My Other Half Who Existed Unknowingly

Message (4)

Explanation 1: I'm a middle child.
That means my parents don't care- apologies, let me rephrase: they don't care about me as a person but they do care about the mistakes I make as one. My very first award ceremony was in fourth grade. My parents fully backed my older sibling in sport meets, competitions, and academics whereas I was second best if not ever second guessed. Anyway when I got my first award it was quite a remarkable one (not bragging just stating facts) and they were there with smiles on their faces as if they don't ignore me on the daily. I should've been mad or upset or a little disgusted but I was unsettlingly happy. It showed too. In my eyes, in my smile, and in the way I hugged them after the ceremony. I would soon find out the hard way that one award wouldn't change my invisibility in an instance. So I picked up 'award getter' as a hobby. I worked furiously to steal as many awards as I could. But I knew I didn't deserve them but a few awards and parental approval changed that thought quicker than the next school year could come. I would have my doubts again in freshman year because y'know new school, new competition. But there was hardly ever a competition as I swept up awards in a hurry because time was running out. Getting awards wouldn't be so easy in college. Awards awarded to me put me on my parents' radar. Smarter than both my siblings, I came to terms with that 'fact'. I'm smart, they can dance. I'm smart, they've got style. I'm smart, they get dates. I'm smart, they...
I dominated the classroom and they dominated the court. I commanded the attention of adults and they commanded the attention of peers. I cracked open books while they cracked jokes. I studied while they partied. My job was to be the smart middle child (with parental issues). I was the smart middle child. I am the smart middle child.