Chapter 3

My stepfather wasn't wealthy. If he had been, he probably wouldn't have married my mother, whose modest savings were one of her few appealing qualities.

Mom controlled every dollar in the house. Whenever school fees were due, she would glare at me, pull a few wrinkled bills from a stack, and throw them at my head.

"School, school, school. Is studying going to kill you? All you know how to do is demand money. Raising a dog would be more worthwhile!"

"Why should I spend my money on you? Figure it out yourself next time. If you can't pay, quit and go work in a warehouse!"

I worried constantly about lunch money and school expenses. Then Madison Clarke found me one day and tossed a handful of bills at my feet. "Want to make a deal?"

Madison was a year below me and notorious for fighting. When the school first called her parents, she punched a male teacher in the office and broke his glasses. Her wealthy parents paid a large settlement, and the incident disappeared. After that, everyone knew money protected Madison from consequences.

Madison liked Felix, but they had fought and stopped speaking. She wanted me to pretend to be her boyfriend so he would become jealous.

I glanced at the cash. There was about two hundred dollars, a fortune to me.

Madison watched me crouch to pick it up as though I were a dog accepting scraps. "What do you think? Easiest money you'll ever make."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

She thought for a moment. "Write several beautiful apology letters. Then write 'I love Felix Lennox' ten thousand times, fold the pages into hearts, and have dinner with me occasionally..."

"That costs extra."

"What?"

I slipped the first two hundred into my pocket and began negotiating. "The letters, paper hearts, and dinners are separate services. Each one has its own price."

Madison hesitated until I provoked her pride. Her cheeks reddened. "Who says I don't love Felix enough? Fine!"

She angrily threw another five hundred dollars at me.

Within days, Felix could no longer hide his jealousy. Whenever he saw Madison talking to me, he looked ready to tear my face apart.

One afternoon, Mom called repeatedly and ordered me to deliver something to Felix.

His classroom was empty, so I placed the package inside his desk and left.

The next morning, Felix ran crying into the school office and confronted me with a devastated expression.

"Andrew, I know you hate me, but how could you steal the money?"