1
Oaklyn
“What do you mean the money’s gone?”
“I’m so sorry, honey. The water heater broke, and we thought we were okay, but then the car broke down. Our savings were empty, and the car couldn’t be fixed, so we had to get a new one or your dad couldn’t get to work. Then rent came up and the check … was just there.”
My hand squeezed the phone, I now couldn’t afford, as I tried to control my anger and panic. “Mom, that’s my tuition money I was supposed to live off of.”
I couldn’t believe the check was sent to the wrong address. I updated the address as soon as I moved into my tiny studio apartment. Yet, somehow, it was sent to my parents in Florida. My mind raced with regrets and cursed my bad luck. I’d just been there last week for Thanksgiving. Why couldn’t it have been delivered then? Why couldn’t they have sent it to me without opening it?
What the hell was I going to do?
“I’m so sorry, honey. We panicked and made the wrong decision. We—we can sell the car. We’ll figure it out.”
Inside I screamed “Yes!” But I knew I couldn’t make them do it. How would they survive if my dad couldn’t get to work? And while college was my dream, I’d still survive without it. I should’ve been mad, and I was, but I couldn’t take it out on them. I’d done nothing but watch my parents struggle from one paycheck to another, and I knew if I asked, she would’ve sold the car back. Only god knows what would happen then, and I wasn’t willing to take that chance.
“No, Mom. Don’t do that.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I said, sagging against the wall of my friend’s dorm. I’d stepped outside to take the call, but on the brink of tears, I wish I’d have stayed inside where no one could see me crumble.
“Can you get another loan?” my mom suggested, her voice filled with hope.
Nothing could stop the laugh I choked out. Another loan? I’d applied for every scholarship, grant, and loan to get to school. I’d busted my ass in high school in hope of scholarships flooding my bank account. And they did, but it hadn’t been enough. I’d also taken any of the loans offered to me through FAFSA.
You didn’t have to go out of state, my subconscious whispered. Well, it was too damn late now. I’d wanted to get away, leave the rut I’d been stuck in at home, and I’d found the means to do it. Too bad those means were gone now. All ten thousand dollars of it. Eight thousand to pay for my last semester—damn out of state fees—and another two thousand to live on until the end of summer.
“No, Mom.”
“I’m so sorry, baby.”.
I knew she was—I could hear it in the crack in her voice, but I just couldn’t give her the forgiveness she needed in that moment. My dream was crumbling before me, and I couldn’t focus on anything else. With tears clogging my throat, I got off the phone and went to hide in my friend’s dorm.
“How’s mommy and daddy,” Olivia joked when I walked through the door. But as soon as she looked at the defeat on my face, hers morphed into one of concern. She jumped up and rushed to me. “What happened? Did someone die? Is everyone okay?”
Her arms wrapped around me, and I dropped my head to her shoulder, letting the tears fall. “They . . . ” I sniffed and tried to work past the tears. “They spent my tuition money.”
“What?”
I couldn’t say it again, so I simply nodded.
“Fuck, Oak. That’s . . . Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
She didn’t say anything else, just led me to her twin-size bed and held me as I let it all out.
I hated being overly emotional. I tried to be efficient with my feelings and sitting there crying wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Sitting up, I wiped my cheeks and took a few deep breaths.
Olivia got me a water from her mini fridge and leaned back against the wall.
“You could always sleep here. I’m sure we could get away with it.”
I seriously considered saying yes. My fingers tapped the pink bed sheets, looking at the minimal floor space and remembering her other roommate. She probably wouldn’t love the idea of another body taking up space.
“God, Olivia,” I said, falling back on her pillows. “Why didn’t you accept the penthouse suite when you first started college?”
Her laugh was easy and just as bubbly as she was. “I know, I’m such a bitch.”
Olivia came from a rich family who wanted to put her in a penthouse apartment off campus. All she wanted was a dorm room, so she could really experience college life. Her father begrudgingly accepted as long as he was able to hire a driver for her.