38.
Flashback: A Week After Esme's Funeral.
"I'm not going back to uni", I announce all of a sudden.
Tanya accidentally drops a glass plate and it shatters onto the floor. "What?" she yelps. "You don't want to finish your education?"
I do and I will. It's just not possible for me to go to U-Dub and take care of Rosalie at the same time. I'm legally her guardian now and I won't be of much use if I'm not living with her.
I don't want to give Child Protective Services (CPS) an excuse to take her away from me for being a negligent brother.
I can't let that happen. Not going back to school is a small sacrifice I'm prepared to make.
"Why would you do that?" asks Rose.
"I'm not abandoning my studies", I say. "I'll get my degree in finance and business administration as planned but I'll get via online courses."
"Are you sure about this?" asks T uneasily. "This is an important decision."
It is important and as much as I'll miss going there, my sister is more important. She means the world to me and I'll do whatever I can to give her a stable childhood. As good a childhood anyone without parents can have.
Family is everything, after all.
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