Thirty minutes later, my mom got a call from
my student advisor.
“Ma’am, you can’t do this to your kids.
Favoritism is a thing of the past. Why are you
treating your daughter so badly?”
My mom said, “…I never mistreated her.”
She was in complete denial.
That night, I posted the tearful speech on the
family group chat.
“Aunties, Uncles, this is Ashley’s video for her
student council elections.”
“Whoops, sorry, sent the wrong thing.”
My aunts all tagged my mom, with a storm of
angry comments.
“This is just horrible. They’re only giving
Ashley $50 a month. I’m feeding my cat
better than that!”
<
“What is that supposed to mean? I give my
labradoodle at least $150 a month.”
I said, “Guys, it’s okay. I’m just saving money
to help Josh buy a house one day.”
My mom’s response was short and furious:
“That’s it! I’m cutting off your money for the
rest of the semester!”
My dad called, crying. He wanted to send me
cash.
I quickly refused. “Dad, the professor said I
have a pretty good chance at a grant.”
“If you send me money, then I would lose my
shot at the aid.”
And I wasn’t going to let the show end now.
I’m going to make sure she gets the whole
story.
- 15.
In the end, I didn’t get the financial aid award.
I secretly told the advisor to give my
L
application to someone who really needed it.
I told the advisor, “Don’t worry, Josh said that
he would share his allowance with me.”
So, after class, I found Josh.
“I have a way you can get back your
reputation,” I said to him.
If he was willing to give me some of his
allowance and call my mom out in the family
group chat, then I would play nice with him.
However.
Josh was about to lose it. “Ashley, my
roommates and classmates already hate me.
Now what are you going to do?”
“Are you really going to keep making us look
bad because my mom gives me more money
than you?”
I didn’t say anything to his accusations.
He snickered, and then smugly said, “My
mom’s going to give me $200 more a month.
So be jealous, you broke girl.”
<
Okay, then.
You and mom can be a team, and I will be the
villain, right?
I put on a neutral face and said, “I hope you
never find a girlfriend.”
Then I walked off as Josh was starting to say
something.
But what I didn’t expect, was that a week
later, Josh was walking around campus with a
cute girl, and I saw him at the supermarket.
He had not only made a huge announcement
about her on his social media.
He had messaged me, saying, “Too bad for
you, broke girl. I actually have a girlfriend.”
I figured he was just bluffing.
I mean, after all the bad press, who would
date someone who had bullied his own sister?
But there he was, walking hand in hand with a
girl.
I was surprised.
<
But I looked closer.
And she was not from our college.
My brain started going, and I had an idea.
I waltzed right over to Josh.
Before he could say anything.
