Forward, Without Him Chapter 03

Forward, Without Him Chapter 03

They called immediately.
“Sweetie, what happened? What changed?”
“You’ve been talking about Columbia for a year — being in New York with Lexi and Ethan.”
I gave them a cold little smile they couldn’t see.
“Lexi and Ethan are together.”
My mom pulled a sharp breath on the other end.
“What? But at Prom last year, Ethan was–”
She stopped herself. Like she’d just figured something out. Didn’t finish the sentence.
I was the one reassuring them.
“My application this year was stronger. I got into MIT.”
“Physics at MIT is better than Columbia by a long shot anyway.”
“I was willing to go to New York because I had people there. Turns out those two aren’t worth giving up the top engineering school in the country.”
I took a breath. Swallowed back whatever was threatening to come out as crying.
“I’ll talk later. I need to book a flight home. Tonight I want your barbecue.”
My dad’s voice came through. Anger barely under control.
“We were all fooled.”
“Lexi’s private high school tuition. Her college tuition right now. Your mother and I have been paying all of it. If this is how she’s going to treat you, we are done being her ATM next semester. Done.”
I let out a short, bitter laugh.
“Okay.”
Lexi and I had grown up together. She came from a broken home.
Ninth grade, her parents divorced and moved to separate states. Left her behind. No plan for her education, nothing.
I was the one who begged my parents to step in.
“Mom, Dad, can we please help her? She doesn’t even have money to finish high school.”
“Just think of it as charity. When we’re in college we’ll get jobs and pay you back.”
My parents didn’t even hesitate. They said yes.
Paid her private high school tuition. Let her move into the guest room. Covered Columbia’s eighty-something-thousand-a-year in tuition and housing without blinking.
Back then, Lexi had hugged me with tears in her eyes.
“Taylor, I will never forget what your family has done for me. When I graduate and land something on Wall Street, I’ll pay back every cent with interest.”
Turns out this was her version of paying it back.
I dropped the cupcakes and sunflowers into the trash can outside the building.
Turned around and called an Uber to JFK.