Part 2The Final Semester: 800,000 Reasons to Leave Home

I zipped up my suitcase and went into my room.

Closing the door, the very first thing I did was turn on the light.

My room doesn't have any windows. If the light is off, it's pitch black.

There are five bedrooms in this house.

My dad and Brenda share the master suite. Right next to the master suite is Mia's bedroom.

Of the other three rooms: one is my dad's private lounge, one is Brenda's walk-in closet, and one is a dedicated room just for Mia's K-pop merchandise and posters.

I live in the storage closet under the stairs. I'm not even worthy of the smallest, north-facing bedroom.

Brenda pushed the door open a crack.

"Harper, I washed some grapes for you. Have some."

The grapes on the stem were shriveled and dry.

Earlier, I had seen Mia pop one into her mouth, frown, and immediately spit it out.

"Ew, so sour! That's disgusting!"

The food she likes is never shared with me.

The food she throws away is always boxed up with a smile by Brenda and handed to me.

The second month after my mom died, my dad moved Brenda into the house.

He told me to call her "Mom." I couldn't force the word out of my mouth.

Brenda set the grapes down, pulled two crisp $100 bills from her pocket, and handed them to me.

"Harper, things are a little tight right now, but take this $200 for now. Use it at school."

She had just gotten a new set of acrylic nails. They were blindingly red.

I stared at her coldly.

"Stop with the fake hypocritical act."

My dad snatched the money right out of her hand.

"You spoil her too much! That's why she acts like such an entitled brat!"

"From today on, she isn't getting a single cent out of this house! Let's see if she still dares to talk back to us!"

My dad threw the bunch of grapes onto the floor and stomped on them.

"Don't give her anything to eat!"

"Let her starve for a day and think about what she's done. Let her realize who the actual masters of this house are!"

In high school, my monthly living allowance was $300. When I got to college, it went up to $500.

During the first month of my freshman year, I spent $120 of that $500 on the cheapest, unreserved train ticket available. I had $380 left for the month.

For the last week of that month, I survived by eating plain bread and pickles every single day.

When I asked my dad for the next month's allowance, he screamed at me over the phone.

"Asking for money again?! It's barely been a few weeks! Were you born just to drain me dry?!"

"It's hard enough for me to make a living, and you're just sitting at school living it up on my dime!"

"If you keep wasting money, drop out and go find a job at a factory!"

Half a month later, I finally received the $500 he transferred me.

I pulled a photo of my mom from under my pillow. As I stared at it, my vision blurred with tears.

If only my mom were still here. Everything would be okay.

The smell of dinner wafted in from under the door.

I heard Mia's excited voice.

"Wow, Mom! You made so much good food!"

Nobody called me to eat.

I was dizzy with hunger.

Because I never had money, I was used to being half-starved. Now, whenever I get hungry, my stomach physically aches.

Mia spoke between bites.

"Mom, your ribs are my absolute favorite! You're the best, Mom!"

Brenda's voice was full of laughter.

"Eat as much as you want, sweetie."

I crouched on the floor, trying to curl myself into the tightest ball possible to lessen the stomach cramps.

My phone rang.

It was Chase Bank.

"Hello, am I speaking with Ms. Harper Davis? The $800,000 Certificate of Deposit you opened with us ten years ago has matured. Would you like to renew it?"

"You must have the wrong person. I've never opened a CD. Ten years ago, I was only eight."

The voice on the other end continued.

"Ten years ago, Ms. Evelyn Davis deposited a principal amount of $800,000 into an account under your name."

"May I ask, what is your relationship with Evelyn Davis?"

Evelyn Davis.

My mom.

I gripped my mom's photo tightly, lowering my voice.

"Can the money be withdrawn right now?"