They Have a Family Group Chat, I’m Not in It Chapter 02
I laughed.
Her talent for saying one thing to my face and another behind my back had really grown.
In front of my parents, she always acted like the perfect good girl.
But behind closed doors, she threw her weight around just because she was older than me.
I put up with it.
Later, she could easily “take” things from me, and my family would say I was the one being petty.
I tried to explain, but all I got was their blame.
When I didn’t respond for a long time, her voice on the other end turned teary. “Hazel, you’re angry, aren’t you? I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I just… I just wanted so badly to be loved…”
By then, she was already sobbing.
Before I could even react, Mateo started yelling from her end. “Hazel, that’s enough! It was just one IG post. Why do you always have to be so petty? You made Nova cry. Apologize to her right now!”
My heart sank.
I hadn’t done anything, and now I was supposed to apologize to her.
I gave a cold laugh. “Apologize? For what? What did I do wrong?”
Mateo was furious. “What did you do wrong? Making Nova upset is the same as making an enemy out of me. I don’t care what excuses you have. Apologize right now, or don’t blame me for being harsh on you!”
Mom’s voice came through the phone. “Mateo, don’t talk to Hazel like that. She’s your cousin. Hazel, Mateo is still young. Don’t take his words to heart.”
“And we just went out for a simple dinner tonight. Don’t overthink it.”
Her words stung sharply in my heart.
I said coldly, “You don’t have to explain. You’re a family, after all. I’m not part of it.”
That finally set Mom off. Her voice shot up sharply. “Hazel, how can you say that? So we didn’t take you to dinner. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it? I’ll send you thirty bucks so you can eat to your heart’s content!
Right then, a Venmo notification popped up. Thirty dollars received.
“There. I sent the money. Now this is over.”
With that, she hung up.
I let out a bitter laugh.
I didn’t want a family like this. I didn’t want love like this.
I called my best friend Jenna. “Is that project you mentioned before still open for me to join?”
Jenna answered immediately. “Absolutely! Hazel, you’ve finally decided to join my team! When can you come over? I’ll book your flight ticket right away.”
I replied without the slightest hesitation. “Tomorrow. The sooner, the better.”
After I hung up, I felt strangely calm.
Jenna had asked me to join her team many times before, and I always said no because it was too far from home.
Back then, all I wanted was to stay by my family’s side.
But now? I let it go.