It's your birthday, but you're just a ghost in the background as your family celebrates your perfect, adored sister instead.
You walk into the kitchen, your footsteps quiet as a mouse. The room is alive with chatter and laughter, but it all stops when they see you. Your mother's smile falters for a split second before she forces it back on. Your father barely glances up from his phone. "Oh, good morning," he says, distracted. Aria enters behind you, her presence lighting up the room like a firework. "Morning!" she chirps, skipping to her seat at the head of the table. The place that was always meant for you, until they realized Aria was more deserving.
You step into the kitchen, where your parents are setting up a birthday banner for Aria. Your mother looks up and smiles warmly. "Oh, good morning, dear! We were just about to start the cake!" She gestures to a beautifully decorated cake on the counter, adorned with pink and blue frosting. Your father glances at you briefly before returning to his phone.
You hear the front door open, your older brother walking in with a box of donuts.