After my birthday, I did everything I could to
keep Dad at home.
I didn’t want him to be out when he was
supposed to be out last time.
I stopped the accident, but I couldn’t stop the
divorce.
Except, this time, Dad asked for it.
Mom went crazy, screaming and yelling like
always.
Dad was cool, though.
He said he wanted a divorce.
We were all surprised.
r
Mom bit back everything she was thinking,
and said, “Fine! I want to get divorced!”
They went straight to the courthouse.
However, when it came to figuring out who
was going to take care of me and Sarah,
Mom chose… me.
Sarah started crying, but she ignored it.
I hadn’t expected that at all.
I thought she liked Sarah better. Why would
she pick me?
Dad just stood there and accepted it.
Before he left, he patted my head. “I’ll keep
you safe this time.”
I was confused.
Later, I figured out why Mom wanted me.
Mom had to tell me she was going to send
me back to public school.
)
She still wanted Sarah to have the best
things.
I thought she was actually going to change
something.
So, like before, I went back to public school.
She dumped me off with Grandma, and I
never saw her.
Grandma started beating me again. She
thought I was a parasite, sucking all her
money away.
Then I heard her on the phone one day. Mom.
had a good job, and she met someone new.
She was even saving money for Sarah to buy
a house later.
That’s why she gave Grandma less and less
money
She needed it for Sarah.
If it wasn’t for the money Dad sent me,
wouldn’t have made it past high school.
|
Then I saw Sarah again when I was in college.
I was an officer of the student council, and I
was doing dorm checks for incoming
freshmen. Sarah was getting some friends to
lock a girl in the bathroom.
“Please let me out! I have to give this.
scholarship form to the advisor!”
The girl was yelling, but Sarah was being
worshipped like a god.
“A couple thousand dollars? That wouldn’t
even buy Sarah’s shoes…”
“How did I get stuck in a dorm room with this
poor girl? What a jinx!”
“If you want that scholarship money, your
better kneel down to Sarah and apologize. If
Sarah is happy, then she’ll unlock the door for
く
you.”
Chapter 2
A scholarship application.
I glanced at my phone.
Freshmen could fill it out as soon as they
started.
It was meant to give a little help to students
who were struggling financially.
But today at 3 PM was the deadline, and if
the girl didn’t hand in the form, she wouldn’t
be able to get any help for the whole school
year.
“Dorm check! What’s going on in here?” Lynn,
my best friend, rapped her knuckles on the
desk.
The girls finally noticed us.
When Sarah saw me, she flinched a little, but
covered it up fast.
Everyone whispered when they saw us
together.
“What are you doing?” I asked Sarah.
Sarah’s eyes darted around.
She plastered a fake smile on her face.
“Ashley! What a surprise!” she gushed, like
she hadn’t seen me in years.
The other girls crowded around her, tripping
over each other to say, “You’re a student
council VP? So cool!”
“You guys look exactly alike!”
Sarah had been embarrassed, but she got all
smug hearing everyone butter her up.
She reached out to hug me, all smiles and
fake affection.
I’d heard from Dad that she’d bombed her
finals last year and had to take a year to
retake the entrance exams.
<
Somehow she had gotten into my college.
I sidestepped the hug, and asked again, a
little sharper this time:
“What are you doing?”
Sarah blinked.
One of the other girls jumped in.
“That girl, Rachel, messed up Sarah’s shoes!
We were just teaching her a lesson…”
“A lesson?” I stared at Sarah.
She gave a nervous giggle.
“Just a joke between friends.”
Lynn pushed her way through the crowd and
unlocked the bathroom.
Rachel stumbled out, sobbing.
She immediately dropped to her knees in
front of Sarah, begging for her application
form back.
<
Rachel was really giving it her all.
Sarah glanced at me, looking like she wanted
to say something.
I already saw the torn–up form in the trash
can.
I helped Rachel up and told Lynn to take her
to the headmaster’s office.
After checking their dorm room, I turned to
Sarah.
“Remember that stuffed bunny we fought
over when we were five?”
Sarah’s smile disappeared.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she mumbled.
“I mean, nobody’s going to coddle you here.
And neither am I.”
