7
[Accused of drugging her sister before exams, causing her sister to miss them. Fled an arranged marriage, taking five hundred thousand in dowry money, burdening the family with debt.]
From the corner of my eye, I saw my stepdad’s smirk return.
“Lexi, you can’t talk your way out of stealing that money!” he jeered.
My mom was livid, full of feigned indignation.
They hadn’t noticed my stepsister trembling, rightfully fearful as one of us
who knew the truth.
I remained silent, not rushing to defend myself.
Let the truth play out in its own time.
The memory came back to life.
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I was on video, offering a glass of milk to my sister with a cheerful smile.
She drank it without hesitation–the big
exam was tomorrow.
The next morning, no amount of shaking could wake her. My stepdad and mom were frantic.
As for me, I left with a mischievous smirk, heading to the exam I’d prepared for, while she slept off the drug at home.
When her college rejection letter arrived, I couldn’t resist gloating a bit.
“So clueless. All that studying wasted!”
“Even if you hadn’t taken that glass of milk, you wouldn’t have made it to college on your grades alone. Better me than you, right?”
While I was taking notes in a college
lecture, she was in a factory, sweating over machinery.
The audience booed, but I kept my focus,
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never looking away from the screen.
The scene continued.
I was packing to leave when my mom grabbed me, begging with a look of despair.
“Lexi, running away from a wedding like this? What about us? What will people
think?”
“Even if you have to go, at least return the dowry! Five hundred thousand isn’t a small amount. How can your dad ever repay that?”
I pushed her off, coldly replying,
“Not my problem. Let him figure it out. Or you could, along with my sister. She’s working, right? Just a bit more effort and it’s paid.”
$
I turned and walked away, leaving her crying on the floor.
The comments went wild again.
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[Really? She drugged her sister out of the exams, left her to toil in a factory, and
expects her family to clear her debts?]
[Gross, I actually felt sorry for her a minute ago!]
There I stood, calm and collected, simply waiting.
Soon, the second round of votes was in- still not guilty.
With my permission, my own memories began to unfold on the screen.
There was me and Johnny, heads down in the teacher’s office.
Opposite us, my sister was angrily pointing at us, while our parents looked on.
“Mr. Todd, I saw them dating! Lexi even asked Johnny for money!”
Before I could defend myself, I felt a sharp slap.
“Lexi, shame on you! Where are your
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3:59
manners? Engaging in such disgraceful behavior! Don’t call me mom anymore!”
My cheeks burning, I stammered, “What did I do? It’s all lies because she’s jealous! I’m innocent!”
My mom went to hit me again, but Johnny’s dad intervened.
“Mrs. Beard, I heard from Johnny that you kicked Lexi out, right?”
“My son felt sorry for her, so he asked her to tutor him. He promised to pay, and he
did.”
“If you can’t afford kids, maybe don’t have them. And you, young lady, liking my son is fine, but spreading lies when he’s not interested? That’s low.”
My mom’s face turned as red as a beet, wishing she could just vanish.
Even after Johnny’s dad left with him, she
said not a word.
But at least, after all the gossip, my mom
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516
couldn’t stand it and brought me back home. I thought maybe I could finally live normally, but I was in for another harsh
lesson.
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