Chapter 3

My anger flared up instantly:

"What is wrong with me?! Why don't you ask how your dad got into my room in the first place?"

"If he hadn't sneaked into my room and crawled into my bed in the middle of the night, would he be lying there like a dog?!"

Zack choked on his words, his face turning incredibly red.

Brenda kept crying and yelling:

"Assault is a crime! You are coming to the hospital with us, and we are going to settle this right now!"

Though I was extremely reluctant, I followed them to the hospital. After all, if this drama leaked out, it would ruin my family's reputation.

The medical report came out quickly:

Three fractures, nine lacerations, and sixteen severe bruises.

The doctor shook his head in disbelief:

"Did he... fall off a cliff? This is going to take months to recover..."

I casually pulled out a credit card and tossed it to Zack:

"There's ten thousand dollars in there. That's more than enough for his treatment!"

Zack turned around to whisper with Brenda for a few minutes. Then, he turned back to me with a cold face:

"My dad's medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress add up to a total of five hundred thousand dollars. Not a single penny less!"

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

Are you kidding me? They are just a struggling rural family. Five hundred thousand dollars is enough to support them for three years without working!

I had always been incredibly generous to Zack. Whenever we went out, I never let him spend a dime. It seemed like he was trying to use this opportunity to squeeze me dry.

Even though half a million dollars wasn't even my allowance for a single week, looking at their greedy faces, I didn't want to give them a single cent.

Right in front of their eyes, I snapped the credit card clean in half:

"So you guys love extortion, huh?"

"Forget five hundred thousand. Now, you won't get a single dime from me!"

"You're demanding money, but you haven't said a single word about *why* he got hurt!"

"Technically, your family should be paying me for my psychological trauma!"

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the hospital staff and patients.

Zack’s face shifted from green to white, unable to find his tongue.

Brenda screamed right back, completely shameless:

"You little whore! You tried to seduce my husband, and when it didn't work, you beat him like this!"

"I was willing to let it slide with some money because you're my son's girlfriend. But since you want to embarrass us, I don't care about your reputation either!"

"You're just trying to pull a honey-trap blackmail scheme!"

The crowd began pointing and whispering at me:

"Well, she is really pretty, kind of androgynous."

"Oh, come on, do you want to get blackmailed by her too?"

Androgynous my ass! I am a literal dude!

I glared at Zack:

"Tell them right now. What is my actual gender?"

"I should never have lied and pretended to be your girlfriend in the first place!"

Zack gritted his teeth and lied through his teeth:

"Aren't you my girlfriend?!"

Then, he leaned into my ear and whispered maliciously:

"You better shut up, apologize, and pay the money. You're the one who beat him up!"

I was completely disgusted. I turned around and walked out of the hospital.

It wasn't because I was running away. I had just checked the time, and if I didn't leave now, I would miss my train back to Boston.

Normal people don't belong in a house of three psychos.

As I walked, I ordered an Uber.

Zack's short legs scrambled behind me, panting heavily as he barely managed to catch up.

"I don't care if you're a guy or a girl! You beat my dad, so you have to pay!"

"I stood up for you before because I thought you were reasonable. I didn't expect you to be a violent thug!"

"Not only do you have to pay, but you also have to stay and nurse my dad until he fully recovers!"

I didn't even look at him. I hopped into the Uber and slammed the door:

"Please take me to the train station."

Zack was furious. He chased the car down the street, screaming like a maniac:

"Oliver Vance! You are going to regret this!"

I did regret it. I regretted having such a terrible judge of character and calling someone like him my friend.

I immediately blocked his number and all his social media accounts on Snapchat.

Thankfully, I made it to the train.

I spent the rest of my summer break relaxing in the comfort of my family's mansion.

But on the very first day of the new semester, I realized everyone was looking at me with bizarre, disgusted eyes.