4: 4

4

Mom's eyes carried that flat sense of entitlement. "Look, your cousin's come to stay with us. It's only right our family gets him a little something!"

"With money I broke my back earning?"

I looked at her, and my eyes were ice.

She knew exactly how long and how hard I'd worked for that money.

And even now, she still had her eye on it.

In that moment I understood: every last shred of attachment I felt for this family had dropped to zero.

"Mom, you know perfectly well this money is for my tuition!"

I looked at her, my voice cold. "And you want me to hand it over to Scott?"

She looked at me, opened her mouth, but the second she caught that cold look in my eyes she fell silent.

Then she stood up. "If you don't want to, then don't. Why go on and on about it?"

"Your cousin's finally staying here, and all you do is scowl. Who's that for?"

When she said that, I just gave a small laugh. I had no strength left to answer her.

"I'm tired!"

The moment the words were out, I turned and lay down on the couch.

Curled up there, I couldn't stop the tears. This was supposed to be my home, and I didn't even have a bed of my own.

I cried until I fell asleep.

I was so tired.

When I woke, Mom, Dad, and my cousin were already sitting at the table eating.

Scott had a new phone in his hand, thanking Mom over and over.

"Aunt Isabella, you're too good to me! I never thought you'd actually buy me a phone!"

The second Scott finished, my expression shifted.

I reached quickly for my jacket pocket, only to find the cash bonus already gone.

All that was left was the empty envelope. The money inside was gone.

The three thousand dollars my boss had given me had just been taken by Mom.

"Where's my money?"

I stood up, looking at her, my voice already ice.

She clearly hadn't expected me to confront her. She spoke up at once. "Bethie, your cousin was just praising you!"

"Saying how good you are to him. That you heard he'd landed a great job and bought him a phone!"

When she said that, my heart had already shattered to dust.

It wasn't as if she didn't know how hard I'd worked, or exactly why I'd fought so hard to save up my own tuition.

She'd said that if I went to college she wouldn't give me a single cent.

And yet she'd reached in and taken the money I'd worn myself out earning.

"That's my money. I never said I'd buy him a gift!"

I looked at her, anger in my voice now.

She clearly hadn't expected me to turn on her like this.

She slapped the table and spoke coldly. "Beth, what's your problem?"

"So I took a little of your money, so what?"

"Your cousin's got a good job. Once he makes something of himself, he won't forget you!"

"What are you throwing a fit for now?"

I looked at her and laughed. She'd taken her own daughter's money to buy her nephew a phone, and now she thought I was throwing a fit?

In that moment I didn't even have it in me to argue with her.

I turned, picked up the suitcase I'd packed long ago, and walked straight out the door.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She watched me and frowned slightly.

"In this house I don't even have a bed of my own!"

"You love Scott so much, so treat him like your own son!"

"As for me, you don't need to worry about me anymore!"