Chapter 3

My brother, who was quiet, finally piped up with a lazy smirk, "Doesn't Mom treat us the same? I just got lucky and won some cash. How can you blame her? Just because you're unlucky doesn't mean you can accuse her of playing favorites."

Watching them, a mother and son duo, one in denial, the other feigning innocence.

I said to them, "Of course you don't think she's biased, because you're the golden boy."

I took a deep breath, did not give them another look, and walked out the door.

Little did she know, I was at the top of my game. Starting over with my tech skills was no big deal.

With a little bit of savings from odd jobs and a hand from friends, I managed to get by on my own for a while.

Then, just like that, a new chance came my way.

The city was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming "Code Quest," a hackathon aimed at young tech wizards.

The grand prize? An internship at a leading tech company and industry-wide acclaim.

That's when I remembered my mom mentioning she would be competing.

Sure enough, there she was on the competition's poster, her name and photo among the VIPs and contenders.

Next to her portrait was her pitch for the Shake for Allowance app, all about leveraging tech to sprinkle a little fairness and fun into family life.

I snorted and signed up on the spot.

My mission was clear: to craft an app that embodied real fairness, warmth, and care.

I was going to outshine her in every way, both in vision and tech.

Enter my brainchild, the "Family Growth Tree" app.

Like hers, it had a shake feature for earning "nourishment," but with a core algorithm that guaranteed true randomness.

However, there's the kicker: it wove in shared family goals, rewards for learning milestones, and a system for cheering each other on with likes.

It was a blend of financial incentives and emotional connection, all about growing together.

Competition day arrived, and there she was in the VIP seats, as dazzling and composed as ever, basking in the crowd's admiration.

When the emcee announced my name and project, I caught a fleeting look of shock and shadow cross her face.

She presented first, all charm, talking up the "fun" and "fair randomness" of her app's shake feature.

"I hope this app reaches every big family out there! Thanks, everyone!"

The applause that followed left her looking pretty pleased with herself.

However, then it was my turn, the grand finale. The moment she saw me step up, her face flickered with surprise.

I took the stage with a cool head, showcasing the "Family Growth Tree," its heart and soul.

It was about nurturing love and attention, a diary of our shared journey.

"I wish for every kid out there to feel their parents' love, to never be left out in the cold. That's what drove me to start this project."

Ignoring my mom's death glare, I settled back into my seat among the other contestants, tuning in as the host started rattling off the winners.

"And the grand prize goes to-"

I glanced at my mom, her eyes shimmering with hope, and I could not help but let out a silent, bitter laugh.

Next thing I knew, my name was echoing through the hall, along with the title of my project.

"Big congrats to Rosie Jackson for her 'Family Growth Tree'! Come on up and claim your prize!"

The room burst into cheers and clapping.

However, then, a harsh voice cut through the celebration.

"Excuse me, head judge! I've got to challenge the fairness of this outcome!" My mom's face was ghostly pale as she jabbed a finger in my direction. "This contestant, Rosie, she's my daughter! She was just thrown out of our house for her bad behavior! I bet she's nicked my core code or ideas, she's not capable of this on her own!"

The crowd gasped, all eyes and cameras suddenly on us.

I stared at her, her face twisted in anger, and felt a chill in my heart.

I grabbed the mic: "Everyone, her 'Shake for Allowance' app? It's not about family fun. It's about playing favorites with sons over daughters! She's been using tech to mess with me, her own kid, to control and hurt me, both in my head and my wallet!

"She shouldn't even be here!"

My mom stood there, stunned.