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My Parents are Loaded, and My
School Messed With the Wrong Kid
01
The scholarship list came out, and my principal, Mr. Harrison, called me into his
office. Again.
“Okay, Ashley, so the school’s decided to give the merit scholarship to Brittany Miller this year. You know…” he started, avoiding
eye contact.
I practically leaped out of my chair. “What?! Why? I’ve had the highest GPA for three years straight! I’ve won eight national awards,
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I practically leaped out of my chair. “What?!
Why? I’ve had the highest GPA for three
years straight! I’ve won eight national awards,
ten state awards, and countless others. I’ve
been top of the class every semester. Brittany? She’s barely passing. Why?”
Mr. Harrison’s face turned sour. “Ashley,
don’t push this. Her dad is the VP of Stellar Tech. You…?” he looked me up and down with a disdainful stare, “You’re just some farm kid. What kind of pull do you have?”
I didn’t need to compete with Brittany.
Seriously.
I glanced at a photo on Mr. Harrison’s desk, a
く
handsome, successful–looking man with a
bold caption: “If you can do it, so can I!” That
was my dad, Richard “Rick” Johnson, one of
the richest guys in the city. He’s seriously
loaded.
Then I noticed the wallpaper on his phone: it was a picture of my mom, the iconic actress, Michelle Rose, who’s been at the top of her game for over two decades. She’s won every acting award you can think of.
Wait a minute. Stellar Tech? That’s one of my
dad’s many smaller companies.
And I’m their only kid. My parents‘ wedding
was a huge deal, plastered all over
D..
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And I’m their only kid. My parents‘ wedding
was a huge deal, plastered all over
magazines. But after that, they went into
incognito mode, keeping my life super private.
No wonder the paparazzi haven’t gotten a
glimpse of my face.
Do I really need to fight Brittany for a
scholarship?
I left the office with a casual “I’m not okay
with this. If you give that scholarship to Brittany, I’ll report this school.” Mr. Harrison
was practically yelling, but I walked out like a
boss.
Right outside the office. I ran into Brittany.
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little smirk on her face. “Mr. Harrison talked
to you, I bet. Just give it up, Ashley. If you’re
nice, maybe my dad will throw some change
your way.
Her posse jumped in immediately.
“Brittany, why are you even talking to her?
She’s a nobody, a hick from the boonies.”
One of Brittany’s lackeys nudged my
shoulder.
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Another one, practically snorting, said,
“Brittany’s allowance is probably more than
she makes in a year. Look at her clothes, all
sweaty and smelling like hay.” They pinched
their noses like I was the foulest thing they’d
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ever smelled.
Brittany strutted up to me, giggling behind
her hand. “Probably smells like cow manure,
right? She has to get up early to milk the cows. Tell you what, I can ask my dad if he
needs a janitor for the company
your parents could apply.”
maybe
“Ha ha ha!” they all cackled. So fake.
Brittany looked down her nose at me. “Ashley, I’m warning you, don’t try to be a hero here.
My dad could get you kicked out of school
with one phone call!”
I’d once mentioned to a classmate that my
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parents sold some cows to pay for my tuition.
Now, with my quiet lifestyle, everyone
assumed I was some farm girl. What they didn’t know was my grandpa owned a cattle ranch with like, thousands of cows. He was the one who insisted on selling a few to give me a “welcome to college” gift. And that
included a seven–figure sum into my bank
account.
I just stared at Brittany. “You know what? You’ve got spinach in your teeth.”
“Oh, and your breath stinks.” I turned and walked away, leaving Brittany sputtering and yelling in my wake. Time to go home.
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