My parents forbade me from celebrating my 18th birthday because my sister didn’t feel special enough. So I moved out that night. A year later, their golden girl saw how successful I’d become, and her jealous meltdown shattered the family.

to sleep more times than I can count.”

“It wasn’t some inspiring journey of self-discovery,” I added. “It was survival.”

“I want to survive, too,” she whispered. “I just don’t know where to start.”

We talked for two hours. I helped her map out a plan: tutoring sessions, office hours with professors, a revised study schedule, dropping one class to lighten continue reading …