The narrator, Sasha, describes her complicated and often contentious relationship with her older brother, Matt. Their father, a successful businessman, consistently favored Sasha, praising her strength and belittling Matt, which led to a deep-seated resentment in Matt. As they grew older, the tension between them escalated, with Matt engaging in increasingly disturbing behavior, including sabotaging Sasha's gaming career and threatening their pet cat, KitKat. The situation reaches a boiling point when Matt's anger and frustration culminate in a public outburst at school, where he declares that he wishes he was an orphan. This event sparks a long-overdue confrontation with their parents, who are forced to confront their own failures as parents. Ultimately, Matt apologizes for his behavior and expresses a desire to change, and the family comes together to begin the process of healing and reconciliation.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Sasha, lives in Arizona with her parents and her brother, Matt, who is one year older than her.
2. When Sasha was five years old, her dad hosted a Christmas dinner party and Matt caught a falling tree to protect their glass table.
3. Sasha then caught the tree and held it up, but Matt lost his balance and broke the table.
4. Their dad praised Sasha for being strong and criticized Matt for being weak.
5. This incident created tension between Sasha and Matt, with Matt feeling overshadowed by Sasha.
6. As they grew older, Matt became increasingly resentful of Sasha's favored status in the family.
7. When Sasha was 12, her dad gave her a new PlayStation, which Matt had been wanting.
8. Matt reacted by throwing his plate of food at the wall and walking out of the room.
9. Sasha discovered a video on her YouTube account that had been posted by Matt, confessing that he had been playing games for her and that she was a fake gamer.
10. Sasha confronted Matt, who revealed that he had been feeling overshadowed by Sasha and resented her for being favored by their dad.
11. Matt's behavior became increasingly erratic and violent, causing concern for Sasha and their parents.
12. Sasha's parents left for a trip to Chicago, leaving Sasha alone with Matt.
13. Matt's behavior continued to deteriorate, and he eventually set fire to his sleeve while trying to burn a letter that Sasha had received.
14. Sasha saved Matt from the fire, but he still refused to forgive her.
15. At school, Matt shouted at the top of his lungs that he wished he was an orphan and that families don't give love or happiness.
16. Sasha realized that she and her parents had ignored Matt's cries for help and attention for too long.
17. Sasha's mom and dad argued about Matt's behavior, with her mom defending Matt and her dad blaming him for being weak.
18. Matt apologized to Sasha and their mom for his behavior and asked for help to change.
19. Sasha and her mom forgave Matt and hugged him, and their mom decided to leave their dad.
20. Matt decided to seek help and make a change, and Sasha was proud of him for taking that step.