Chapter 1

After Elvis got on Edwin's bad side, he dragged me out to take the hit for him.

He pointed at me, stuck in the gym, and said, "Edwin, just let me go and I'll hand my sister over to you. She's all yours."

Edwin, who didn't even know me, looked at me through the window. The moment our eyes met, his gaze was intense.

Then he turned around and started beating Elvis even harder.

Edwin spat, "Who do you think you are? You think you're even worthy to mention your sister?"

*****

The gym was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight sneaking through the window and the cold equipment keeping me company.

In my head, a voice kept shouting, "It's over. Everything's over."

Five minutes ago, Elvis called me out to the gym out of nowhere.

As soon as I stepped inside, the door locked behind me with a bang.

I could barely make out voices talking outside.

"Edwin, just let me go and I'll hand my sister over to you. She's all yours," Elvis pleaded.

Edwin heard that and shot me a look through the window, like he was checking something.

His gaze was so intense. Then he turned around and started beating Elvis even harder.

Edwin spat, "Who do you think you are? You think you're even worthy to mention your sister?"

It took a while before the door finally opened.

"You okay?" It was Edwin, the same guy who'd just been beating up Elvis.

"I-I'm fine," I stammered.

I pointed at Elvis, who was lying there all bruised and swollen. "Is he... still breathing?"

"Yeah," Edwin replied.

He covered my eyes with his hand. "Don't look. You'll have nightmares. I'll walk you back to class."

Later, I found out his name was Edwin Jones. He was the infamous school bully, and also the son of the chairman of the school board.

Under the guise of thanking him, I started bringing him breakfast almost every day.

Every time I talked to him, his ears would turn red and he'd get all flustered, stammering over his words.

I couldn't help but feel like he had a thing for me.

Otherwise, why would he have saved me that night for no reason?

Having a boyfriend like him could really get me out of a lot of trouble.

I just teased him a little, and before I knew it, we were officially together.

So this was what it was like to be a kid who'd been spoiled rotten? He'd never had to deal with how rough things could get.

By 11:30 p.m., I dragged myself home, dead tired.

Just two minutes earlier, the house was full of laughter and joy.

Out of nowhere, a fork came flying straight at me.

"Why do you always come home with that sour face? Your dad and I are out there working our butts off just to feed you and pay for your school. Do you think it's easy for us?" my mom snapped.

I said, "If I'm not mistaken, I get free tuition, don't I? And about food...

"I eat all three meals at school. Are you talking about that $60 you gave me back in middle school? Was that supposed to last me forever? Or do you mean those leftovers you wouldn't even feed the cat or dog?"

They were willing to drop a ton of money and pull every string just to get Elvis into our middle school, but wouldn't even give me a couple of hundred for food.

"You've got some nerve talking back to me! I should've never let you go to high school. I should've just married you off to that Dummy from the village," my mom snapped.

Dummy was known as the village fool, but his family was rolling in cash.

As soon as I finished middle school, my parents started asking around about him.

Anyone with half a brain could tell they just wanted to sell me off.

After all, Elvis still had a bunch of after-school classes to go to. They couldn't risk anything messing up his future.

So every day after school, I'd escape to the Women's Federation and cry my eyes out to the ladies there.

Once the ladies found out what was happening, they promised to check in on me at least once a week. Only then did my parents finally chill out a bit.

But I never imagined that even after nearly three years, they'd still be scheming to marry me off for cash.

Elvis swaggered over, his whole pudgy body wobbling with every step, a smug grin plastered across his face.

"Judith's so ugly. There's no way Dummy would ever fall for her," he sneered.

I pinched his chubby cheek hard and leaned in, whispering so only he could hear. "What do you think Edwin would do if I brought up your name to him?

"You still haven't paid him back for that limited-edition basketball you trashed, remember?"

Elvis went quiet in a flash.

My dad, who'd been silent the whole time, finally snapped and jumped in after seeing what I did.

Mom and Dad's shouting and cursing completely drowned out Elvis's crying.

I ignored them and went straight upstairs to my room.

I put on my headphones and lost myself in the endless grind of test prep.