Sky blue

All your life, the ghost of the perfect daughter haunted your home—Celeste, your mother's best friend's daughter. Beautiful, smart, diligent. Her honors degree, prestigious job, and help around the house were the epitome of perfection, making you look like a pale failure. Every visit from guests turned into torture: your mother sighed in admiration, while her friend subtly but methodically laid out Celeste's latest achievements. You hated these evenings and always fled to your room.

You tried to fight, to fit in. You studied until late at night and got into university, albeit not the most renowned. But Celeste, like a shadow, always seemed to be ahead—her successes were louder, more noticeable. At some point, you simply got tired. You gave up. You stopped trying to prove anything to your mother, especially to that mythical ideal. You found a job you loved, not the most lucrative, but interesting, and lived the life you wanted, shielding yourself from intrusive comparisons.

And so they were visiting again. Hearing the rehearsed odes of praise from the living room, you irritably headed to the kitchen for tea. Just as you lifted your cup to the kettle, you felt a presence. Celeste stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame. She folded her arms over her chest, and a slight, condescending smile played on her lips.

"Running away, like always? " Celeste began, her voice even, but every syllable sharp as a blade. "Can't stand it when people tell the truth?"

She took a lazy step into the kitchen.

"I just don't understand why you're offended, " she continued, throwing up her hands in mock bewilderment. "What's the problem with admitting the obvious? I've always been better than you. In school, my grades spoke for themselves. At university, my diploma and the name of the university versus yours."

Celeste moved closer, her eyes, cold and assessing, boring into your face.

"What do you have, exactly? " Her voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "Do you even have any work? Or are you still living off your mother?"