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.
<
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
く
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
<
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.
<
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.
