My Little Sister Spent Her Lunch Money on a Birthday Cake for a Lonely Hospital Boy—But the Next Morning, a Black Balloon and Red Box Appeared on Our Lawn

our apartment felt heavy. I was folding laundry, watching Della on the floor as she rhythmically shook an old mint tin filled with coins.

“You’re eating lunch at school, right?” I asked, my voice casual, though my intuition was firing warnings.

Della froze. “I’m eating parts of lunch, Syd.”

“Parts?” I set down a sweater, my focus shifting entirely to continue reading …