When She Stops Playing Nice

Chapter 3

“Gina, your dorm at school has gone up in flames, Michael stated as they drove.

Gina’s eyes narrowed a bit. “Alright, I’ll head back and check it out” Exiting the car, she made her way on foot.

Her phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number. [Where the hell have you vanished to? Get your ass back to

home, now!].

Gina scoffed and blocked the number. Really? Changing numbers to harass me? What the fuck are they thinking?” she thought.

She had made up her mind to sever ties with the Miller family and wasn’t about to let them pull her back in.

When the Millers first found her, Gina was on a mountain, gathering medicinal herbs, covered in dirt and sweat.

They mistook her for someone foraging for wild vegetables, their eyes laden with barely concealed disdain.

the

They were momentarily surprised to hear Gina had aced her college entrance exam and secured a spot at Trowell University. However, they quickly diminished her achievement, thinking she was nothing more than a bookworm, lacking grace and talents of Olivia, who had been shoehorned into Trowell’s art program through connections and hefty sums.

Gina rarely stayed with the Miller family. They rationalized it by saying living in the dorm was more convenient, saving her the trouble of commuting. Meanwhile, they bent over backward driving Olivia, a fellow Trowell student, around.

But Gina seldom spent her time at school. To her, college was meaningless; she only needed an innocuous front. Yet, this became Olivia’s ammunition to slander her, accusing Gina of being a dropout, always skipping class, and goofing off God knows where.

Regardless of how much Gina tried to set the record straight, the Miller family wouldn’t have a bar of it.

no venom in her ridicule. “Look at you. What

mocked her. “Grew up in the sticks, eh? First time

dropping out before the school shows you the door. We can’t afford that

paying her way through college, they couldn’t muster a single word of

the fortunes spent, failing to grasp even the basics after

folly. ‘I should’ve seen through this bullshit

stop beside Gina, the window Sliding down to reveal James glaring from within.

her path here was spot on. She has even blocked all our numbers and ignored my texts. She is asking

voice dripping with menace. “Come home and kneel, apologize to

look reserved for lunatics.

Tue, 21 May

Chapter 3

about dreaming? Are you

crap?” Gina fired back, unyielding.

a mouse, barely uttering

of the

think you can just disappear? One word to the principal from us, and you’re out of Trowell

if you could, Gina thought, her inner voice laced

asked, voice cold and

fake will. That alone deserves more than a mere punishment, and yet

“I only return home when you call. I don’t even have the keys, let alone access to Dad’s room. How

what you did to steal it.”

familiar outcome. Never mind, my brothers will never suspect

more words were necessary, Gina

to drag Gina back home today.

thinking of Liam still in the hospital. Reluctantly, James let go. Gina continued towards the school.