Chapter 1

With a single phone call, my mother has my bank account frozen.

Locked inside is my tuition for next semester and the seven thousand dollars I just won from a national design competition.

Five minutes later, she drops a message in our family group chat.

[Emily, I know you failed your driving test for the third time, but safety first. I got you a Volvo, honey. Take your time practicing. No need to rush.]

The photo shows my sister, Emily Lane, beaming at a dealership, clutching a massive bouquet as she leans against a brand-new Volvo XC60.

My aunt was the first to reply: [Wow! So generous! Emily is one lucky girl!]

My father followed up with a thumbs-up emoji: [Our Emily deserves the best.]

I stare at my phone, my fingertips turning to ice.

I pulled three months of all-nighters for that prize money. It is supposed to cover my tuition, with enough left over to finally get my grandfather a decent hearing aid.

Now, it is just a down payment on my sister's new toy.

I open the group chat and post a screenshot of my tuition bill.

[Mom, school starts next week. I'm still short five grand for tuition.]

[You froze my account. How am I supposed to pay?]

They think they have me backed into a corner. But they never imagine that at Emily's engagement party, I will be the one holding all the cards.

I will flash my full-ride acceptance letter to Cornwell, and that will be the only clapback I ever need.

*****

The chat went dead.

Seconds later, my phone buzzed. It was a call from my mother, Estella Lane. Her tone was cold, dripping with the kind of thinly veiled irritation.

"Sophie Lane, what do you think you're doing? Are you trying to embarrass your sister in front of the whole family? You're a student at a top university. Are you really going to compete with your own sister over a car?

"You know how anxious she gets. Do you have any idea how much pressure she's under to pass that test? I bought her a car to boost her confidence. Is that a problem for you?

"You need money? What about that seven thousand dollars you just won?"

I was shaking with rage, replying, "The prize money and my tuition are in the same account! The one you froze!"

She went quiet. A moment later, she said casually, "Oh. I forgot.

"Just come by the bank tomorrow. I'll unfreeze it.

"But take out the prize money first. We're a little short for Emily's car, so that will cover the rest.

"I'll send you the tuition money next month."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, arguing, "Next month? School starts next week! If I don't pay tuition, I'll be forced to take a leave of absence!"

Her voice shot up, sharp and defensive. "Well, what do you want me to do? This is all the money we have right now! Your sister's car is important. Will it kill you to be a little late with your payment?

"You're so talented, Sophie. Go earn it yourself."

The line went dead.

A moment later, a message from my sister, Emily Lane, came through, dripping with her usual sweet-as-sugar innocence.

Emily: [Sophie, don't be mad at Mom, okay?]

Emily: [She just felt so bad for me that she bought the car.]

Emily: [Just give Mom the prize money for now. Things have been tough for her lately. As for your tuition, I have a little pocket money saved up. I can send you two hundred dollars.]

Two hundred dollars was what she would spend on brunch. It felt like a slap across the face.

I stared at the screen, typing out each word with cold precision: [Emily, that car costs one hundred grand. I practically killed myself for that prize money. What have you ever done to deserve any of it?]

I hit send.

Then I opened the family group chat, the one named "Our Loving Family," and tapped "Leave."

[You have left the group chat.]

For the first time in a long time, the world felt quiet.

But the silence in my heart was deafening.

I wasn't born this way. "Petty" and "bitter" were the labels my mother gave me.

Until I was seven, my grandfather, Troy Lane, raised me in the countryside while my parents built their careers in the city. I was the "hick" they left behind.

Troy was the last old-school carpenter in our village. His hands were rough and calloused, but they could carve the most intricate, lifelike birds from a block of wood. Every toy from my childhood was a gift from his knife.

Then Emily was born. My parents' fortunes turned, and Estella became a stay-at-home mother. I was finally "graced" with an invitation to join them in the city.

I would never forget that first day. I stood awkwardly on the polished floors, which reflected my face, wearing the new shoes Troy had made for me.

Emily, dressed in a frilly princess gown, looked like a perfect porcelain doll.

She poked at my shoe, asking, "Sophie, you've got mud on your shoes."

Estella immediately frowned and pulled her away, warning, "Don't touch that, sweetie. It's dirty."

In that single glance, I saw the disdain and the disappointment. I knew I would never belong.

Emily's childhood was a whirlwind of expensive piano lessons, annual passes to Disneyland, and late-night drives across the city for a specific pastry my father would fetch whenever she had a craving.

My childhood was wild berries from the mountainside, the smell of sawdust from Troy's workshop, and the clothes Estella would mail me from the city, always a size too small, always relegated to the back of my drawer.

My childhood was wild berries from the mountainside, the smell of sawdust from Troy's workshop, and the clothes Estella would mail me from the city, which were always a size too small, always relegated to the back of my drawer.

So I threw myself into my studies.

I thought if I was the best, if I won all the awards, if I was better than Emily, they would finally see me.

But when I got into the top high school in the city, Estella just nodded, grumbling, "Don't get arrogant. If only your sister had your work ethic."

Then she turned and cooed at Emily, who was throwing a tantrum over a bad grade, "It's okay, sweetie. You're still the best. Don't worry about school. Let's go get some sushi."

I was a clown, desperately performing for an audience that never applauded. Emily was always front and center, basking in the spotlight, showered with a love I could only dream of.

I was so jealous that it felt like a sickness.