He clenched his fist, like he was about to
punch me.
But that’s when a tall figure appeared.
It was Ryan.
He grabbed my hand, and led me out of the
crowd.
- 18.
My stomach started growling, super loud.
I hadn’t eaten dinner yet.
Ryan chuckled.
“Hungry? I’ll grab us some food.”
I said, “I don’t know if I can…”
“My treat.”
“Okay.”
Ryan laughed again, for no reason.
He has a totally different kind of handsome
L
when he’s laughing.
But he was just feeling sorry for me.
A little charity case.
Once we were eating, Ryan and I actually
started talking.
It was from Ryan that I heard what really
happened.
Apparently, Josh had spent all his money on
trying to get this girl.
He had even borrowed money from his
roommates.
That was why he was so desperate to get
money from me.
And why did he even think it was okay to try
to get money from me?
Ryan said he heard Josh talking to my mom.
on the phone.
It was my mom who had told Josh that he could just ask me for money, “Because
anything she makes is going to go towards
getting you married someday.”
Mom, if I didn’t make my own money with my
tiny $50 budget.
I would probably be dead already.
Doesn’t my health matter? Doesn’t my
happiness matter?
I put down my chopsticks, my appetite totally
gone.
Ryan insisted on getting me some snacks for
my dorm room.
That did make me feel better for a little bit.
That night, my mom called me, out of the
blue.
And the first thing she said was, “Ashley, are
you trying to make a fool out of me?”
- 19.
“You broke up your brother’s relationship and
then you went off dating a boy. Is that how
you take care of your brother?”
<
It’s weird, because I don’t think I have ever
heard my mom be this upset for me.
I panicked, and forgot to take it off
speakerphone.
I protested, “I did not.”
“Oh yeah, you’re talking back now?” “But I…”
“Shut up! I know everything. You wouldn’t
even buy that girl a piece of cake so you could buy tampons, when you can just buy those cheap ones. Is your brother’s happiness less important than your silly girlie stuff?”
I could not hear the rest of what she was saying.
So, in her eyes, my happiness is totally meaningless.
I started to cry.
And cry.
And cry.
While looking at the sky trie
tears, I caught the attention of my roommate
on the top bunk.
“Umm…hey, Ashley.”
Bad news: my roommate saw me at my worst.
Good news: she recorded my whole
conversation with my mom.
