He shrugged. "You don't know all the things my mom has said publicly over the years."
"If there's one thing I'm starting to notice it's that everyone hates their parents. And none of us are our parents. If we were who raised us, I'd be a crazy alcoholic living off government assistance."
Zach's brow furrowed. "I thought your parents were dead."
"My aunt raised me. If you can call what she did raising me. Basically, she kept me clothed, fed, and a roof over my head. Most of the time," I said.
"I'm so sorry," Matt said.
"I know, poor little troubled mage," I said, rolling my eyes. "I really don't want sympathy from the rich kids."
"Hey, we get that same thing on us, you know?" Matt said. "Just because we were raised with money doesn't mean our lives were easy."
"I'll take your word for it," I said.
"I'm serious," he said. "We didn't struggle, that's true. But I wouldn't wish our life on anyone."
"You mean that?" I asked, thinking back to Professor Halifax's comment about why my tuition was being paid.
"I do," he said.
"Sorry," I said. "You didn't get to choose your parents any more than I did."
"It's okay," Zach said. "We get that a lot. Spoiled rich kids, which we are."
"Time's ticking," Professor Halifax said.
"Come on, I've always wanted to see the shifter dorm," Matt said.