Is Small Fry: A Memoir Based On A True Story?

We’ve been best friends since we were five.But nothing’s as simple as it seems.Relationships change and so do people.Especially now.When innuendos and hints aren't enough, it’s time to confess.I’m in love with my best friend.…And I think I’m too late.Small Town Girl is created by Stephie Walls, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.

My mom is a woman who takes frugality very, very seriously. When I suffer from a high fever, she feeds me moldy chicken noodle soup. In fact, I can only wear my older sister's hand-me-downs since I was a little girl. After working hard for so long, I finally qualify for the final interview of a top-500 company. I keep telling my mom repeatedly to not cause any trouble for me. Alas, my monitor winks out when I've reached the most critical point of my interview. At the same time, the router has lost access to the internet. I rush out of my room hurriedly, only to see my mom flipping off the main switch in the darkness. "Why did you leave the lights on at night? Imagine how much money you'll have to pay! I've already calculated everything for you. If we turn off the lights, we get to save a few pennies per night!" Thanks to those pennies, I end up losing my job that can guarantee an annual salary of a million dollars. Later on, my older sister, Andrea Fletcher, is diagnosed with a kidney disease. In order to latch onto Andrea's rich husband, Kirk Herrera, my mom forces me to work overtime at a shady factory just to gather enough money for Andrea's medical bills. Even when I'm about to die, my older brother, Anthony Fletcher, and my dad keep blaming me. "You can't even get hired at a proper factory! You really are useless, Alice! Your mom went through all those frugal nonsense just to raise you for nothing!" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day I'm about to attend the online interview. I just chuckle coldly as I look at Andrea, who has just found out about her kidney disease and is waiting for me to earn enough money for her kidney transplant. Then, I toss her expensive, specialized medication into the trash can. "What use is there for you to take the medicine, Andrea? What a waste! Mom already stated many times that being frugal is the way of life! "You should drink more water instead. Once your rich husband finds out how good you are at saving money, he'll definitely compliment us for knowing how to balance our finances!"

After reuniting with my birth family, my wealthy biological father tossed me a black card and laid down one rule: I could spend as much as I wanted, but I was never to call him Dad—that title belonged only to his adoptive daughter. Clutching the black card, I cautiously bought myself a two-dollar-fifty ice cream cone. Just as I was happily licking the sweet ice cream, the adoptive daughter dropped to her knees before me. "Alice, are you mocking me because I can't even afford something that costs two-fifty in the future?" My brother immediately slapped me twice. "You have money now, but you can't split love. Natalie is my one and only sister!" Then my father splashed boiling water onto my face. "No disgraceful wretch deserves to be a Gervais." To punish me, they sent me off to Rimala, forced to work as a child laborer in the mines. Ten years later, I walked into a grand banquet hall with an ice cream in hand and came face-to-face with my brother, Ansel Gervais, dressed in a hand-tailored suit. "All these years and you're still a disgrace," he sneered, but I couldn't be bothered to argue. "Let go. My dad's waiting for me—and if I'm any later, the ice cream's going to melt." He looked down at me with contempt. "Dad? Who gave you permission to call him that? Natalie will forever be the only Gervais girl—no one can take that away from her!" I rolled my eyes. Who said I was talking about that cheap excuse for a father? I was talking about my adoptive father—the oil tycoon with an incurable sweet tooth. I was in a hurry to let him taste some ice cream.

The day my seven-year-old daughter needed a blood transfusion was the day my perfect life shattered. The child I had loved, protected, and sacrificed everything for... wasn't mine. My husband had known the truth all along. While I believed our daughter had died at birth, Marcus secretly made me raise the child he had with my best friend. They stole seven years of my life, my love, and my motherhood, all while laughing behind my back. So I walked away. I divorced the man who betrayed me, abandoned the life I built for him, and returned to my true identity, the billionaire heiress I had hidden for love. I swore I would never look back. Until I met a little girl with haunting red eyes and fragile lungs... a child who looked exactly like me. Her name was Lily. And the man raising her was the cold, untouchable billionaire, Alexander Cole. He refused to tell me where Lily came from. I refused to walk away. When I discovered Alexander's family was forcing him to find a wife, I made him an offer neither of us expected. A contract marriage. No love. No feelings. Just two broken adults protecting one little girl. But the more time I spent with Lily, the more convinced I became that she was the daughter I had mourned for seven years. Now my cheating ex-husband wants me back after discovering I'm the hidden heiress he threw away. My fake husband is becoming dangerously possessive. And if the truth about Lily ever comes out... Someone will lose everything.

Dr. Hayes cleared his throat, glancing at the screen.“The child’s DNA… it matches yours.” She froze. “No… no, that’s impossible. I’m just his nanny.” Ten years ago, Bree Washington carried a child for a wealthy, anonymous couple. She was paid, promised secrecy, and told never to return after the child's birth. But life happened, putting her in a broken place... causing her to search for any means of survival. Alas, Bree gets a job as a nanny for a billionaire’s young son. The boy is sharp, stubborn, and oddly familiar. The man who hired her is cold, commanding, and haunted by loss. His wife is gone, and he needs someone he can trust to guide his child… someone who understands him in ways no one else can. Bree thought her past was behind her. She thought being a nanny would create her a new life.. But some mistakes never fade… And some secrets refuse to stay buried. Love doesn't cost a dime, but in Bree's case? Love indeed would cost her every part of her life due to her billionaire mistake.

My mom often makes an example out of someone when it comes to parenting. Unfortunately, I'm that someone, while my little brother, Raymond Nelson, benefits from it. Ever since I was four years old, my mom had been using this method. If Raymond breaks a bowl, I'm the one kneeling on the floor to pick up the pieces. If Raymond destroys something belonging to someone else, I'm the one writing the reflection report on his behalf. Mom tells me, "You're the older sister here. Since you can't keep your brother in line, you're the one at fault." But Raymond can never get rid of his bad habit of stealing and lying. When Franklin Harris, the owner of a grocery store, comes knocking on our door, Raymond points at me once again. "She was the one who stole your money!" In order to help Raymond get rid of this problematic habit of his, Mom decides to hand me over to the owner. "Sorry, Franklin. It's my fault for not raising my child well. I'll give my daughter to you. You can do whatever you want to her, be it scolding her or beating her up." Little does she know that I will never go home after Mr. Harris takes me away.