Chapter 1Receipts and Revenge

My mother’s favorite hobby is playing the rich housewife.

Freshman year of college, she sent me exactly two hundred dollars a month. Rain or shine, never a penny more. But to the outside world? She claimed she was wiring me two grand a month.

Whenever people asked why I dressed in thrift store finds despite my "generous" allowance, she’d sigh and say, "Oh, Summer is just so frugal. She saves every penny for a rainy day."

Then came my little cousin Tyler’s birthday. Mom bragged to the whole family that I was going to chip in two months of my "allowance" to give Tyler a massive surprise.

Privately, she told me to fake a serious illness so I could skip the party and save her the embarrassment of my empty wallet.

I agreed.

But on the day of Tyler’s birthday, I didn't stay in bed. I showed up dressed to the nines, walked right up to the head table, and slapped down a thick envelope of cash as a birthday gift.

My Aunt Beth’s jaw hit the floor, grinning like she’d won the lottery.

My mother, however, looked like she’d seen a ghost.

"Summer! Where the hell did you get that money?!"

* * *

"Mom, what are you talking about? I saved it from my allowance, obviously! You know that. Why do you look so shocked?"

I waved her off casually and turned to chat with Aunt Beth.

"Right? Sis, I thought you were just hyping it up, but I didn't think she’d actually drop this much cash on Tyler!" Aunt Beth was beaming.

"Summer, you are such a sweetheart! Dropping two grand on Tyler’s ninth birthday? You’re making us look so good!"

From the moment I pulled out that cash, Aunt Beth’s attitude did a complete 180.

Before, she used to look at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Now? She was practically glued to my side.

Tyler was turning nine. It wasn't a milestone birthday. Everyone knew this party was just a cash grab. Aunt Beth did this every year.

Usually, people would slip a twenty or a fifty in a card and call it a day.

This time, I dropped two thousand dollars cold hard cash. She was ecstatic. If the restaurant wasn't so crowded, she probably would have done a backflip.

My mother’s face was still frozen in shock. Her mouth twitched, desperate to ask more questions.

But with Aunt Beth hovering, she had to swallow her panic.

"Summer, honey, I’m going to make the rounds at the other tables. I’ll be back to chat in a few!" Aunt Beth grabbed her wine glass and fluttered away.

The second she was gone, Mom grabbed my wrist, her voice a harsh whisper. "Where did it come from?"

"Mom, seriously? Is your memory going?"

I didn't lower my voice. In fact, I turned the volume up a notch so the whole table could hear.

"I told you, I saved it from my allowance! That's what you told everyone, right? How could you forget what you said a few days ago?"

The table was packed with Mom’s side of the family. Aunt Karen (the eldest), Aunt Sarah (the second eldest), my parents, and me. Ten people squeezed into a booth at a mid-tier Italian chain restaurant.

It was cramped, hot, and perfect for my plan. I had a captive audience.

Just as I hoped, everyone heard me.

Jessica, Aunt Karen’s daughter and my older cousin, looked at me with pure envy.

She nudged Aunt Karen. "Mom, look at Summer’s lifestyle! When I was in college, I felt guilty ordering guac at Chipotle! She drops two grand without blinking. Why couldn't you be generous like Aunt Diane?"

"Jessie, look at us, then look at them. We aren't in the same tax bracket," Aunt Karen snapped, though she looked annoyed.

"Besides, Summer got into Stanford. You didn't even finish community college. You expect me to fund your lifestyle?"

Aunt Karen scolded Jessica, then turned her hawk eyes onto my mother.

"Diane, I remember you guys were renting an apartment two years ago. You just bought that new house last year with a mortgage. Where are you getting the cash to fund Summer like this?"

Mom froze. She stammered, trying to find an excuse.

"Well, you know what they say. You can't skimp on education. We’ll eat ramen if it means Summer lives comfortably!"

She let out a nervous laugh, shoving a breadstick into her mouth to avoid talking.

She wanted to change the subject and interrogate me later. I wasn't going to give her the chance.

I glanced at Aunt Sarah, whose face was stiff and pale. I dropped the bomb casually.

"By the way, Mom? I remember when we bought the new house, you said our savings were locked in a CD (Certificate of Deposit) and couldn't be touched, so you borrowed ten grand from Aunt Sarah to cover closing costs."

"Since you're sending me two thousand a month, we clearly have cash flow. Why don't you pay Aunt Sarah back? It's been a while, I don't want you to forget."