Chapter 1
Juliet Garrett, the family's long-lost heiress, always pretended to be all pure and noble, dragging the whole family into her misery just because she wanted to.
We had a luxury car to take us to school, but she refused to ride in it. Instead, she made my brother, Dexter Garrett, and me go with her on an old tricycle.
Of course, the tricycle flipped over, and Dexter and I ended up with broken arms, all to keep her safe.
When we arrived at school, Juliet tossed the gourmet meal our nanny brought and whipped out her own hamburger and pickles.
She dragged all of us into her whole frugal act.
Dexter was a dance major, but he got so hungry that he straight-up passed out in the studio.
When we went to our parents to complain, they just gave us that helpless look. "Oh, Juliet's had it rough. Just try to bear with her, okay?"
"Plus, being thrifty is actually a virtue," they added.
Then, at the family reunion party, she swapped out all the booze for orange juice and honey water and replaced the fancy desserts with chips and cupcakes.
She walked onto the stage in a dress so faded that it looked like it'd been through a hundred washes.
That was the last straw for our parents. "Throw that shabby dress away. Who are you trying to make feel sorry for you?"
Dexter and I clung to each other, bawling our eyes out. "Finally, Mom and Dad see the light."
*****
The day Juliet came home for the first time, the whole family was lined up at the door to greet her.
The family car pulled up, but Juliet didn't get out.
The driver looked uneasy. "Mr. Garrett, Mrs. Garrett, Juliet said she wouldn't take the car because it uses too much gas. She wants to walk home instead."
Dexter and I exchanged a look.
That was like 30 miles. Was she for real?
Dexter and I were the biggest spenders in the Garrett family.
We both believed life was all about living it up and making the most of our cash.
He'd buy the latest sports car.
I'd grab the newest designer bag.
He'd get the hottest motorcycle.
And I'd splurge on a couture gown.
We just kept living it up, spending like there was no tomorrow, and loving every second of it.
If we ever had to go over 300 feet, Dexter and I wouldn't even think about walking. Instead, we'd use the car.
The whole family used to roll their eyes at us for that.
When our parents heard what the driver said, they were momentarily stunned.
Then, Mom just smiled, looking all pleased. "Being thrifty is a good thing. It's fine. We'll wait a bit longer."
My eldest brother, Harry Garrett, got impatient with all the waiting, so he turned around and went back to work at the office.
Dexter and I were just about to sneak off when Mom and Dad caught us and pulled us right back.
"You two, stop right there. Try to be more like Juliet. Don't be so ridiculously lazy every single day," Mom scolded.
We were bored to death at home, waiting all day for Juliet, but she still hadn't shown up.
Dinner had already been reheated three times.
Just when we thought we'd starve to death, the doorbell finally rang.
The nanny opened the door.
Juliet stepped inside, dressed in patched-up clothes and lugging a battered burlap sack.
After trekking for over ten hours, she was dripping with sweat, her face beet red and streaked with grime.
Seeing her in that state, everyone hurried over to her.
Mom reached out and took the burlap sack from Juliet. It clinked and rattled as she lifted it, so she just assumed it was Juliet's luggage.
"Juliet, is this your stuff?" Mom asked.
But the moment she opened it, a wave of sour, rotten stench hit everyone.
Harry frowned hard.
He mumbled something about work and made a quick exit.
Dexter couldn't hold it in and snapped, "Seriously, is this a garbage bag? This reeks!"
Mom glared at him. "Zip it. Don't talk nonsense."
Dexter grumbled and went quiet, giving me a helpless look.
Seeing that, Juliet held her head high, eyes blazing with determination as she snatched the burlap sack right back.
"These are bottles I picked up along the way. I can cash them in for some money. I seriously can't stand wasting anything," she said.
"I hope you all can start being thrifty too," she added.
Mom jumped in right away, "Juliet, you're such a good kid."
Then she shot Dexter and me a look. "Martha, Dexter, you two really need to take a page from Juliet's book. All you ever do is party and goof off."
Dad chimed in, too, "Being thrifty is great, especially for you two. Seriously, you need to learn how to save money for once."
As he spoke, Dad pulled out a card and handed it to Juliet. "Juliet, here's some pocket money for you."
Juliet turned her head, gave the card a look of utter disdain, and said, "I can't stand the stink of money. Don't pollute me with that stuff."
The air turned awkward for a moment.
Everyone just stared, totally floored. It was rare for someone in the Garrett family not to care about money.
Dad could only sigh and put the card away, defeated. "Let's eat."
When we sat down at the table, there was a feast of meat and seafood laid out in front of us.
Juliet's expression turned dark, and she slammed her fork down on the table.
"I can't stand all this extravagance and waste. Got any hamburgers? That's what I want," she said.
I couldn't help but speak up. "Seriously, with all this delicious food, why would you want a hamburger?"
"If you just eat a hamburger, isn't that just wasting all this stuff?" I added.
Mom and Dad quickly jumped in. "There's so much good food here. Just eat what's here first, okay?"
Juliet looked down at me, her gaze dripping with arrogance.
"Not everyone's like you, the spoiled little fake heiress who throws cash around like it's nothing," Juliet sneered.
My eyes went wide in shock. "Wait, me? I'm the fake heiress?"
Juliet stood up, giving me that haughty look. "Even though you took my parents away from me, I'm not blaming you. You can keep living with the Garretts."
"Just so you know, I'm not into scheming or playing games. I just want to focus on my studies, so don't mess with me," she added.
I blinked, looking over at Dexter.
Dexter was staring at Juliet, looking like he was about to lose it.