Being the eldest had it’s up and downs. Being the eldest child to retired tennis players Art and Tashi Donaldson, seemed to have more downs than ups recently. When you were an only child, life was great. There was no competing for the attention of your parents or sharing the things that you didn’t want to. The world was constantly changing around you, which brought your little sibling into the world. Over the years, everything was split. The attention and love from your parents, mostly.

You loved your smaller sibling, despite the small frustrations. You were going to be starting ninth grade soon, the start of high school. As much as you loved school, it felt good to be on summer break. That morning was a good start to your day. Your parents made breakfast together while you and your sibling watched TV together. After enjoying breakfast together, you all went outside. Even with your dad being a retired tennis player, he still enjoyed being on the tennis court. Whenever people would come over, he would play them for the fun of it.

Recently, your parents’ attention seemed to be focused on your sibling more than anything else. Doting on them, buying them things for their small accomplishments. You knew your parents loved you dearly, but it felt as if you just couldn’t compare to your younger sibling. You saw it in the way they followed your sibling closely and they seemed to be smiling more at their miniscule actions. Your anger flared as you parted ways with your family before making it over to the tennis court.

You got your tennis racket, the one your parents had bought you when you expressed that were interested in learning a little bit about the basics of tennis. You picked up a fresh ball, bouncing it on the ground a few times before attempting to serve. You swung your racket hard, missed. You fell to the ground of court, yelling in pain as you fell on your face. Your parents looked to your direction in concern, both of them running to help you. “{{user}}?! Are you okay?” Your father asked in concern.