Page 92 of Anyone But You
“Let me guess, they drove your credit into the ground.”
“You’d be correct. I have a 289 credit score. Do you still love me?”
“Yeesh, that changes things. My feelings suddenly aren’t as strong for you as they were two minutes ago.” She pinched my side until I wriggled away from her.
“Be serious, Gio.”
“What the hell do I care about your credit score, and fuck those bitches. I’m convinced your mother spread her legs for the devil, not once, but twice.” Victoria snorted, but I was serious. “Tell me why they hate you so much.”
“It’s not that crazy of a story. Hope and Faith have the same father, and he cut out when they were young. My mother remarried, and I came along when Hope was seven and Faith was five years old. My father was good to them, but always doted on me.”
“Favoritism?”
“Unfortunately. He didn’t shun them, but…”
“His actions made it clear that there was a difference between his stepchildren and his biological daughter.”
“And ever since I can remember, my sisters treated me like shit, and honestly, I couldn’t blame them. Any child would feel jealousy and resentment if the father who stuck around started pulling away from them. He even bought me better toys, but my sisters would break them. It got to the point where I became anxious about receiving gifts. I remember this doll my dad bought me for my sixth birthday. I cried and clung to the doll all day because I knew I couldn’t keep it. I threw it in the trash can when everyone was asleep. I made sure I tucked it under a pile of garbage so my parents wouldn’t notice. I bawled my eyes out the next day when the garbage truck came, and no one could figure out why I was so upset. My child brain told me it was better to willingly give it up than to have it destroyed in my face. If I got rid of it, then my sisters couldn’t hurt me. That was a different type of hurt.”
“What did your mother say? Surely, she noticed the preferential treatment.”
“I recall overhearing an argument late at night, and my dad gave her the ‘I pay the bills and keep a roof over your head’ speech and told her if she didn’t like it, she could kick rocks. She was financially dependent on him and had to choose between raising two daughters on her own on a minimal income or staying.”
“Two daughters?”
“He wasn’t going to let her take me.”
“Where is your father now?”
“Murdered when I was ten,” she whispered. “It was so senseless. You know those office lottery pools?”
“I’m aware.”
“My dad and a few guys from work participated in it religiously; however, the week they won, only my dad and oneother guy pitched in. They didn’t win a ton of money. It was only $50,000, and they were supposed to split it 50/50. The guy asked my dad if they could do a 70/30 split instead and started giving him some sob story about bills and whatever the fuck else. Of course, my dad refused. He followed my dad home and stabbed him to death before stealing the ticket.”
“Oh, my God, Victoria. I’m so sorry,” I said, pulling her into my arms. She cried softly as she continued to tell me about her sisters’ mistreatment after the death of her father. The little witches taunted her mercilessly about her deceased father.
“And I just don’t understand why I’m still paying for it all these years later. They’re grown, and their father is still alive. I can’t help that he abandoned them—that’s not my fault.”
“You’re right. They need therapy. It’s a good thing they can get that in prison. Those steel doors will shut on them, and their last taste of freedom would’ve been them watching you win.”
She chuckled before wiping her face on my shirt.
“I’m so angry, Gio,” she whispered.
“You have every right to be, but perhaps you might consider therapy to help you deal with those emotions.”
“Will you go with me?”
“Of course,” I said, reaching over to turn the light off. “I have a question, and please feel free to tell me to shut the hell up, but…what happened to the lottery ticket?”
“A neighbor witnessed what happened and called the cops. They found him quickly, and everything on his person was taken into evidence, including the lottery ticket. Would you believe me if I told you that ticket never surfaced again?”
“I guess there was some lucky cop out there with a brand-new boat or RV,” I mumbled.
“I guess. We weren’t wanting for anything, though. My dad had a hefty life insurance policy on himself and a will. He made my aunt the beneficiary and trustee of his estate. She gave mymother a portion of the money, and the rest was set aside for my college tuition and expenses.”
“Ah, another source of contention between you and your sisters.”
