Chapter 3

Chris frowned, lowering his voice to demand, "Jennifer, am I a stranger to you? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I buy my own clothes. And no matter what I'm doing now, I consider it a respectable job. I haven't given up on myself."

I glanced at the check.

"Save your money for someone who actually needs it."

Chris snatched the check back, his lips pressed into a tight line as he stood frozen in place.

Vivian walked up beside him. She glanced at the check in his hand and seemed to put the pieces together.

Her eyes were practically burning with anger, but she kept that gentle, fake smile plastered on her face.

"Jennifer, since you refuse to accept our good intentions, let me offer you a more practical way to start over. Of course, you can keep pretending your situation is a choice if you want."

"I recently opened a nail salon on Madison Avenue. You can head straight there. I can set you up as an entry-level nail technician apprentice. It pays about eighteen dollars an hour. It's not a lot, but you'll learn a trade. Later on, if you really hit rock bottom, you could even open your own place."

"What do you say? Interested? It's definitely a step up from whatever you're doing now."

I calmly kept eating.

"Thank you for the offer. But I'm very happy with my current job. I have no plans to change careers."

Someone immediately shouted at me.

"Jennifer, are you blind? This is a golden opportunity. Chris and Vivian are trying to help you. They're offering you cash and a job. Just take it!"

"Seriously. Take the handout and stop acting like you're above it all. You obviously came here looking for resources, so why play hard to get now?"

Vivian chimed in with her fake sympathy.

"Don't be so hard on her, guys. Maybe Jennifer really does like her current job."

She turned to look at me.

"Jennifer, I'm just putting an opportunity on the table. It's entirely up to you whether you take it. Don't let your pride ruin your chance to turn your life around."

I honestly couldn't understand why they were so obsessed with shoving money and jobs down my throat.

"I really don't need it, thank you."

Vivian kept smiling, but her eyes were dripping with mockery.

Chris crumpled the check in his fist and said coldly, "You're a lost cause. Nobody can pull up someone who refuses to stand. Go ahead and stay broke for the rest of your life. Just don't blame anyone else."

Right after he said that, a few guys from our class crowded around me.

They pulled out cash and their phones, trying to goad me into drinking while recording the whole thing.

"Tell you what, Jennifer, since you're struggling so much—chug this, and I'll hand you a crisp hundred-dollar bill."

"If you're really that desperate, I can throw in a little extra."

The guy's eyes were sleazy, but the crowd just roared with laughter. Not a single person stepped in to stop it.

I frowned.

This reunion was nothing like I expected. If I wasn't waiting for someone, I would have walked out a long time ago.

I was just about to call hotel security when Chris suddenly slammed his drink down and stepped between me and the guy.

Chapter 3

Chris frowned, lowering his voice to demand, "Jennifer, am I a stranger to you? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I buy my own clothes. And no matter what I'm doing now, I consider it a respectable job. I haven't given up on myself."

I glanced at the check.

"Save your money for someone who actually needs it."

Chris snatched the check back, his lips pressed into a tight line as he stood frozen in place.

Vivian walked up beside him. She glanced at the check in his hand and seemed to put the pieces together.

Her eyes were practically burning with anger, but she kept that gentle, fake smile plastered on her face.

"Jennifer, since you refuse to accept our good intentions, let me offer you a more practical way to start over. Of course, you can keep pretending your situation is a choice if you want."

"What do you say? Interested? It's definitely a step up from whatever you're doing now."

I calmly kept eating.

"Thank you for the offer. But I'm very happy with my current job. I have no plans to change careers."

Someone immediately shouted at me.

"Jennifer, are you blind? This is a golden opportunity. Chris and Vivian are trying to help you. They're offering you cash and a job. Just take it!"

"Seriously. Take the handout and stop acting like you're above it all. You obviously came here looking for resources, so why play hard to get now?"

Vivian chimed in with her fake sympathy.

"Don't be so hard on her, guys. Maybe Jennifer really does like her current job."

She turned to look at me.

"Jennifer, I'm just putting an opportunity on the table. It's entirely up to you whether you take it. Don't let your pride ruin your chance to turn your life around."

I honestly couldn't understand why they were so obsessed with shoving money and jobs down my throat.

"I really don't need it, thank you."

Vivian kept smiling, but her eyes were dripping with mockery.

Right after he said that, a few guys from our class crowded around me.

They pulled out cash and their phones, trying to goad me into drinking while recording the whole thing.

"Tell you what, Jennifer, since you're struggling so much—chug this, and I'll hand you a crisp hundred-dollar bill."

"If you're really that desperate, I can throw in a little extra."

The guy's eyes were sleazy, but the crowd just roared with laughter. Not a single person stepped in to stop it.

I frowned.

This reunion was nothing like I expected. If I wasn't waiting for someone, I would have walked out a long time ago.

I was just about to call hotel security when Chris suddenly slammed his drink down and stepped between me and the guy.