Chapter 4

They had transferred my money to Kevin.

All seventy-five thousand dollars. That was the money Grandma had left for me.

Not a word to me, and it had all gone to him.

I looked at Kevin.

He kept his head down, not daring to meet my eyes.

But I saw it—the corner of his mouth twitched up.

"Mom."

My voice shook.

"That money was Grandma's. She left it for me."

"I know."

Mom said it like it was the most reasonable thing in the world. "But you're our flesh and blood. Everything in this family will be yours eventually anyway. Kevin's different. Nobody's got his back. If we don't help him, who will?"

I looked at her face. A face I'd known my whole life.

For the first time, it felt like a stranger's.

"So my money should just go to him?"

"What do you mean, your money?" Dad frowned. "Your grandmother's money is family money. And family money—we decide how it's spent."

Family money.

I laughed.

"Dad, right before she died, Grandma told me she'd saved that money for me in secret. She said the two of you didn't have your heads on straight, and that I couldn't rely on you. She told me to keep it for myself.

"Turns out she wasn't wrong."

Dad's face went dark.

So did Mom's.

Kevin picked that moment to look up, eyes red-rimmed.

"Nathan, I didn't know that money was yours. Diane said she was just lending it to me. I was going to pay it back eventually."

"Shut up!" I snapped before I could stop myself.

Kevin flinched and shrank back behind Mom.

She threw an arm around him instantly, glaring at me.

"Nathan, what are you yelling for? We're the ones who spent it. If you want to yell at someone, yell at us!"

I watched her shield him like that.

And suddenly I remembered being a kid, coming home in tears after getting bullied at school.

She'd told me, "What's wrong with you? Why didn't you just hit them back?"

She hadn't protected me. Not once.

I looked at the three of them, and my voice came out flat, flat enough that it scared even me.

"All these years, you've told me Kevin's family didn't have money, and that I should go easy on him.

"You gave him a thousand dollars a month and gave me a hundred.

"I haven't bought a single new piece of clothing in three years. His closet is nothing but name brands.

"I eat the cheapest thing in the dining hall every day. He's out at parties every other night.

"I stayed up all night writing my own papers myself. You two wrote his for him.

"And now my scholarship spot's gone to him. My money's gone to him too."

I looked at them.

"So I'm just asking. Why?"

Mom's face flushed red.

"Why? Because Kevin works harder than you! He's more considerate than you! He's more grateful than you!

"Every time he calls, he asks how we're doing. When's the last time you called us? Once a month?

"Every time he comes home, he brings us something. You come home empty-handed.

"His grades might not be as good as yours, but at least he knows how to be grateful! What do you know how to do besides ask us for things?"

I listened to all of it and started laughing.

"Mom, I stopped calling because you two never pick up.

"Last time I called twenty-three times in a row and you didn't answer once. I found out later you'd taken him on a trip.

"I don't bring gifts because I don't have money. The money he uses to buy you gifts—you gave it to him."

Mom went still.

Dad's brow furrowed. "If your allowance wasn't enough, why didn't you say something?"

"I did."

I looked at them.

"I said it for three years. You listened for three years. And every month, it was still a hundred dollars."

The room went quiet.

Dad cleared his throat.

"Nathan, we can talk about all this later. Right now, the money's already spent. What do you want Kevin to do, pay it back?"