Romance

This Time, I

by Petey Parkin

On the day Grandma dies, my parents, who have both remarried, argue nonstop over where I should go.In my past life, I feel sorry for my overworked mom, Melissa Tanner, so I volunteer to stay with her. The lottery ticket I help her pick even wins her a ten-million-dollar jackpot.But once she strikes it rich, she showers my stepdad, Tristan Walker, and my younger siblings with mansions and luxury cars, yet refuses to buy me even a few hundred dollars' worth of painkillers.In the end, I'm diagnosed with a brain tumor and die in agonizing pain in my bed.This time around, Mom frowns and lets out sigh after sigh."Your dad's married to a rich woman now. Go with him and live a good life. I've got too many kids at home. There's just no room for you."My dad, Derek Bennett, twirls his car keys, his tone indifferent."That's not fair. The more kids, the merrier. Besides, there are a lot of rules at my place, and those twins from Rebecca's previous marriage are a real handful. Felix is used to running wild. If he comes with me, those twins will make his life miserable."As they keep passing the buck back and forth, I feel nothing.When they impatiently ask me who I'm going with, I silently pick up my bag and walk over to Dad.Dad's face darkens instantly.Mom, on the other hand, lets out a long sigh of relief, unable to suppress the gleeful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.What she doesn't know is that without me there to stop Tristan, he will toss the lottery ticket into the washing machine, reducing it to a pile of useless scraps.Now that I have a second chance, all I want is to live a little more comfortably before I die.

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