- 2.
They were all piling back into the SUVs.
Then a woman, all glammed up, came
stumbling out of the building, yawning.
She was heading in the other direction, then
saw Jake, spun back around, and gave him a
flirty look. “Hey, handsome. I’m only a
hundred.”
I couldn’t help myself. I drifted closer to Jake,
checking her out.
Okay, yeah, he is good–looking. I mean, back
in the day, girls were all over him.
Jake looked disgusted, face darkening.
く
“Get lost.”
A few security guards stepped forward.
The woman flinched.
“Wait.”
Lily called her back, all smiles. “Have you
seen the tenant from that apartment?”
The woman glanced at my old place.
“Oh, her?”
She grimaced. “Business is booming. She’s always got different guys coming and going.”
The place went silent.
く
Lily gasped, playing innocent. “Oh my gosh,
how could Sarah do something like that?”
Mom clutched her chest, furious. “That trashy
girl!”
Lily rushed to pat her back.
“What the hell!” Jake finally exploded, face
red. “She’s a Smith. How could she?!”
Jake’s fury surprised me.
Didn’t he used to tell me I was just trash, not
worthy of the Smith name?
Why does he care all of a sudden?
Viewers lost it:
L
[Did Sarah really start… selling herself?]
[The Smiths are so unlucky. If only Lily was
their real daughter, she’s so innocent.]
[Change the channel. I don’t want to hear
about this gross chick.]
Someone had a different take: [Wait, is it
possible the woman is wrong. Liam grew up
with her. Does he really believe she is like
that?]
Everyone looked at Liam, waiting for his
opinion.
I floated next to him, waiting too.
Liam frowned and said quietly, “I didn’t think
く
she’d sunk this low.”
He was supporting Lily, judging me.
Everyone gasped.
Jake’s hands clenched into fists.
Lily helped Mom into the car.
I ́glared at Liam. The guy who’s three years
younger than me. The guy I treated like a little
brother.
He’d always choose Lily over me.
I used to get beat up defending him when we
were kids, broken bones, almost lost an eye.
But that didn’t matter next to Lily’s kindness.
From then on, he protected Lily in everything
she did.
When Lily fell down the stairs, he blamed me,
even though I was right there.
Even now, it’s the same.
Even though he lived with me, in that dump.
The walls were paper–thin.
He could only cover my ears, clenching his
jaw. “Sarah, don’t listen. I promise, we’ll get
out of here someday.”
Eventually, we did move into a mansion.
But he also replaced me.
く
“Mr. Smith, we got Sarah’s number.”
