After rebirth, I slapped my selfless
mother in the face
Chapter 1
My mom was the “most selfless” teacher
you’d ever meet.
I applied for a student loan, and she told me
other kids needed it more, saying I should
care about my classmates.
When I won the writing contest, she gave my prize money to Brittany, the girl who bullied
me, reminding me not to get a big head.
When it came time to apply to colleges, she
secretly changed my application, giving my
spot to Brittany again.
In the end, Brittany pushed me off the roof of
the school.
My mom said I was a bad seed and deserved
- it.
Then, she married Brittany’s dad.
When I woke up, I was back in the guidance
counselor’s office, applying for the loan all
over again.
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Everyone thought my mom was some kind of
saint.
Only I knew how fake she was.
She was sitting at her desk in the teacher’s
lounge, throwing my completed student loan
application in the trash and pulling out a
blank one.
I stared at the thin piece of paper.
Voluntary Withdrawal of Student Loan
Application.
“Honey, you don’t really need this loan. Some
kids in our class could really use it, and I want
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you to think about being a good friend and
helping them out by letting them have it.‘
That’s exactly what she’d said last time.
Back then, I was just happy to see my mom
again. I was always worried about messing
up, about her leaving again. So, I agreed to
withdraw my application without a second
thought.
She knew I had a teacher for a mom, but she
forgot that she hadn’t given me a dime in the
decade she’d been gone.
I swallowed my bitterness and, with the other teachers watching in shock, bent down and
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pulled my application out of the trash.
My mom’s face changed instantly.
She slapped the withdrawal form on the desk.
“Ashley! Are you saying you don’t listen to
your teachers anymore?”
I forced out a couple of tears. “I’m sorry, Mrs.
Davis, but I really need the money.”
My mom scoffed. “Don’t act like I don’t know
your family is loaded. You’re so spoiled, you
probably spend more on shoes than this loan
is worth.”
She looked smugly at my feet.
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Then, she gasped, covering her mouth with
her hand.
I was wearing a pair of beat–up sneakers with
holes in them.
One of the other teachers looked
uncomfortable. “Mrs. Davis, we all know what
Ashley’s been through. She’s not spoiled at
all. Who’s been feeding you these lies?”
My mom looked away, embarrassed.
Of course, she knew.
When she left me and my dad without a
second thought, running off with some rich
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guy, I was the princess of the family.
But she didn’t care about her marriage, and
she stole a bunch of mone
from my dad’s
company when she left. He got sued and
went to jail.
That’s why I hated her.
I took a deep breath. “When you left my dad,
didn’t you take a bunch of company money
and run off with your precious rich
boyfriend?”
Ignoring my mom’s death glare, I said slowly,
“Mom, don’t you even know what’s going on
with me right now?”
L
with me right now?”
I’d seen her tricks before.
But when she stood in front of the class and
announced that I was giving my loan to
someone else, I was still shocked by how
shameless she was.
The whole class was looking at me, surprised
and impressed. But as soon as my mom
finished talking, I stood up. “Who said I was
withdrawing my loan application?”
She was trying to force me to go along with
her in front of everyone, right?
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Well, I wouldn’t.
What was mine was mine, and no one was
taking it.
Her hand froze on the page of her book, and
her eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
I said loudly, “I said I’m not withdrawing my
loan application! I told you that in the
teacher’s lounge, and all the other teachers
heard me!”
Her thick textbook came flying at me.
I should have seen that coming.
Г
I should have seen that coming.
I wasn’t afraid of her hitting me.
Everything she did to me today would
become a weapon used against her.
A lump instantly rose on my forehead.
She slammed her hands on the desk, trying to
act like a responsible mom and teacher.
“What does it matter if the teachers heard
you? I’m your guidance counselor, not them!
If I say you can’t apply, you can’t!”
There was a murmur in the classroom.
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She seemed to realize she shouldn’t be
talking like that in front of everyone. “Ashley,
you need to think about others. There are
kids in this class who need the money more
than you do. Why can’t you just sacrifice a
little?“
I glared at her.
L
She gracefully withdrew her hand. “You have
no manners.”
I don’t have a mom, so of course, I have no
manners.
I took a deep breath, pushing down my anger.
“Who are you planning to give the prize
money to?”
My mom’s eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.
I almost cried.
Last time, just to hear her praise, I’d
sacrificed so many things that should have
been mine and even lost my life.
How could I ever forgive her?
My mom smiled. “Good girl. Don’t worry
about the rest. Just leave everything to me…
Go change in the guest room.”
I pushed past her and threw the money I’d
prepared onto the table, walking away as she
glared at me.
I knew she was going to use the money to
please Brittany.
But things were different this time.
I turned off the recording on my phone.
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Then, I made a call.
As soon as the call connected, my voice filled
with sobs and frustration.
“Principal Thompson, Mrs. Davis called me in
today…”
The next morning, my mom praised my
selfless spirit in class, pretending to choose
someone to give the prize money to.
Watching the students raise their hands, my
mom started sweating.
Brittany and I looked at each other and
quickly looked away.
I heard Brittany scoff.
She already knew about my mom.
She wasn’t just embarrassing my mom; she
was provoking me.
My mom looked down at her book, looking up with a bright smile, as if she’d seen
something amazing.
She smiled. “Let’s give the prize money to
Brittany. Ashley’s love for her classmates is
commendable, and I want to thank Ashley for
Brittany… Brittany, come get the money.”
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Brittany looked at me with a smile, scoffing
when she passed me, whispering, “Ashley,
you’re so pathetic.”
I watched her happily.
I knew she was getting revenge for my
triumph the other day.
I was curious.
If Brittany’s dad knew that Brittany wasn’t his
daughter, would he still spoil her?
Brittany’s sidekick said quietly in front of me,
“You think you’re so tough, but in the end,
you’re giving the prize money to Brittany?”
“What’s the point of trying so hard if you
can’t protect what you want?”
“Why does the new guidance counselor like
Brittany so much?”
Brittany held the money carelessly. “It’s not
even enough to buy a pair of shoes at the
mall…”
She glared at the girl. “Go buy me some dog
food. I need to feed the dogs in the
classroom.”
I stopped.
Last time, she’d done the same thing, taking
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the prize money and calling me to the library.
She’d spread dog food, bought with my
money, on the floor and made me eat it.
I’d cried and gone to my mom, who’d said,
“Brittany is a good kid, and even if you hate
her, you can’t lie about her.”
Was she trying to do the same thing?
I smiled and looked out the window.
The weather forecast said it would rain.
I’d sent a message to the principal when
Brittany pushed me into the equipment room,
and I even started a live stream.
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The principal might give in to Brittany’s
family, but the people wouldn’t.
That was double insurance.
Brittany kicked me, stomping on my fingers
with her boots. “Ashley, you think you’re so
tough?”
I held back the pain in my fingers.
The boots stomped down a couple more
times.
“You’re the best student in school, right? The
smartest?”
1-1-
–
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“You’re the best student in school, right? The
smartest?”
Brittany grabbed my neck. “How could you be
so pathetic?”
When I didn’t answer, Brittany tore open a
bag of dog food, and the expensive food fell
over me, covering me.
Brittany giggled. “Eat all this dog food, and I’ll
give you back the prize money your mom
stole.”
I looked up, struggling on the ground.
Brittany kicked me in the face.
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As my lips ached, I heard footsteps in the hall.
The live stream must be going wild.
I covered my face and said in fear, “Brittany, I
don’t know why you’re doing this…”
I knelt. “Those awards were mine, but you
made me give them up, saying I had to be
generous to my classmates…”
“But now?”
I pointed to the dog food on the floor. “Where
did my money go?”
I looked at the mess on the floor, and the
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hatred in my eyes made Brittany freeze.
She frowned.
She’d been scared by a loser.
The sun shone through the broken window,
and rain started to fall.
I stood up and brushed a strand of hair off
her shoulder, getting close to her flawless
face, saying before she could push me away,
“Or maybe you know you’re a fake,” I smiled.
“Are you scared?”
