Chapter 2

"Don't sweat it, just a bit of bad luck," Mom said casually, grabbing her tablet. She logged onto a forum for coders with a proud smile plastered on her face.

"Check this out, I posted about our shake-to-win feature and some tech insights, and it's been getting rave reviews!"

There it was, her post, lighting up the screen.

The comments section was buzzing with fans going wild over the latest tech hit.

[Genius idea!]

[Tech that takes care of the fam is the best!"]

[Can't wait to see more!] They raved.

"Next month's citywide coding marathon? I'm totally bringing 'Shake for Allowance' to the showdown. With this killer concept and slick code, snagging a prize will be a breeze," I overheard Mom boasting.

My little bro was grinning ear to ear, flipping through the crisp ten thousand dollar notes he just scored, and piped up, "You nailed it, Mom! Your app's a blast and totally fair. Sis, you just gotta shake off that bad luck. It's not Mom's code's fault!"

There was Mom, typing away responses to her online fans, vowing her algorithm was the pinnacle of fairness, untouched by human hands. Basking in the glow of all that fake adoration.

I bit my tongue and played along with a quiet, "Yeah, it's super cool."

I figured, let her soak up the glory for now.

I was the picture of sweetness for days after that. Then, the perfect chance came. Mom was off, dragging my ecstatic brother to check out the grand opening of some fancy mall, leaving me with the run of the place.

I inhaled deeply and made a beeline for Mom's sacred workspace.

That off-limits laptop? I booted it up with a guess at the password: bingo, bro's birthday for the win.

I dove into the "Shake for Allowance" codebase like a pro. There it was, the heart of the beast, lines of code glaring back at me. Just as I suspected.

All those late nights grinding through my comp sci courses were about to pay off.

I sidestepped the digital landmines and tweaked the core logic with surgical precision. Mission accomplished, I wiped my digital fingerprints and left everything just so.

Day one of the new month rolled around.

"Time for our lucky shake!" Mom cheered, like clockwork.

Brother dearest snatched up his phone, shaking it like he was trying to wake it up from a deep sleep.

The screen blinked, and a bright "0" flashed before our eyes.

My brother froze, his voice tinged with panic. "Mom! What's going on? It's busted! It's gotta be busted!"

Mom's eyebrows knitted together, a flicker of confusion passing over her face.

With mom and my little bro watching like hawks, I grabbed my phone with cool composure and gave it a casual flick.

"10,000 dollars" flashed across the screen, bold and unmissable.

My brother's eyes popped wide, as big as saucers.

Mom's face went from shock to suspicion in a heartbeat. She glared at my phone, then shot me a look that could drill holes, searching for any sign of a trick.

"No way!"

She gasped, disbelief coloring her voice. "How on earth did you shake out ten grand?!"

Then, as if she realized how it sounded, she backpedaled quickly, "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just shocked you got so lucky."

I kept my voice innocent, with a sprinkle of surprise that felt just right. "You said it, Mom. My luck's finally turned around.

"Are you so shocked because you think I don't deserve the ten thousand? You want to take it back?"

Mom's face went through a whole rainbow of colors, ending in a stormy shade of gray, but she ended up transferring the money to me anyway.

I wasted no time turning that cash into a stack of the latest coding books and a beefed-up second-hand computer.

Later that day, my phone would not stop buzzing. It was Mom.

I barely got a "Hello?" out before she came at me with a voice full of thunder. "Rosie! Get back here this instant!"

I knew the storm finally hit.

I pushed open the door we all knew too well, and there was Mom, sitting on the couch with the laptop glowing in front of her.

Her face was a mask of fury, and there was my brother, curled up on the armchair, gaming like he did not have a care in the world.

"Out with it! Did you do this?" Mom jabbed a finger at the screen. "Messing with the core code? You've got some guts! To think I've been harboring a traitor!"

It was clear she went through the code with a fine-tooth comb and caught my signature move.

No point in denying it then.

"Yes," I said boldly, "I'm the one who changed it."

"You dare admit it?! Do you realize that's illegal? Messing with someone else's stuff, did I raise you to be like this?!"

"Your app was rigged. I just fixed it to make it fair again."

"Rigged? What are you talking about!" Mom's eyes darted, her voice rising to hide her unease. "That was just a test! You don't get how hard I work! I tried to push you a little, and this is how you thank me?"

Years of feeling second-best, of anger and hurt I carried through two lifetimes, came pouring out.

"Ever since I can remember, he's always been first in line. You use that lousy app to pinch pennies from my allowance. Your bias couldn't be more obvious! And now you have the nerve to call me heartless? Who was it that started being biased in the first place?"

"Biased? How have I been biased?" Mom snapped, her face flushed with anger. "He's the younger one. As his sister, shouldn't you look out for him? I can't believe I wasted all these years raising you!"