"So, what do you need this money for anyway?" I asked Vinnie as we stood outside the door to our classroom. I discretely held the money in my hand, waiting for an answer.
"Nothing important," he said, eyeing the cash.
He reached out for it but I pulled away. "You know I don't play fair. Tell me the reason and I promise to give it to you."
"You're too curious for your own good, but I do need the money. There's this older guy I pay to buy me beer, and I've been in his debt for a while." He held his hand out for the cash.
I didn't want to give him the money for that sort of reason, but I did promise that I would. "Here, but you really shouldn't be doing that."
"Thanks, but I'm doing it anyway. It's not like I'm an alcoholic, I just want a few beers with my friends once in a while." He walked into class to avoid the topic while I headed to the bathroom to avoid him.
Halfway to the bathroom, I realized there was only 30 seconds until class started, so I ran back as fast as I could.
"Dork!" Some stupid girl yelled in my direction.
I flipped her off, then went inside my class, trying to catch my breath. I made it just in time, and I slumped down in my chair as soon as Mr. Schivings began to speak. "I promised to give you some worktime before our lesson, so take advantage of it, okay? I'll be at my desk if there's any questions."
I got out the assignment that was supposed to be mostly done, but it was blank. I was still on my homework strike so my grades would plummet as much as possible. I started tapping my pencil and let my mind wander off for a few minutes, but all I could think about was how bored I was. I was tempted to do my homework because I had nothing else to do, but Lily asked me a question instead.
"What are you feeling guilty about?"
I quickly turned to look at her. "That was random."
"You're deflecting. I guess I was right," she said proudly.
I quit making eye contact with her and stared at my blank sheet of paper. "I don't think I'm feeling guilty about anything."
"There's doubt in your voice." She wrote the answer to the last question on her assignment, then pushed her paper away so she could focus on me.
She was waiting, and I felt awkward just sitting there. "Okay, maybe there's something. But how did you know?"
She pointed at my hand. "You haven't stopped tapping your pencil in five minutes. That's what you did right before you apologized to me a few weeks ago."
"Your deductive thinking has convinced me, miss Lily." I said in a weird accent.
She smiled and asked, "What's with the weird accent?"
"No idea. Anyway, I'll just say it. I took fifty bucks from my stupid foster sibling, then I blackmailed the other one so she wouldn't tell." I immediately felt better once I said it out loud. I didn't think I was actually feeling bad about the situation until that moment.
"Seriously?" She glared at me like I was dumb. "Well, you can't change the past, so give the money back."
I put my hands on my head and groaned. "I just gave it away, and I'm completely broke."
Instead of criticizing me, she tried to come up with solutions. "Get a job. There are a few openings at the restaurant I work at."
"Sounds scary." Thinking about getting a job was nerve-wracking.
"Is your foster mom nice?"
"Unfortunately, yes," I answered in a blank tone.
"Then ask for an allowance or something. Do some chores." She thought for a moment. "When's your birthday? You could ask for money."
YOU ARE READING
Abandon Me
Teen FictionSam's past is even more fucked up than she is. She's broken and trying to pick up the pieces of the life she once had, neglecting the love her new foster family has to offer. On top of that, she has to deal with her confusing feelings for a girl at...
