All Chapters of The Collar Told the Truth: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My stomach was doing somersaults, and I felt sick.I grabbed the clothes and ran out of my room."Mom, what's up with this shirt? It's all dirty inside and smells weird!"My mom, Jane Larkins, was in the kitchen slicing up some fruit.When she heard me, she almost dropped the knife. She looked a little nervous, but then she acted like everything was fine."Oh, that thing?"It was on display at the store, so maybe some other people tried it on."The lady at the store said they were almost out of stock and that was the last one. I didn't want to bother her to look for more."I steamed it to clean it up when we got home. I must have missed the dirt."Just wear it for now, and it'll be okay once you wash it. Don't give the store lady a hard time."Mom was always too nice.When the grocery store overcharged us, she just smiled and let it go.If someone did not pay her back the money they borrowed, she never asked for it."How can we keep a jacket that costs so much when it's be

Chapter 2

I arrived home to an empty house. I dashed into my brother Edmund's room. There was his storm jacket, hanging up with the dust cover still on. I checked for the tell-tale signs the salesperson had shown me. The label was raised. The fabric was stiff, windproof, and smelled faintly of new clothes.The price tag was still on it, with the store's security strip stuck to it.It was the real deal.It was brand-new and the real deal. It even looked a little different from mine.I just stood there, my eyebrows scrunched up.Why?Why did my brother get the newest model of this expensive jacket, yet I got a used fake?Did someone trick Mom, but only with one out of two products?'Could it really just be luck?' I thought to myself.While I was trying to figure it out, I heard the front door open.Mom and Edmund were back, laughing and carrying bags of all sizes.When my brother saw the clothes in my hands, he came over with a grin and gave me a shoulder pat."Frank, Mom told me abo

Chapter 3

Mom's proud voice rang in my ears, over and over.She had not been tricked into buying that jacket. In her eyes, I just deserved 'junk'.For the first time in my life, I realized something major.However, I did not give up. I kept looking for proof that Mom treated Edmund and me the same.I opened up their chat logs. It was clean, just filled with everyday talk.I could not see a single money transfer.The cleaner it was, the stranger it seemed.I checked Mom's money transfers.There it was: Mom had been regularly sending money to Edmund.From a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, every single month.As for me, Mom stopped giving me money once I grew up to help me 'become more independent'.I got through college with loans and jobs.Even when times were really tough, I still could not ask my parents for even a little bit of money to help.I used to be jealous of Edmund, managing school and taking good care of himself.Whenever I asked how he made his money, he ju

Chapter 4

I did not know how I did it, but I walked out the door.I did not even notice the icy wind numbing my arms and legs until I found myself standing by the river's edge.The jacket I was wearing was the one Mom had given me last year.Rubbing the fabric between my fingers, I could feel that the cotton batting had gone all lumpy.I bet Edmund's jacket was still warm and puffy. Actually, there was no need to guess.Then, my phone buzzed with texts from Mom.Mom: [Why did you go out to play without telling anyone?]Mom: [Don't forget, we're going to Grandma's early tomorrow for a family meal. Don't stay out too late.]Mom: [I've washed and ironed your jacket. Wear it tomorrow morning.]Mom: [It's important to me. Don't make the relatives think I don't care about you.]It was important to her?More like she wanted me to wear someone else's old jacket so she looked good in front of everyone.I dropped my gaze to hide the chill in my eyes.Frank: [Got it, Mom.]The next day at Gra

Chapter 5

"Ahh!" My shy cousin let out a shriek and ducked into Aunt Carol's arms.Aunt Carol herself backed away quickly, as if she had seen a ghost. She pointed at me and asked in a shaky voice, "W-was this from a dead person?!"You're putting your little boy in the clothes of a dead man?!" she accused Mom.Mom's face went as white as a sheet in no time, with no color left on her face.She tried to grab the white flower from me in a panic, but I kept a firm grip on it.When she could not get it, she put on a face like she was the most wronged person in the world, slapping her leg and crying out, "It's not fair! I'm the victim here!"It must have been the store clerk's mistake! Or maybe someone with no conscience tried it on and left it there! How could I ever buy clothes that belonged to someone dead for my own son?"Then, she pointed right at my nose and turned the tables on me."You hard-headed kid! If there was something in your pocket, couldn't you have just told me quietly?"Did

Chapter 6

Everyone was so shocked by Mom's words that they just stood there with their mouths hanging open.Even Edmund was scared stiff, his face as white as a sheet and shaking as he pushed our mom away."Mom, w-what are you saying? I'm Dad's kid, right?"When she heard that, Mom realized she had said something wrong.However, she was trapped. With crazy desperation, she grabbed onto Edmund's arm."My silly boy! Your real dad's a big shot with lots of money and power!"You were meant to live like a rich kid, but Harold, that poor excuse for a man, ruined it all for us!"Crash!A loud noise came from the door.Everyone looked over.There was my dad, Harold, standing in the doorway. No one knew how long he had been there.He was still in his faded work clothes, and his old shoes were caked with mud."W-what did you just say?"He stepped into the house, each step so heavy that it seemed to push even more air out of the already stuffy room.When Mom saw Dad, the wild look in her eyes

Chapter 7

Mom and Dad had a huge fight that day. Everything changed after that.Dad moved into a small room at his workplace and talked to a lawyer about getting a divorce and finding out if he was really Edmund's dad.Mom would not leave our house, though. She even changed the locks so Dad could not get in.I had to stay with a friend for a while.I thought I would get some quiet time, but on the third day, Mom called me."Frank, can you come home for a bit?" she asked in a shaky voice, as if she were crying. She did not sound strong, like she did when she was yelling at Grandma's house."I made a mistake. I was so mad that I said some stupid things," she said."Edmund really is your dad's son. I just made that story up to make your dad mad."Now your dad wants to divorce me and kick your brother and me out. We'll be all alone! How will we survive?"Please come back and talk to your dad. If he doesn't divorce me, I promise I'll be good to you and treat you both fairly. Okay?"I could

Chapter 8

"She accused you of refusing to lend Edmund money for a house and pushing your dad to divorce her. While she was upset, she drank pesticide."Now, she's in the ER! Hurry up, or you'll miss your chance to say goodbye!"My heart dropped.I did not feel for her anymore, but Mom was still the one who brought me into this world and cared for me.If she died, the impact would be too much for me to handle.I took off from work and rushed to the hospital.Down the hospital's hallway, I could see Uncle Gary, Aunt Carol, and Edmund waiting.Edmund charged over at me as soon as he saw me, his hand raised to strike."Frank! You're a killer! You're the reason Mom's dying!"If Mom doesn't make it, you'll regret it!"I caught his wrist and pushed him away, my eyes fierce."Cut the act! You know why Mom did this.""Frank!" Aunt Carol came over, her face twisted with grief as she scolded me. "How could you be so cruel? She's your mother!"It's just $45,000. Is that worth more than Mom's li

Chapter 9

I took a deep breath and walked in.Mom was on the hospital bed, holding her chest and wincing in pain."Frank, it hurts so much... I think I'm not going to last..."All I want before I go is for you and your brother to be good to each other."Give your brother the money, let Dad leave him the property, and I can pass away peacefully..."I could not stand her bad acting."Mom, cut it out."The doctors already said you drank watered-down soap. It's not deadly."Mom stopped crying out loud.She sat up quickly, her face showing she had been caught. Then, she got really mad."So what if it's soap? Soap can be toxic, too! I want to die! You and your dad are to blame!"Frank, listen! If you don't agree today, I'll show you. I'll jump off this building!"She tried to get out of bed and run to the window.Edmund and Aunt Carol rushed in to hold her back."Mom! Don't do anything crazy! Frank will say yes!""Frank! Speak up! Do you really want to see your mom die?" Aunt Carol dema

Chapter 10

Three months later, everything was settled.The court made its decision.Dad and Mom were finally divorced.Mom was at fault, and the DNA test showed Edmund was not really Dad's son. She had lied a lot about who we were as a family.The court said she had to leave without any of our belongings and pay Dad $120,000 for taking care of us and for the trouble she caused.It was not as much as $225,000, but it was enough to make things tough for her and Edmund.Dad got the house.Mom and Edmund had to leave our home and move into a gloomy, damp basement.I thought they would stick together, but life had been too easy for Edmund. He was used to the good stuff and could not handle hard times.He started to blame Mom.He was mad at her for not being smart enough, for cheating, and for not getting money from Dad.I heard he lost it in that basement, throwing things and even hitting Mom.Mom got so upset that she had a stroke and was paralyzed.She was stuck in bed and needed help w

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