“Parents choose one kid over another all the time.” “That’s not what we—” “You missed most of seventh grade while your sister was sick.” Her mother talked right over her protestations. “You spent most of year twelve in a hospital room. At a time when I felt bad about everything, that was just one more layer of guilt. I had to let it go. Poppy needed extra care, and she needed her big sister with her. Daddy and I needed you there too, needed to not worry about school and homework and Girl Scouts and parent-teacher conferences. You didn’t need much of anything right then. When your needs arose,
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