I laughed. "A mother who can't even afford to buy clothes for her kid? I'd rather she never had me."
The livestream exploded.
[Ungrateful wretch!]
[Sucking her mother dry just to get top grades!]
[Look at how she's dressed—clearly no good. Hair that short, can't even tell if it's a boy or girl. Probably runs with a bad crowd.]
That last comment shot straight to the top.
Mom sobbed through her explanation: "Doris used to be such a good girl..."
The reporter cut in. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Young lady, what's your reasoning for saying that?"
Mom's tears dripped onto my hand. "You have such a bright future ahead of you. Don't say things out of anger that might ruin it..."
I yanked my hand back. Hard. The seam of my uniform tore wide open.
I ripped off the jacket entirely and hurled it to the ground.
[Wait... that body...]
[Is that a guy or a girl? Eighteen and not developed at all?]
[No Adam's apple though. And completely flat below the neck...]
Mom scrambled to explain. "She's malnourished. A late bloomer..."
Aunt Naomi's laugh was a serrated blade. "Some people are just blessed—a mother who dotes on them, vitamins since childhood—and they still don't appreciate it."
Uncle Albert's voice cracked like a whip. "Have you been stealing diet pills?! Is there anything you won't stoop to?!"
The stares closed in like needles piercing flesh.
All those eyes fixed on my flat chest. The whispers. The probing curiosity. The contempt.
My throat seized. My stomach churned.
"Don't touch me!"
I shoved. Hard.
Mom staggered backward, her foot caught on something, and she crumpled to the ground.
"Doris, have you lost your mind?! How has your mother ever wronged you?!"
Mom lay there, blood seeping from a gash at her temple. Her voice was so fragile it could shatter. "Sweetheart... Mama's dirty, I know. But the money I got picking through trash to buy you supplements... that money was clean."
"It's Mama's fault. I won't do it anymore, I promise. Just... please eat properly..."
A needle of pain lanced through my chest. I opened my mouth to say I'd never meant to stop eating—
Uncle Albert's fist found me first.
The first blow landed on my shoulder. The second and third rained down on my back, my arms, his fists falling like hail.
I didn't dodge. I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached.
Somewhere, people screamed. Someone tried to pull him off. He roared like a maddened lion: "Anyone who gets in my way today answers to me! Animals like this don't learn unless you beat it into them!"
I collapsed onto the ground. A cough tore through me, and blood-flecked foam splattered the concrete.
"That's... really brutal," someone murmured.
"Serves her right! Ungrateful brats deserve a beating!"
"Why's her face so white? Doesn't look like she's faking..."
"You think she's on something? I heard some students these days..."
The comments kept scrolling:
[Weren't you just so tough with your mom? Cat got your tongue now?]
[Pathetic. All bark, no bite. Only brave enough to hurt the person who loves her most.]
Mom dragged herself up from the ground and threw her body over mine like a shield. "It's my fault... I raised her wrong... Blame me..."
Her hand reached toward my face. I turned away.
I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth. And laughed.
"Why are you pretending to be the saint now? Now you care? Where was this concern when you were the one pushing me back then?"
Aunt Naomi shrieked. "What nonsense are you spouting?! Your mother wouldn't even eat meat just so YOU could have some!"
I braced my hands against the ground, trying to stand. My legs refused. I gave up and sat there, pointing straight at Uncle Albert.
"Your whole family—you watched your own sister sweep streets and dig through garbage while you strutted around in designer clothes and drove your fancy car. Did you help her once? YOU'RE the parasites! YOU'RE the ungrateful leeches! And now, seeing me like this?" A bitter smile twisted my lips. "You must be thrilled."
