"Grace, come on, don't cry. I swear, I won't mess up like that again. From now on, I'm gonna live right," my little brother said.

"You don't know shit," my mom snapped, "Sometimes a good cry is what she needs to feel better."

And just like that, my heart felt warm. I didn't realize how starved for love I was until that moment.

"I'm okay," I said with a forced smile.

I wiped away my tears and looked up to see my dad standing nearby, looking ...