Chapter 3

When I got back to school, I put my three dollars away.

Chelsea Sanders, who sat next to me in class, glanced over. "Is that all you have for today?"

I put the money away and shook my head. "That's for the week."

"How is three dollars supposed to last a week at school?"

"I still have food left in my dorm room," I lied. All I had left in the cupboard of my dormitory was half a packet of stale cookies.

That night, Elena bought dinner for her roommates. She shared a picture of the feast they enjoyed that night on her social media account. The entire table was filled with food, and in the middle of it was a birthday cake.

Her caption read: [This has been a lucky week. Thank you for shining a light on me, Goddess of Luck.]

Comments from envious classmates flooded her post. Someone asked how she was lucky enough to strike the lottery so many times.

She replied: [Maybe it's because I'm a good person.]

I stared at her picture and post for a long time before turning off my phone.

The next afternoon, I bought two granola bars from the vending machine. I was planning to have one for lunch and another for dinner.

When I passed by the building where Elena was having classes, she was throwing an unfinished cup of frappuccino into the bin. "It's too sweet for me. I don't want it anymore."

The girls around her laughed and lamented what a waste it was, but Elena waved them off without a care. "It's fine. I'll have money next week when I scratch my lottery tickets."

I lowered my head as I walked past them.

"Nina!" Elena came running up to me and pushed a paper bag into my hands. "I almost forgot to give this to you."

I opened it up and saw half a cake that she could not finish. The cream had melted and was sticking to the side of the box. "It's a waste if I throw it away when I can't finish it. You can finish it for me."

She went back to her friends after that, leaving me behind. I only had a glass of water that morning, and my empty stomach was hurting from hunger, but I suddenly lost all my appetite. In the end, I left the cake on a bench outside the building.

The third class that afternoon was physical education. When I was on my second round on the track, I started seeing double, and the teacher's whistle sounded like it was coming from far away. I wanted to stop, but my legs gave out, and when I stepped to the side of the track, I fell hard to the ground.

When I woke up, I was in the nurse's office. Chelsea was sitting by my bed with a warm cup of glucose water. "The nurse said you have low blood sugar and you're also slightly malnourished." She placed a straw by my lips. "Did you skip breakfast again this morning?"

I did not answer her.

The school principal called my parents about what happened. When my mother picked up the call, the first thing she asked was, "Do we need to pay any medical bills?"

My mother's question took the nurse by surprise. "It's only five dollars for the checkup and glucose water."

She was relieved. "We'll use an advance from her allowance next week."

I heard everything on the phone while lying in bed. The nurse took a look at me and frowned. "Mrs. Carter, your child's health will be compromised if she's constantly starving. High school is tough, and she has to be properly nourished to keep up."

"Don't listen to her playing victim." My mother laughed. "She has the same allowance as her younger sister, yet her sister is perfectly healthy. Nina is picky with food and doesn't know how to manage her finances."

I spoke up suddenly. "No, we don't have the same allowance."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and I tried my best to sit up in bed. "Elena's allowance this week is a hundred dollars, but I only have three dollars."

The nurse and Chelsea looked at me at the same time.

My mother's tone turned cold. "Do you really need to blab our household affairs all over the school, Nina? Nurse, please let her rest a little. It's okay for young people to starve occasionally. They shouldn't be too spoilt."

She hung up after that, and the nurse's office turned so silent that only the sound of a spinning fan could be heard.

Chelsea turned red with anger. "How is that the same? A hundred dollars and three dollars is such a huge difference!"

The nurse did not take any money from me in the end, and she even gave me cookies. I held them carefully in my hands and said in a small voice, "How much are the cookies? I'll pay you back when I have money."

She sighed. "You don't need to pay me anything. I'm giving them to you."

I lowered my head to sip on my glucose water. It was sweet, and I could not help tearing up.