Chapter 2

A month later, the promo video I made for Jessica blew up.

It racked up over two million views. Her boss singled her out for praise, saying, "The team Jessica put together is really professional."

'Team, huh?' I thought.

I sat at my computer, staring at the message Jessica sent me. [My boss praised me today. Said the video was great and wants me to keep handling this stuff.]

No "thank you," no "you did it," not a mention of my name.

I scrolled up to the message she sent when she first dumped the footage on me: [Can you help me out with this?]

"I" helped "her" out.

But when it got to her boss, suddenly it was all "her" achievement.

At the family dinner on Saturday, Mom brought it up again. "Jess's video got over two million views. Her boss said she's got real talent and wants to groom her for bigger things." Her voice was bursting with pride.

Jessica, sitting next to her, smiled and waved it off. "It's nothing. The team is doing their job."

"What team?" Aunt Karina asked.

"Some people I hired," Jessica replied.

I paused, fork halfway to my mouth.

Jessica glanced at me. There was a flicker of guilt in her eyes, but mostly that smug look, like, "You won't expose it anyway."

Mom kept going. "Nat, did you see Jess? That's what real success looks like. You're at home all day—"

"Mom," Jessica interrupted. "Let's drop it."

Her tone sounded like she was doing me a favor, as if she was saying, "Don't pick on her anymore."

But I was the one who pulled two all-nighters to make that video.

"I'm full," I said, setting down my fork.

"You barely ate anything." Mom frowned.

"I've got something to do. I'm heading out." I stood up and dug my car keys out of my bag.

Angelo grabbed my arm. "What's with the attitude?"

I looked at him. His eyes were practically screaming, "Don't make a scene. Give me some face. Can't you put up with it?"

"I'm not giving any attitude." I moved his hand away and turned to leave.

Behind me, Mom called out, "She is getting more and more out of hand."

As the elevator doors slid shut, my phone buzzed.

It was a call from Dane Brown.

Dane was calling to let me know about the annual awards ceremony.

"Natalie, next Friday is the company's annual awards ceremony. You're the closing act," he said.

I stood in the parking lot, keeping my voice steady. "Got it."

"Did you check out this year's numbers? You're third on the annual income list." He chuckled. "The top two are whole teams, but you're a one-woman show. That's seriously impressive."

"Yeah," I replied.

After I hung up, I sat in my car for a long time.

Third place. Four million dollars a year.

I'd never told anyone in my family about that number.

They never asked, and I never brought it up.

Even if I did, so what? Would they actually believe me? Would Mom suddenly start bragging, "My daughter is a real success"?

Not a chance.

I started the car and drove home.

The next day, Ruth called again.

"Nat, how much do you really make?" This time, her tone was blunter. "I asked Angelo, but he couldn't give me a straight answer. Is this job of yours reliable?"

I held my phone and glanced out the window. "Enough to cover my expenses."

"How much is 'enough'? I need to know." Her voice got sharper. "It's not easy for my son to support you. You can't keep dodging the question."

'Support me?' I let out a quiet, bitter laugh in my head.

We'd been married for two years, and we'd always split everything fifty-fifty. He kept his paycheck, and I spent my own money. I had no clue how much he had saved, and he had no idea how much I'd gotten.

"Ruth," I said, my voice calm, "I can take care of myself."

"Don't get me wrong, but do you really think you can make videos for a living forever?" she pushed.

I didn't answer.

"You're still young. You should try for a real job, or at least find something stable at a real company. If you stay home all day, I'd feel ashamed in front of everyone." She kept going.

I listened to her go on and on for ten minutes.

"Okay," I said.

After I hung up, I stared at my dashboard.

The video I posted yesterday had 17 million views.

Someone in the comments wrote: [Natalie, you're the most clear-headed person I've ever seen.]

I scrolled for a bit, and then logged out.

'Clear-headed?' I thought.

If I were really that clear-headed, their words wouldn't still get under my skin.

*****

On Wednesday, Jessica showed up at my place again.

This time, she didn't call. She came right to my door.

"Natalie, I've got something big to tell you." Jessica dragged me to the couch, her eyes practically glowing. "My department has a huge project this year, and my boss picked me to handle all the promotion."

I poured her a glass of water. "And?"

"That last video turned out great, so now my boss thinks I'm some kind of expert." Jessica paused for effect. "This one is bigger. It's a state-level project. If I pull it off, I could get promoted to deputy section chief."

I looked at her.

She was all made up today, hair freshly styled, makeup flawless, looking like she was ready to conquer the world.

"So?" I asked.

"So, can you help me out again?" Jessica said, like it was expected. "There's a lot more content this time. Might need a whole series."

I kept quiet.

"Relax, I won't make you do it for free." She patted my hand. "Once it's done, I'll say some nice things about you to my boss. Maybe I can hook you up with a real job."

'A real job,' I thought.

She tossed those words out like it was nothing.

"Oh, and." Jessica lowered her voice. "I talked to Mom. After this project, she'll treat you better."

'Treat me better?' I thought. 'That's her idea of not making me do it for free?'

I stared at Jessica. She honestly believed she was doing me a huge favor.

"Jess," I said, "I made that last video."

"I know," she replied.

"But you told your boss it was your team who did it."

"So what?" Jessica frowned. "You don't work at my office. Who cares whose name is on it?"

I stared at her for three seconds. "No."

"What?" Jessica seemed not to believe her ears.

"I'm not helping you."

Jessica froze. She probably never imagined I'd actually say no to her.