The twins sat surrounded by a mountain of brightly wrapped presents. It was their seventh birthday, and the family couldn't have been more excited. Tyler dove into one of his gifts, tearing the paper to shreds. "Whoa! Cool!" he shouted, holding up a brand new set of G.I. Joe toys. “Look! It even has a gun!” he exclaimed. He didn't waste a second, freeing them from their packaging and immediately launching into an action-packed adventure with dramatic sound effects. He took cover behind the couch and pointed the toy gun at Olivia. “Pew pew pew!”

Olivia watched her brother, arms crossed so tightly it looked like she might squeeze herself in half. "Tyler, can I play too?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Tyler clutched his toys protectively. "These are for boys, stupid!"

Her face twisted in annoyance, and she turned to her mother. "Mom, Tyler won't let me play!"

Her mother exchanged a look with her father, who leaned in with a reassuring smile. "Olivia, honey, don't you want to see what you got?" He handed her a brightly wrapped box.

"Ugh, fine! But it won't be as cool as that," Olivia grumbled, eyeing Tyler's G.I. Joes with a disappointed sigh.

She reluctantly unwrapped her present, revealing a set of Barbie dolls. She stared at them, managing a half-hearted smile. "Thanks..."

"Aren't you going to play with them?" her mom asked, eyebrows raised.

"Maybe later..." Olivia mumbled, tucking the Barbies under her arm. She sat back, eyes glued to Tyler, her bottom lip sticking out in a deep pout.

Her dad knelt down beside her, his voice gentle. "What's wrong, honey?"

Olivia's gaze dropped to the floor. "Being a girl sucks."