to proof himself the better son? 

Mother seems to be more proud of Alejandro for all he achieved against adversity; and she's very tactful when it comes to Richard. She doesn't want to upset him, it seems like. It's ridiculous to have favorites, but that's what it looks like to Christian: Mother seems to love Richard the most, even when he's the one that's fucked up more. How is that even possible!? So what's the point in making honor roll these past three years if it goes unnoticed? Mother never steps into the school unless she's being summoned by the Principal because of another of Richard's fights, or the crazy phase that Alejandro went through. 

Is there even a reason to live? He's concluded. Would anyone notice his absence? Would anyone care? What would they do? What will he do? What's next? Too many questions, not only single answer. 

Reviews

Very great story. It left a very good and relatable message. I also loved the vocabulary you used to explain the characters. Very great job with this piece and I cannot wait to read more later on.