Chapter 2
く
Brittany’s face twisted, and she raised the
pipe she was holding.
The next second, there was a huge crash.
“Brittany! Open the door!”
“Something’s happened!”
Brittany’s face paled, and she threw the pipe
away.
She shoved me with her foot, kicked open the
locked door, and glared at Principal
Thompson, who was standing there, winded.
“What’s the big deal? What’s going on?”
<
The police officer behind Brittany’s eyes
narrowed.
I stared at the male officer behind her, and he
looked vaguely familiar.
But the principal stopped the cop from
speaking and put his arm around Brittany,
pulling her out of the camera’s view. He gave
me a dark look as the female cop helped me
- up.
The female cop looked to be in her late
forties. When she saw the bruises on my arms
and legs under my uniform, she shook her
head sadly. “What is this world coming to?”
The male cop loomed over me, then chuckled.
“You’ve got guts!”
The female officer looked confused.
The male officer took the phone, which had
been shut off, and handed it back to me. He
seemed genuinely impressed. “You thought
you could use social media to get Brittany in
trouble? You’ve got another thing coming.”
I finally realized where I’d seen that cop
before.
Last time, when I couldn’t take Brittany’s
bullying anymore, I went to the police station, covered in bruises. My mom was no help.
く
But they couldn’t open a case because there
wasn’t enough evidence. I ran out of the
station crying, and he was standing at the
door, laughing at my naive dreams.
He’d told me Brittany was her father’s
favorite daughter.
Even if she committed murder, Brittany’s
father would protect her.
I was devastated and hopeless, and after
hearing his words, I couldn’t even imagine
fighting back.
But now that I thought about it, why would a
Inau
miah ah ah ha ah
cop know so much about these rich–people
secrets?
From gossip?
No way.
Outsiders didn’t even know how many kids
the Brittany’s family had.
So how…?
A crazy thought popped into my head.
I didn’t take the female cop’s hand.
I leaned against the old equipment rack and
<
limped over to the male cop.
My warm breath tickled his ear. “Whether
Mr.Brittany likes Brittany or not doesn’t
matter. What matters is that Mr.Brittany is a
businessman…”
“Which is more important, profit or family?
Who knows?”
I smiled and walked out of the equipment
room.
Brittany’s bullying was big news. I heard the
Brittany’s family’s stock prices were dropping
fast. But the craziest thing was the
speculation about Brittany’s parentage.
く
I didn’t know if that cop had leaked the
conversation, but the words “cuckoo’s egg”
were on the front page the next morning.
I even heard the paparazzi had taken pictures
of Brittany getting a DNA test.
But the Brittany’s family had been silent
lately.
It was the calm before the storm.
Sure enough, the Brittany’s family announced
they were looking for a lost relative.
Brittany dropped out of school that day.
く
After that, my mom’s mood was visibly worse.
Without Brittany as the “middleman,” my mom
had fewer chances to see Mr.Brittany, which
meant she had less of a chance of becoming
his wife.
And it was all my fault.
1
guess she couldn’t figure out why her
daughter, who used to be so easy to
manipulate, had suddenly become so strong
and even taken down her source of power.
So she’d been targeting me lately.
In front of my classmates, we were the
L
perfect teacher and student. But in private,
we hated each other. It was driving me crazy.
I figured my mom was about to snap.
Two weeks after Brittany left, she found me
and gave me a “warning.”
“The regional science competition finals are
coming up. I hope you don’t go. There’ll be
consequences.”
I knew she was the chaperoning teacher for
the competition.
And I knew the Brittany’s family were the
sponsors.
L
That meant she had a good chance of seeing
Mr.Brittany during the seven–day competition.
She was doing whatever she could to stop me
from ruining her plans.
My mom giggled. “I think you’re smart enough
to know what could happen during the
competition. So I’ve given your application to
Cindy. The school sent it in yesterday.”
I smiled.
I knew she’d do this. I knew her too well.
I faked a smile. “The science competition
takes up a lot of time, and with the finals
<
coming up, I want to focus on studying. So if
nothing else comes up, I won’t be going to
the science competition…”
I watched my mom raise her eyebrows in
surprise.
She must have been wondering why I was
being so cooperative.
I smiled. “See you later, Mom.”
When I opened the door, Cindy was standing
there, stunned.
When she saw me standing in line, my mom’s
warm smile disappeared and was replaced by
anger.
My mom grabbed my arm and dragged me to
the back of the bus. “You said you weren’t
coming! Who gave you this application?”
She stared at the paper in my hand.
I smiled and opened the crumpled paper.
It was a letter of acceptance to college.
My acceptance letter had actually come
through before Brittany’s bullying scandal, but
I was afraid my mom would do something
sneaky, so I asked the principal to keep it
safe for a while.
It looked like I’d made the right decision.
The Brittany’s family had given up on Brittany,
so the principal no longer had any reason to
take Brittany’s family and my mom’s side.
I giggled. “My acceptance letter came in, and
there’s no point in staying at school, so I
asked the principal if I could go to the
science competition for fun.”
I was enjoying my mom’s face. “Maybe I can
even win first place at the science
competition for our school.”
It wasn’t bragging. Last time, I was targeted
by her and Brittany, and I was almost sent to
<
someone’s bed during the competition. But I
still managed to get third place.
This time, Brittany was gone, I knew what to
expect from my mom, and the principal had
my back. Why shouldn’t I go to the science
competition?
Plus…there was a lot of prize money.
The teacher passing by laughed. “Ashley’s
pretty confident. I thought your guidance
counselor wasn’t taking anyone else after she
entered Cindy. When did she add you?”
The teacher looked at my mom and walked
away, chuckling.
L
My mom, who hadn’t said a word, raised her
hand, trying to assert her authority like she
used to.
But I wasn’t a good kid anymore.
I stopped her hand and pushed her away.
My mom stumbled back, her heels sinking
into the mud, ruining her dress.
I looked at her, amused, and made a circle in
the air with my left hand, then clenched it into
a fist.
My mom’s face changed.
<
That was what Brittany had always done to
- me.
You can’t escape.
When we checked into the hotel, my mom
and I were assigned the nicest room with a
king–sized bed. But when she saw Cindy’s
miserable face, she cleared her throat.
“Ashley, you’re going to switch rooms with
Cindy.”
The happy chatter stopped.
The teacher who had been comforting me
frowned. “Why does Ashley have to switch
L
with Cindy? Didn’t everyone pick their own
room?”
My mom was used to getting her way. She
ignored the teacher’s question and just stared
at me. “Ashley, are you not listening to me?”
Before anyone could speak, the other person
in the room spoke up angrily. “Mrs. Davis,
aren’t you Ashley’s mom? Why are you being
so awful to her?”
The other students and teachers looked at me
in surprise.
Cindy stood in front of me, glaring at my
mom. “Are you willing to abandon your
<
daughter for your reputation? First it was
Ashley’s loan, then it was her prize money,
and now you’re taking away her spot in the
competition…”
Cindy glared at her as my mom’s face got
worse and worse. “If you really want to be
seen as a good teacher, don’t be generous
with other people’s stuff! Why don’t you tell
everyone how I got into the science
competition?”
I stared at Cindy in surprise.
She was smaller than me.
This was the first time someone had stood up
<
for me without hesitation.
My mom didn’t know what to say.
Hearing the whispers around her, my mom
glared at us and threw her room card at
another teacher, dragging her luggage.
The curious eyes didn’t go away.
Cindy bit her lip and looked at me
apologetically.
Finally, she looked down at her shoes and
whispered, “I’m sorry.”
It was the first time I’d heard someone
apologize to me since my mom had come
back.
She took my luggage and slipped a piece of
paper into my hand as she walked past.
I looked at the paper.
“I’m sorry.”
I burst into tears.
When the science competition started, I saw
my mom looking at the front of the audience,
where Mr.Brittany was sitting.
I saw the same cop I’d seen before.
く
He saw me looking at him and smiled.
I guessed right.
I looked away, satisfied.
My mom’s face was flushed.
Mr.Brittany looked at her.
I laughed.
She thought she could be a rich wife?
She was dreaming.
My mom was wearing a fancy dress, with
L
scales that sparkled under the lights. Her
jewelry looked out of place.
The dress had caused some discontent when
she entered the door, from some of the
parents.
But I didn’t tell her anything.
It was her business, not mine.
At the same time, I sent out the files I’d prepared.
By the time the competition was over, the
news would break.
<
I watched my mom, and Cindy’s face showed
worry as I took her hand and went to join the
team on stage.
Cindy asked me what was wrong.
I smiled at her. “Nothing.
“It’s going to get interesting soon.”
In the first round of the science competition,
Cindy and I won first place with our self-
driving energy–efficient aircraft.
As we left the stage, my mom stormed up to
me and slapped me in front of the host.
L
<
The host pushed my mom away. “What do
you think you’re doing!”
My mom shoved her phone in my face.
I took a step back.
Was she going to try to kill me with her
phone?
My mom’s eyes were red.
She was angry.
“Ashley! Did you do this?”
I looked at the trending topic and smiled.
<
Cindy had found a great PR firm.
I pretended to be confused. “What are you
talking about, Mrs. Davis?”
It was an anonymous post.
The “mom” who’d been biased in the
Brittany’s family case had finally come to
light.
The people online were angry, and some had
called the school to find out if it was true. My
mom could only stand there, scowling. Not
even the principal would help her this time.
After all, cheating, abandoning her kid, and
<
running off with money didn’t sound like
something a good teacher would do.
Especially since she’d helped the bullies pick
on her own kid.
I started to cry. “I don’t know who did this!
After you threatened me in the teacher’s
lounge, I never told anyone you were my
mom.”
I gasped, covering my mouth in shock.
The comments on the screen were scrolling
fast.
“Seriously? There are parents who don’t love
<
their kids?”
“Why isn’t the school saying anything? Is this
what all the teachers are like?”
“I can’t imagine what this kid must be going
through. Especially since her own mom is
helping the bullies pick on her…”
My mom gritted her teeth. “Who else could it
be but you?”
I dropped to my knees.
“Mom! I didn’t do this! Please don’t take away
my scholarship and my spot in the
competition! I don’t want to give away what’s
く
mine!”
I cried as I looked at my mom.
“Mom, please…”
When I smelled something weird in the room, I
knew it was almost over.
My conversation with my mom had caused a stir online. Everyone was criticizing her.
Some people had even dug up dirt about her running off with a rich guy and messing
around with old men in the city.
Any of those stories would ruin her.
<
I didn’t know who she’d contacted Brittany
through, but I knew that person had ulterior
motives.
She made the same choice she had last time.
She drugged me.
I quickly put a handkerchief over my nose and
snuck into the bathroom, turning on the
ventilation.
A moment later, the door was kicked open.
The man was breathing heavily and looking
around the living room and bedroom. When
he saw I wasn’t there, he kicked over the
L
coffee table and turned to leave.
Before I could grab the pipe I’d prepared,
there was a loud crash at the door and a
woman’s scream.
I pushed open the door.
Some Mr.Brittany was standing there with a
baseball bat, and Cindy and a few teachers
were behind him, looking relieved when they
saw I was okay.
I was confused.
Mr.Brittany picked up the man and threw him
onto the bed.
<
He looked at me and laughed. “We’re even
now.”
I knew what he was talking about.
I reminded him to come back to his biological
family, and he’d helped me clear the way.
We helped each other out.
Hearing footsteps in the hall, Cindy and I
looked at each other and dragged the
teachers into the bathroom.
A shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.
It was my mom!
<
The teachers gasped, looking at me.
I was standing near the door, looking cold. I
turned to Cindy, who was still shaking. “Are
you ready?”
Cindy gulped and nodded.
I took the handkerchief and kicked open the
bathroom door.
“Charge!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
I knew things had worked out.
<
The teachers who didn’t like my mom agreed
to keep everything they’d seen a secret.
Hearing the screams upstairs, the teachers
stood up and looked at the person who was
starting a live stream. “What’s that sound?”
The director was sweating.
Cindy and I ran upstairs.
But when we got there, the door was blocked
by people. Cindy and I pushed our way
through and saw my mom rolling around the
living room, almost naked. There was a strong
smell of chemicals.
<
Most of the people there were adults. They
knew what had happened.
The director got a bucket of cold water and
dumped it over my mom’s head.
My mom shuddered and looked around.
Her face changed.
She covered herself and tried to crawl behind
the couch. But when she saw me, her eyes
turned hateful.
She lunged at me. “Ashley! You little bitch!
You set me up!”
く
I screamed and hid behind Mr.Brittany,
trembling. “I was standing at the door with
the teachers! How did I set you up?”
Mr.Brittany frowned, looking at my mom with
anger.
He probably knew about my mom and
Brittany.
My mom screamed. “Who else could it be? You were supposed to be the one lying here. Why is it me? Who else could have done it?”
The teacher frowned. “How do you know Ashley was supposed to be lying here?”
<
The director realized what had happened.
My mom was angry because her plan had
backfired.
That’s what everyone thought.
But I had helped things along.
I looked at my mom, tears in my eyes. “I don’t
know anything, Mom. Didn’t you tell me to
give a guy named Brittany some alcohol and a
room card? Why are you here?”
I looked at the man on the ground and took a
few steps forward. “Mr.Brittany! Wake up…
Mr.Brittany looked up at me, and realized the
entire thing. then Mr.Brittany’s face was cold.
After seeing my mom, he stormed away and I
had a feeling their relationship was over.
The man woke up.
When he saw my mom and me, he looked
shocked. He picked up the vase and threw it
at my mom.
“You bitch!”
“You promised I could have your daughter if I gave you Mr.Brittany room card! What
happened?”
“You liar!”
My mom didn’t even bother covering herself.
She stood on the broken glass and fought the
man, who was bigger than her.
I looked at my mom in disappointment. “Mom!
Is that true?”
My mom kicked the man.
Then she glared at me, her face covered in
blood. “Yes! I was going to send you to his
bed! If it wasn’t for you and your loser dad, I
wouldn’t have had so many problems. I
would’ve been a rich wife and I wouldn’t have
to be nice to that Brittany.”
I sobbed. “I thought you came back because
you wanted to see me, but the first thing you
did was make me give away my loan.
Everyone says you’re selfless, but why do I
have to pay the price for your selflessness?”
“I thought if I was good, we could work things
out. Why do you keep targeting me?”
Tears streamed down my face, and I felt dead
inside.
I didn’t expect anything from her.
My mom scoffed. “You and your dad are both
losers! I left your dad for a better life! Your dad had to stay with that failing company. I
Join the bookshelf
く
couldn’t even hold my head up in public.”
I didn’t know where she got the idea she
couldn’t hold her head up.
My dad had loved her for so many years.
After they got married, he treated her so well.
He couldn’t buy a nice suit for himself, but he
bought her expensive dresses.
Was that not being able to hold your head
up?
I closed my eyes, giving up the act.
My mom’s screams were replaced by the
commotion in the hallway.
L
The principal was behind the police, looking
at my mom.
I didn’t say a word.
The principal threw a file at my mom. “Look
what you’ve done! You’ve embarrassed our
school!”
I turned and walked away.
Embezzling, helping someone hurt others, bullying…
The people wouldn’t forgive her.
The law wouldn’t, either.
く
My mom went to jail.
I looked at her, feeling nothing.
Cindy stood next to me, watching the police
car.
Tears streamed down my face.
The pain, anger, and confusion from last time
turned into tears. I grabbed Cindy’s hand and knelt on the ground, sobbing.
The media took pictures.
But no one knew what I was crying about.
turned into tears. I grabbed Cindy’s hand and
knelt on the ground, sobbing.
The media took pictures.
But no one knew what I was crying about.
I was crying about my dark past, about my
future.
I wasn’t her sacrifice.
I wasn’t her stepping stone for “love.”
The past came to life.
The sun shone through the clouds.
