All Chapters of The Card with Zero Balance: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I was young back then, and her words scared me straight; I was terrified I'd end up with no money for college someday. So I spent that entire brutal winter in the broken-down jacket, gritting my teeth and toughing it out.By the time it was over, my hands were covered in chilblains, so bad that even holding a pen sent a stabbing kind of pain through them.Thinking about it now, a wave of betrayed fury rose in my chest, and I grabbed my phone and called my dad.The phone rang for a long time before anyone picked up.That's when I remembered my parents had left for a trip to Europe with my sister a week earlier.They'd made a point of leaving on the exact day my grandmother had called me over to help clean her house, clearly hoping I wouldn't tag along.I imagined the three of them were probably having the time of their lives right about now.It took three calls before someone finally answered."What now?" My dad's voice carried a note of impatience."Dad," I said, fighting to k

The whole room erupted, and every relative there looked at me with contempt."My god, Penny blew through a hundred thousand dollars? She seemed so well-behaved; who knew she was this rotten underneath!""What's the point of getting into a top-tier university if your character's this bad? Who'd ever count on an ungrateful brat like her?"Shaking with fury, I raised my voice to defend myself."I didn't spend anything! There was never any money on that card! It's been empty this whole time!""Enough!" My dad slammed his hand on the table and bellowed."You did something wrong, and now you're lying about it too! How did we end up raising a lying little monster like you?"Bridget got up and came toward me, playing the part of a caring older sister."Penny, don't upset Mom and Dad any more than you already have."They worked hard for years to earn that hundred thousand dollars, and you blew through it just like that. It's only fair they'd have a few words for you."Besides, when ha

For the rest of that month, I found a job that included room and board and moved out of the house for good.By the time school started, I went to check in completely on my own.In this brand-new environment, I soaked up everything I could learn like a sponge.I applied for a work-study program and tutored on weekends, filling up every spare hour I had.By the end of my first year, I graduated top of my major and won an 8,000-dollar Dean's Merit Scholarship.By the fall of my junior year, my academic record was strong enough that I landed, through a special exception, an internship offer at a top investment bank in the city's financial district.With the money I'd earned myself, I bought a proper set of work clothes and finally retired the canvas shoes I'd glued back together so many times.Through all of this, no one in my family called me even once, and I honestly didn't mind.It wasn't until I was catching up with a friend that I learned my dad's building-materials factory ha

News that Bridget had been taken into custody quickly made its way back to our hometown.The next morning, right after I got to the office, I got a call from the front desk downstairs.My parents had taken an overnight bus through the night to reach the city, and were now waiting for me in the lobby.Seeing my parents for the first time in three years, I almost didn't recognize them.My dad's back had completely bent, his hair gone gray.My mom's eyes had sunk deep into her face. She wore rumpled clothes and looked frightened.When they saw me walk over, none of their old condescending authority remained. Instead, they wrung their hands together, awkward and uncertain."Penny..." My dad spoke first, his voice hoarse.I stood two steps away from them, my tone flat."If you're here to beg me to drop the charges against Bridget, save your breath. She's eighteen. She's an adult, and she'll answer for her own actions."At that, my mom broke down completely and dropped to her knees