Mom Sent Me a Bill

After I started college, Mom said she'd send me money in installments. "Lucia, you're an adult now. I want you to learn how to manage money, so I'll give you your living expenses in installments." I figured she meant monthly. Maybe weekly, worst case. Then move-in day came. Mom walked around the cafeteria, checked the prices, and sent $8 to my payment app. I stared at my phone. "Mom, did you send the wrong amount?" She smiled. "Silly girl. That's your lunch money for today. I checked already. Just get the cheapest grab-and-go meal. "From now on, ask me for money before each meal." I froze. So by installments, she didn't mean monthly. Or weekly. She meant one meal at a time. By day three, I stood at the breakfast counter, unable to afford a $1.50 egg. Mom still wouldn't send me anything. "I just bought Ryan a house outright yesterday. I don't have extra cash right now. Skipping one meal won't kill you." The cafeteria worker looked at me with shock and pity. Her expression crushed what was left of my pride. That day, clutching the egg the worker had given me, I started looking for a job online. But once I stopped needing Mom, she panicked. Chapter 1 On day four of freshman orientation, I stared at my message forever, typing and deleting it over and over before finally hitting send. [Mom, orientation's almost over. If I skip breakfast, I won't have enough energy for everything today. Can you just send me $3?] She replied almost instantly. Then I read it. [$3? An egg is only $1.50. Why do you need that much? Are you trying to scam me?] My stomach twisted. Sweat slid down my temple. I was starving. Still, I kept my reply calm. [One egg isn't enough. I want a plain bagel too.] This time, she left me on read. My roommates had already eaten and were getting ready to head to the field for orientation. I pressed a hand to my growling stomach and glanced at my roommate's desk. A box of fresh pastries sat there, looking way too good. Chloe Quinn had the bed next to mine. Total rich girl. On move-in day, her parents took one look at our six-person dorm and frowned. They were worried she wouldn't sleep well—and that her attitude might start drama with the rest of us. I still remembered Chloe's mom, some big-shot executive, asking all five of us to be patient with her daughter. My own mom had never done anything like that. Right then, Chloe was freaking out over a hole in her orientation T-shirt. I hesitated, then swallowed my pride and grabbed mine. "Chloe, I'll trade you. But could you... give me one of those pastries?" A few heads turned. Then came the snickering. "Wow. Is she seriously that desperate for food? Doesn't her family feed her?" My face burned, but I couldn't even argue. Because once college started, my family really had stopped feeding me. Chapter 2 I braced for Chloe to laugh too. Instead, something warm landed in my palm. I looked down. She'd put a pastry in my hand. Chloe didn't say anything. She swapped orientation shirts with me, then walked out. I ate the pastry on the way to the field. Then Ryan texted me. [Lucia, I heard you asked Mom for money this morning. You upset her so much she couldn't even eat. And honestly, you need to hear this.] [She's already stressed about the house renovation. Stop asking her for money all the time. I'll send you a little. Just leave her alone for now.] I stared at the messages, totally numb. After a while, I rubbed my sore eyes and accepted the $20. 'Yeah. That should get me through the rest of orientation.' Still, I hadn't expected Mom to care that little. Halfway through orientation, my freshman adviser, Demi Taylor, suddenly pulled me aside. Her face was serious. "Have you been scamming your family for money?" I stared at Ms. Taylor. "What? No." Her face got even more serious. "You're Lucia Lyford, right? Your mom just called me. She said you went behind her back and tricked Ryan into sending you money. "Scams are everywhere now. If you're in trouble, talk to your family first. If you can't, come to me. Just don't do anything illegal." My blood went cold. So that was what Mom had done. I'd taken Ryan's money, sure. But I hadn't tricked him. I quickly pulled up our texts. "Ms. Taylor, I swear I didn't scam him." She read the messages, then blinked. "Twenty bucks?" I nodded. Right then, Ryan called. Ms. Taylor motioned for me to answer. The second I picked up, Penny's voice blasted through the phone. "Lucia, seriously? You know Ryan and I are already drowning in renovation costs, and you're still asking him for money? "Send it back. Now." Heat rushed to my face. "I didn't ask him for anything," I said quietly. "He sent it on his own." Penny didn't care. She just kept going. "Your mom was right. You're nothing but a burden! If you hadn't gotten your dad killed, Ryan and I wouldn't be struggling like this!" Of course. Family always knew exactly where to hit. The second she mentioned Dad, my whole body started shaking. "Shut up!" I'd never talked to her like that before. Penny went quiet. For about a second. Then she completely lost it, throwing every insult she had at me. But none of that hurt as much as the voice I heard in the background. Mom. "Yeah, keep going. She took money she had no business taking. She deserves it!" The call ended. My legs nearly gave out. I caught the look on Ms. Taylor's face and immediately lowered my head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Taylor. I didn't mean to drag you into this..." She cut me off. When I looked up, her expression had softened. "You didn't do anything wrong, Lucia. "And I'll back you up. You didn't scam anyone." Chapter 3 Before I could react, she took my phone and pulled up my payment app. "Twenty bucks isn't enough. If you need help again, come to me first." My phone dinged with a notification: [You received $200.] I panicked. "No, I can't take your money." She shook her head, still serious. "Relax. It's a loan." I hadn't cried after going hungry for three days. I hadn't cried when Penny tore into me. But the second Ms. Taylor showed me kindness—after knowing me for only three days— I broke down. Thanks to Ms. Taylor, I finally ate decent meals and made it through orientation. The job hunt worked out too. I landed a gig handing out flyers outside a mall for twenty bucks an hour. A few shifts, and I'd be able to pay Ms. Taylor back within a week. Then, the day I got my first paycheck, Mom called. "Lucia, did you get a job behind my back?" *** I couldn't believe it. Besides my roommates, nobody knew about my job. Then it hit me. Yesterday was Saturday. I'd gotten up early and tried to be quiet, but I still woke Chloe. She immediately snapped, "Lucia, seriously? Why are you making so much noise this early? I'm trying to sleep." Okay, that one was on me. "Sorry. I'll be quieter next time." But Chloe wasn't done. She climbed out of bed and shot me a look. "Your parents sent you to college, and you're out handing out flyers? That's pathetic." So this was the attitude Chloe was famous for. Still, I wasn't exactly in a position to clap back. And honestly, she wasn't wrong. I wasn't chasing some big dream. I just wanted enough money to eat. 'But would she really tell Mom about my job?' While I was still wondering, Mom said, "Since you can make your own money now, I'm not giving you living expenses for a while." I almost felt relieved. Then we hung up. And Mom sent me a bill. A bill saying I owed her $180,000 for raising me. [Installment repayment plan: $1,000 a month.] I tried to reply, but my fingers wouldn't stop shaking. Then Mom sent another voice message. "Since you're still young and don't make much, I'll cut you a deal. While you're in college, you only owe me $700 a month. After graduation, it'll be more." The longer I listened, the dizzier I got. 'Funny. Nobody told me I was born owing money.' Or maybe I really did owe her. After all, Dad had died because of me. Or at least, that's what I'd been telling myself for three years. Freshman year of high school, I got into a prestigious boarding school. Everyone was thrilled. Dad most of all. But he was still waiting to get paid for a construction job. Between my $500-a-month living costs and over $2,000 for books and housing, he needed cash fast. So he picked up a temporary construction gig. On the phone, he sounded so happy. He said he'd be home with the money in three days. He never made it home. A construction accident killed him on-site. That was why I'd put up with Mom sending me money one meal at a time. And now, three years later, it felt like that tragedy had come back to punish me. Chapter 4 That was when I finally got it. Some moms really didn't love their own kids. 'Fine. If I owe her, I'll pay her back. Then I'm free, right?' Within a week, I applied for financial aid and started studying like crazy between work shifts. Pure stubbornness kept me outside that mall all day. I needed money. A lot of it. What I didn't realize was that working myself into the ground wasn't going to make me rich. On my fourteenth day, my blood sugar crashed. My vision went blurry. Through the haze, I saw a white-haired woman talking to me. Before I could answer, everything went black. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. A stranger had brought me in. And just like that, my life started to change. The first person I saw was the elderly woman sitting beside my bed. Yesterday, I'd helped her with a cart full of recyclables at an intersection. Now she was holding my hand, tears in her eyes. "Annie, you're awake. I've been right here. Don't be scared. Don't be scared." *** I stared at her, confused. Before I could ask why she kept calling me Annie, Mom called. For one stupid second, I thought she might actually care. Nope. She wanted money. "Lucia, you've been working all weekend, right? You must've made a decent amount. Send me the money at the end of the month. Actually, just send it straight to Ryan." The sharp hospital smell stung my nose and made my eyes water. I was about to tell her I'd passed out and ended up here when the door flew open. A young guy in a suit walked in. Everything about him screamed expensive. 'Who is he here for?' Then he came straight toward us. "Grandma, why did you wander off again? I almost had a heart attack when I heard you were at the hospital!" Oh. So he was her grandson. I figured he'd take his grandma and leave. Instead, he looked straight at me. His eyes reddened. "Grandma... she's the Annie you were talking about." I just stared at him. I had no clue what was going on. Then a contract landed in my hands. Except this time, it wasn't another bill. It was a paid-companion contract. The elderly woman still had a tight grip on my hand, staring at me like she was afraid I'd disappear. The guy stepped forward. "I'm Logan Carter. My grandma misses her granddaughter, Annie. She thought you were her. She's been looking for you for days. "I also heard your call just now. Sounds like things are rough. Maybe we can help each other." I read the contract from top to bottom, feeling like none of this was real. Then it clicked. Logan was telling the truth. Three years ago, his sister Annie had died in a car accident near the mall. His grandma never got over it. She started collecting recyclables around the mall every day. Then she saw me handing out flyers. And thought I was Annie. Annie had been working there too when the accident happened. And for the past three days, her grandma had been searching for me. Then today, I collapsed right in front of her. This time, she got to save her "granddaughter."