"Oh, that's right. Ella mentioned you treated her to a skewer at the rest stop?" Mom's tone was light, conversational. "She really shouldn't have let you spend money on her like that."
Aunt Willow's smile froze.
Before she could respond, Uncle Victor waved his hand. "Hey, it was just one skewer. Hardly worth mentioning."
"You're right. It's not."
Mom nodded slowly, then locked eyes with them.
"But Ella also mentioned that when she got out of the car, you took a thousand dollars from her." A pause. "She said it was for gas and tolls?"
Mom tilted her head, her gaze sharpening. "I can't quite do the math. Even if traffic burns through fuel, a thousand dollars... doesn't that seem excessive?"
Uncle Victor flushed. He set his wine glass down, hand trembling. "Sis, listen... it's mostly just that the road..."
"I know road expenses add up," Dad cut in, his voice low. "But Ella is a student. She hitched a ride with family—she should be thanking you, not paying a premium."
He leaned forward. "So explain this thousand-dollar fee to me."
Seeing Victor flounder, Aunt Willow's voice shot up an octave. "Brother-in-law, that's not fair! Do you know how hard it is to make money these days? We drove all that way to pick her up—does gas cost nothing?"
She didn't pause for breath. "It's a long drive—aren't tolls money? Isn't wear and tear a cost? We went out of our way during the holidays. Time is money! And the highway was a parking lot—we were miserable too!"
She crossed her arms. "That skewer was goodwill. We aren't running a charity. A thousand dollars is just hardship pay. We didn't ask for enough!"
She spoke like she was the victim here.
"To help me save money?" I scoffed. "Aunt Willow, have you forgotten you were the one who insisted I return my rail ticket?"
I stared her down. "You said the train was too expensive. You said riding with Uncle Victor would be faster and cheaper. That's the only reason I agreed."
Her face drained of color. Her eyes darted toward Uncle Victor.
He refused to look up, staring at his plate like it held the secrets of the universe.
"As for gas and tolls," I continued, "I checked the navigation apps. From school to home, even with traffic, the cost is five hundred, maximum."
"And we wouldn't have been stuck for eighteen hours if you hadn't insisted on exiting the highway to buy that discounted handbag at the outlet mall." I didn't let up. "That detour put us right behind the chain-reaction crash."
"You ungrateful brat!" Aunt Willow shrieked, finger trembling in my face. "That never happened! When did I tell you to refund your ticket? This is slander!"
She turned to my parents, forcing an aggrieved look. "Sis, Brother-in-law, look at her! Making up lies about her elders! We did a good deed, and this is the thanks we get? Kids just don't understand—don't let her stir up trouble!"
Dad's jaw set like granite. Mom pressed her lips white, chest heaving.
I looked at Aunt Willow's face, twisted with lies, and decided I was done arguing.
I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen.
Silence fell as I turned it toward everyone and pressed play.
