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𝐓𝐰𝐨

Burlington, Vermont.

A year later...

Disappointment is all Lilianna Alarie has ever known.

She had been born into it.

You would find it in the way she had been fed. You would find it in the way she had been bathed and clothed. You would find it in the toys and dresses she had never received.

While other babies had been learning to focus their vision or reach out to the world around them, Lily's earliest lessons had been learning what the permanent label of the official family disappointment meant for her. She always carried it with her, a crucifix on her shoulders, whenever she faltered slightly below the benchmark of their expectations.

Lily always knew she was never destined to be the favorite child, never the friend who was cherished, never someone's IT person, never the first choice. This realization had come early and painfully. In a family where masculinity was prized above all else, she had been accustomed to never reaching the level of superiority or popularity her brothers effortlessly seemed to have an abundance of anywhere they went.

It seemed as though no matter how hard she had worked, how many cupboards of awards and certificates she had filled, how many disasters caused by her father and brothers she had averted, how much hope she had wasted on all of them, she was destined to remain in their shadows.

Just a daughter.

Just a little sister.

Perpetually overlooked. Undervalued. Forgotten.

Her family's history of notoriety, compounded by her mother's absence and her father's alcoholism, had cast a shadow over her life away from home as well. The last name she shared with them had been the source of scorn and derision in her school. She'd always be viewed with suspicion and mistrust, kept at arm's length by classmates and teachers who refused to see past the stigma of her family's crooked history and acknowledge who she truly was through her actions and accomplishments.

Lily prefers to say she had managed to stay strong this long not because she had wanted to. Take her word when she says she's thought of ending it all once and for all more than she's thought of surviving. She prefers to say she had managed to keep going because she believes she deserves to know what not giving up on herself felt like, what not being a disappointment felt like, at least once before she died.

Lily staunchly refuses to conform to her family's toxic legacy of ignorance and misogyny. While disappointment was a trait ingrained in their blood, the same couldn't be said for her. Lily has resolved to chart her own course and prove that she is as capable of fulfillment and success as her brothers, even if it means standing alone against the tide of indifference that surrounds her.

At least, that's what she tells herself as she stumbles into the coffee shop nestled into the corner of Underwood Boulevard, rubbing her cold hands together rapidly to warm them up.

The jarring sound of the bell momentarily alarms both Lily and the barista dozing on the counter. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the air, wrapping around Lily like a warm embrace and chasing away the chill of Burlington. She feels the tension in her shoulders melt away as she takes in the comforting scent, letting it wash over her like a soothing balm. The gentle melody of Sofia playing from the shop stereo adds to the tranquil atmosphere, casting a sense of serenity over the quiet café.

The barista rubs the sleep out of her eyes as she stretches over the counter like a cat. "I absolutely adore you, Mi amor. You're like family to me, the Blossom to my Bubbles, the Rachel to my Phoebe. But I feel horrible having to see you buy coffee every day knowing you're unemployed and financial insecure and I can't do anything to help." She mumbles, somberly. "It feels illegal, unethical, a violation of the girl code, if you will!"