4: 4
My head buzzed, and my eyes went hot with tears.
"That's impossible. This is the pay I just picked up!"
I spread all three hundred dollars flat across the counter.
The clerk said flatly that every bill was counterfeit.
The security guard marched me straight out.
"You're young, so we'll let it slide this once."
"Do it again, and we'll call the police."
White with anger, I ran back to the restaurant to find the owner.
But he only shrugged, like it meant nothing to him.
"Your mom and dad swapped the money out. Said it was to build up your life skills."
Build up my life skills?
I laughed, tears streaming down my face.
Their idea of building up my life skills was destroying everything I'd worked for, and I was supposed to be grateful for it?
I walked home like the living dead.
The moment my mother saw me, her face twisted into a sneer.
"So the independent woman finally decided to come home?"
She smiled wide, gloating. "Now you know how dangerous the world is out there."
"You're only ever safe here, with family."
Numbly, I held out my hand.
"Give me back my money."
My father slammed the table and shot to his feet, furious.
"Money, money, money. Money is all you ever think about."
"How did I raise such a greedy, ungrateful brat!"
"You wrecked Rosamund's birthday party, you come home without a word of apology, and the first thing out of your mouth is money."
With that, he shoved me out the door.
"Get out and think about what you've done. Don't come back until you know you were wrong."
"And in three days we're throwing Rosamund a party for getting into college. You'll apologize to her in front of everyone."
"Or you can forget ever setting foot through this door again."
Expressionless, I went down the stairs.
And there were Rosamund and Jude, wrapped in each other's arms.
"Jude, the idea you came up with was perfect."
"Getting Mom to swap Tilda's pay for counterfeit bills. Genius."
Jude laughed, indulgent.
"That's our little secret. Don't tell Tilda, or she'll make a scene again."
So it had been his idea.
My chest hurt so much I could barely breathe.
Because he knew me, he knew exactly where to stick the knife to make it hurt most.
I held back my tears and slipped away without a sound.
Passing a trash can, I snapped the red string off my wrist and threw it in.
Once I was out of the complex, I opened my palm.
It was the ID I'd taken from the house.
Right before the deadline, I logged back into the college application page.
My finger hovered over Ridgemont University for a moment, then I changed it, without hesitation, to Northgate University.
Over a thousand miles away.
From now on, this family and Jude were people I never wanted to see again.
Once it was submitted and confirmed, I let out a breath.
It was as though I'd come back to life.
At the same time, a text came in from Jude.
【Don't be angry anymore. From now on I'll take time off often to come see you and Rosamund.】
【You've always been so capable and independent. You should look after your little sister more.】
【For the party in three days, buy her a gift and smooth things over. If you're short on cash, I'll reimburse you.】
I didn't reply. Instead I opened the ticket app.
I borrowed five hundred dollars from a classmate.
Dragging my luggage, I headed straight for the station.
And just as the train began to move,
my phone lit up with a frantic stream of messages from Jude.
