Chapter 3

I stared through the plastic lid at the layer of chopped nuts and kept my hands at my sides.

Ryan had already taken a seat beside Lily and was helping her pick dresses for her graduation trip to Santorini. When he noticed me standing by the kitchen island, he asked, "What's wrong? Maple pecan is their seasonal special."

"I have a severe tree-nut allergy."

He hesitated, as though trying to decide whether I was causing trouble on purpose. "Didn't you eat a walnut brownie when we were kids?"

"And then I spent the night in the ER."

Ryan had sat beside me in that hospital hallway at thirteen, shaking as he promised to check the allergen list whenever he bought me food.

Five years later, he remembered that Lily didn't like regular milk and forgot what could stop me from breathing.

Ethan walked in from the living room and saw the drink in my hand. "Can't you scrape the nuts off? Ryan went out of his way to get you something, and you haven't even thanked him."

"An allergen isn't a garnish. Scraping off the top won't make it safe."

Lily put down her phone at once. "Don't get on her case, Ethan. Nora has always been extra careful. If she isn't comfortable taking the risk, that's okay."

Then she slid her caramel shake toward me. "You can have mine. I was only going to let myself have one treat today because of the trip photos, but it's fine."

Mom immediately protested. "You can't throw off your diet this close to the shoot. If Nora doesn't want hers, she doesn't have to drink it. You shouldn't have to give up yours."

I set the maple-pecan shake back on the counter. "Relax. I don't want anything."

Ryan's expression hardened. "Nora, I forgot one time. Do you really have to make this so awkward?"

I looked at him and realized even disappointment felt like wasted energy.

Someone who truly knew me wouldn't call a mistake that could hospitalize me a minor slipup, then expect me to protect him from embarrassment.

I went downstairs to pay the Edinburgh housing deposit.

When the banking page refreshed, my balance was forty-one dollars and seventy-two cents.

I refreshed it three times before I trusted what I was seeing. At the top of the transaction history, one line was painfully clear: $6,384 transferred to Diane Bennett household account.

The time stamp was 9:13 that morning.

I ran upstairs. Lily's travel photos filled the television: white cliffs, blue-domed churches, and infinity pools. Mom was comparing which villa had the best sunset views.

"Did you transfer the money out of my account?" I put my phone in front of her.

She glanced at it and looked away. "I used it for Lily's airfare and the villa deposit. Why are you overreacting?"

"That was my college money."

"Don't you have grants?" Mom frowned. "We knew you'd find a way to manage. Lily already committed to this trip with her friends. Backing out now would be humiliating."

Dad finally lowered the remote. "Your mother should have told you first, but the money's spent. Let's sit down and talk like a family."

"Talk about what? When you're paying me back?"

Lily's eyes filled instantly. She pulled up the booking page and held it toward me. "If you really need the money, I'll cancel. The flights and villa are nonrefundable, though, and everyone else will lose part of their deposits. I just didn't know you'd resent me this much over one trip."

She knew the money couldn't be recovered, yet she placed the choice in my hands. If I insisted, I would be the one ruining everyone's plans.

"I don't resent you," I said. "I want my money back."

Mom shot to her feet. "Stop talking like we robbed you. You live under our roof. We pay for your food, the car, and your insurance. Lily needs the money more than you do."

"A trip to Santorini isn't a need."

Ethan stepped in front of her. "Why does everything have to become a competition with your sister? Lily offered to cancel. What more do you want?"

I picked up my phone to call the bank, but Ethan snatched it from my hand and held it above my reach.

"Give it back."

"When you calm down."

"I'm calm. If the money isn't returned, I'm disputing the transfer and speaking to a lawyer."

Dad's face went cold. "You're threatening your own mother over six thousand dollars? Do you have any idea how that would make this family look?"

Even now, they cared more about appearances than what Mom had done.

Ryan stood beside Lily and lowered his voice. "Don't blow this up. You've always been able to take care of yourself. Lily isn't like you."

There it was again.

Because I could take care of myself, they could take my money. Because I didn't cry, my pain could wait. Because I always found a way, they could block my path and praise me for surviving it.

Mom took my phone from Ethan and handed it to Dad. "You're staying home tonight to think about what you're doing. When you're ready to apologize to Lily, we'll talk about the money."

"I'm not apologizing."

She gave me a humorless laugh. "Then keep being stubborn. I'd love to see where you think you're going with forty-one dollars in your account."

I took back my phone, went downstairs, and locked the door.

The scholarship portal was still open. I uploaded the transfer record, pay stubs, and a short explanation, asking to be considered if a fully funded place opened.

When I submitted everything, the portal displayed one gray line.

[Documents under review.]

Laughter soon started upstairs again. No one came to check on me. No one believed I would actually leave.

They assumed that if they left me out of dinner and refused to speak to me, I would eventually do what I always did and apologize first.

But that night, sitting in the dark with forty-one dollars and seventy-two cents to my name, I finally understood the truth. This family had never left me a way out.

So I would have to make one for myself.