The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 03

The Four Dolls Who Replaced My Family Chapter 03

The next day, I showed up for my part-time gig at the mall like always.

The job was simple. Put on a mascot costume and hand out flyers at the mall entrance.

By noon, the sun was brutal. The costume trapped every degree of heat against my skin.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled off the headpiece and crouched in a corner with my water bottle.

“Eleanor?”

The voice came from behind me. I knew it instantly.

I froze, then turned around.

My dad, my mom, Tristan, and Bella. All of them, just a few feet away.

Even Julian’s parents were there.

Tristan and Julian were loaded down with shopping bags.

I didn’t have to guess who they were for.

My mom took one look at me, drenched in sweat, and there wasn’t a trace of concern in her eyes.

Just embarrassment. And anger.

“Eleanor, do we not provide for you?”

“Standing out here in a costume handing out flyers — are you trying to make people think we can’t afford to take care of you?”

My grip tightened around the water bottle.

“You give me a thousand a month. Rent’s eight hundred.”

“What am I supposed to live on?”

Tristan scowled and shoved my shoulder.

“Are you serious right now? Don’t talk to Mom like that.”

Julian stood beside Bella, his expression tight and unreadable.

When he finally spoke, it came out like a lecture.

“Eleanor, you’re making this into something it’s not. Bella gets the same thousand a month. When she needs more, she asks your mom, and your mom always gives it to her.”

“If you don’t speak up, how’s your mom supposed to know it’s not enough?”

“You’re the one out of line here. Apologize to your mom.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came.

Bella’s thousand hit her account on the first of every month. Sometimes earlier.

Mine took begging. Text after text, and still it came late every single month.

By the time it showed up, the month was almost over. It felt less like an allowance and more like a handout.

And if I actually asked for more? I knew exactly how that would go.

But none of that mattered. Explaining wouldn’t change anything.

I’d just get called ungrateful.

So I locked my jaw and picked up the headpiece.

“Just go. I need to get back to work.”

I pulled the heavy headpiece back on, and everything went dark.

Then someone shoved me from behind.

“Don’t you dare disrespect Mom!”

The headpiece weighed a ton, so even a tap would’ve hurt.

A full shove sent me lurching forward.

My forehead cracked against the hard plastic shell inside, and my vision went white.

I caught myself against the wall. For a long moment, I couldn’t see straight.

Not one of them came to check on me.

My mom grabbed Bella’s hand instead.

“Bella, baby, did you hurt your hand?”

Tristan frowned.

“She’s wearing like ten pounds of padding. What if you hurt your hand on that thing?”

Julian’s voice went soft.

“Hey, it’s okay. Nobody’s mad at you.”

While they crowded around Bella, I slipped away.

My face was wet.

I couldn’t tell if it was sweat or tears.

By the time my shift ended, the bruise on my forehead had swelled into a dark knot.

At least I got paid today.

I tucked the three hundred in cash into my pocket and headed for the local diner.

All I wanted was a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup and an iced lemonade.

I could almost taste it already.

My mouth watered, and for the first time all day, I actually smiled.

But the second I held out the cash, the cashier grabbed my wrist.

“Hold on a second.”

He held the bills up to the light, his face going hard.

“You look like a decent kid. What are you doing passing these off?”

“These are fake.”