Taking Out the Trash: Goodbye to You

A donation box was placed before me, and my hand was outstretched as I made to drop a bank card inside.One of the people watching me mocked, "My, my! Look at you, Thalia Stoneridge. Everyone else donated cash, but you're putting a bank card inside. Don't think Jonathan will get together with you just because you're donating more than the others!""Exactly! Jon's not interested in your stupid money!" someone else said.I returned to my senses and looked at my bank card. Then, I retracted my hand and put the card back in my pocket. "Well, alright. Since you guys think my money is stupid, I won't donate anything. I don't want to dirty everything else inside the box."The people who'd mocked me were Jonathan Pickle's friends. Their expressions stiffened at my words. It seemed they hadn't expected me to change my mind about the donation.Jonathan came from a poor family, and his mother, Connie Johnson, was chronically ill. Everyone in school knew about his family situation. So, the te

Henrietta pointed at me excitedly. I rolled my eyes at the sight. Something had to be wrong with her brain—she couldn't understand me despite me making myself clear before this.I ignored her and paid for Dad's medical checkup, after which the doctor checked the system. He shook his head and said, "No payment has been made. Look. You're better off thinking of ways to get the money than lying to me. I have something to attend to, so I need to go."I was about to leave when Henrietta grabbed me. "Didn't you pay the bill?"I nodded, looking calm. "I did.""Why did the doctor say you didn't, then?"I gave her an odd look and asked in return, "Why should I pay Connie's bill when she's not my mother? Does she have anything to do with me?"Jonathan came over with a scowl. "You've always paid the bill before this. What will happen to my mom if you just stop without any notice?"I rolled my eyes. "Again, she's your mom, not mine. It's up to you to decide what you want to do with her."H

Jonathan and Henrietta were still arguing, so they didn't notice me squeezing through the crowd and sneaking away.His disgusting confession had reminded me that I couldn't go easy on him. In the past, I'd given up the chance to apply for a scholarship, allowing him to get it—he was the last on the list. I would also drag him along to various competitions so that he could get awards despite not being able to help.This time, I applied for the scholarship and switched my participation in the competition from a group entry to an individual entry. I also called my assistant and told him to follow the company's policy when distributing the corporate financial aid. He didn't need to give Jonathan and Henrietta any more special favors.Stoneridge Group's corporate financial aid was the highest among them all. Jonathan and Henrietta had fallen far from the requirements, but I'd asked my assistant to leave their names on the list.I'd initially only asked him to put Jonathan on the list, b