Chapter 4
The third time, I brought my boss from the supermarket with me.
Her name was Nova Mcintyre. She was loud and determined.
She plopped herself down at the window.
She said, "This girl needs to get her ID replaced. Just let her get it done.
"If anyone dares to call her crazy, I'll call the cops."
That day, I finally got my ID back.
The photo showed me looking skinny, with dark circles under my eyes.
As I looked at that little photo, my eyes welled up with tears.
It was the first time in a year since my name was taken from me that I finally got it back.
I started saving up.
During the day, I worked the register at the supermarket, and at night, I tutored elementary school kids.
On weekends, I'd sit in on court sessions.
Whenever I didn't understand something, I'd jot it down and look it up later.
I also sent a bunch of emails to the law school at Natarhen University.
The first dozen or so emails never got a reply.
It wasn't until my junior year that Professor Kai Flynn finally replied.
The email was short.
[Ava, please provide a recent photo of yourself, your SAT registration number, a screenshot of your original scores, and any materials that can prove your identity was stolen.]
I stared at that email for a long time.
That day, the supermarket was doing inventory on the soon-to-expire milk. The chill from the open fridge brushed against my legs.
But my hands were so hot they trembled.
I knew the door had finally cracked open a little.
I started collecting evidence even more carefully.
Every time Noelle came home, I'd turn on the voice recorder on my old phone.
She was starting to act more and more like the real Ava.
She'd pick up the phone and pretend to be me.
At the dinner table, she'd say, "My professor recommended me for grad school."
My mom was grinning from ear to ear.
"See? I always said you're better than your sister," she said.
My dad shot her a warning look. "Don't mention it to anyone else."
Noelle was clearly annoyed.
She said, "Yeah, I know.
"Besides, nobody at school has ever met Ava."
I made sure to record that line.
By senior year, Noelle got a guaranteed admission to grad school.
The Foley family threw a big family dinner to celebrate.
All the relatives praised Noelle.
One of my aunts piped up, "Isn't Noelle adopted? She's really making the Foley family proud."
My mom's expression darkened and she jumped in right away.
"Adopted? Noelle is my real daughter!" she shot back.
Then she glanced at me.
"Sometimes, the kids you take in are more thoughtful than your own," she said.
The whole table fell silent for a moment.
Noelle looked down.
She said quietly, "Mom, don't say that about Ava.
"She is just unlucky."
I put down my fork.
I said, "I really was unlucky.
"Being born into the Foley family was the worst thing that ever happened to me."
My mom's face went pale with anger.
Javier slammed his hand on the table.
"Ava, apologize!" he barked.
I looked at him.
I said, "Who do you want me to apologize to?
"To the one who stole my identity, or to the ones who helped her steal it?"
The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room.
Noelle's eyes grew teary.
She said, "Ava, you still resent me, don't you?
"But it's been hard for me as well for the past few years."
I let out a laugh.
I sneered, "Was it hard for you to take the scholarship under my name?
"Was it hard for you when you grabbed a spot in grad school with my identity?
"When the relatives showered you with praise, did you suffer so much you couldn't even smile?"
Noelle's tears came to a sudden halt for a split second.
Javier stood up and dragged me out onto the balcony.
His grip was so tight that it was making my arm throb with pain.
He said, "Ava, I'm warning you.
"Noelle's at a critical point for her grad school admission. If you dare stir up trouble, I won't let you get away with it."
I looked up at him.
"So what are you gonna do to me?" I shot back.
His eyes turned cold.
Javier said, "You've been taking money and food from our family for years.
"If you make a scene, you won't walk away unscathed."
I looked at him, and suddenly, the pain in my arm didn't matter anymore.
It was because I finally realized that Javier was never clueless about any of this.
He always knew.
He just thought Noelle mattered, and I didn't.
The car accident happened two months later.
It was just past eleven at night when Noelle was driving Javier's car home after a law firm intern dinner.
She had been drinking.
At a crossroads in the southern part of the city, she crashed into a delivery rider who was delivering food.
Security footage caught her getting out, glancing at the scene, then slipping back into the car and speeding off.
By the time the rider was found, it was already too late for any chance of saving him.
The next morning, I was still doing inventory at the supermarket when Javier called me home.
The whole Foley family was sitting in the living room.
Noelle's eyes were puffy and swollen, and her wrist was wrapped in bandages.
The moment my mom saw me, she dropped to her knees.
She pleaded, "Ava, I'm begging you.
"Please, save Noelle."
I watched her knees hit the floor, but I felt nothing at all.
"What did she steal now?" I asked.
Javier shoved a document in front of me.
It was a confession statement.
It wrote: [Driver: Ava Foley.]