My Reborn 18-Year-Old Revenge Scam? Bankrupting Bullies! - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Tyler showed up late the next day.
He looked like a wilted eggplant, completely deflated.
I heard his parents got called in.
The salon woman told me Tyler refused to pay, so she made a huge scene. The motel staff got scared something bad would happen, found his student ID, and called the school.
The school called his dad.
And his dad had to pay up.
What a... stupid kid, taking everything so personally.
Just pay the damn money and move on.
I rolled my eyes.
Tyler was staring at me like he wanted to eat me alive.
I looked away and snorted.
Tyler's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Some busybody went over to ask him, "Hey, Tyler, how'd it go yesterday?"
"Did you score?"
Tyler finally found an outlet for his rage. "Score my ASS!"
The guy looked shocked. "Tyler, what's wrong with you?"
"FUCK OFF!"
He angrily kicked over a desk, causing gasps throughout the classroom.
I didn't turn around, just kept spinning my pen, calmly circling key points in my new study guide.
This was just a tiny lesson.
I refused to be called "Twenty Bucks" ever again.
Even though ten years later, that nickname couldn't hurt me anymore.
At twenty-eight, I was like an iron fortress. Nothing from high school could touch me.
I'd smoothed over my past.
But not right now, eighteen-year-old Jess Sterling still cared.
After school, Tyler cornered me again.
This time I didn't play nice. I barely glanced up. "Move, or I'm screaming for help."
"Go ahead and scream!" Tyler's face twisted into an ugly grin. "Jess, you screwed me over. This isn't OVER."
I tilted my head with a smile. "So what are you gonna do? Another motel trip?"
Tyler's face went through a whole rainbow of colors.
He opened his mouth, closed it, then spat out, "Bitch."
I pulled out the camera.
Tyler got pissed. "Give me back my camera!"
I asked, "Who's the bitch?"
Tyler was so angry he couldn't speak, his chest heaving, face turning red.
I almost laughed.
Tyler really didn't have thick enough skin. Otherwise, he should've treated that photo like a trophy of his coming-of-age.
Bullying weaklings was boring.
I tossed the camera back to him. "There."
Tyler caught it and immediately started messing with the settings, probably deleting the photo.
When he finished, he looked up. "You made backups?"
"What do you think?"
That was my insurance policy. Of course I had backups.
Tyler gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
I crooked my finger at him.
Eighteen on the outside, but twenty-eight on the inside—cold and ruthless.
I bared my fangs and spat out one word:
"Scram."
I didn't want anything to do with him.
I had way bigger problems—stepmother, stepsister—they were the real obstacles in my path.
I needed to save my energy for dealing with them.
They'd destroyed me once before.
I wouldn't let it happen again.
Tyler was just a side character.
I stopped wolfing down dinner like a starved animal.
Vivian quickly noticed something was off.
Before, dinner was my only real meal of the day, so I used to eat like I wanted to choke myself to death.
But lately I was eating three meals a day, so dinner didn't seem as urgent.
Vivian started getting suspicious.
But she had no proof.
She even secretly searched my backpack, pillow, bed... but found nothing.
I'd hidden the thousand bucks under Maya Walsh's mattress ages ago—she'd never find it there.
"Don't get too cocky," Maya smiled. "You can't hide it forever. Mom has ways of dealing with you."
She said with absolute certainty, "Jess, we KNOW you made money somehow."
I kept my head down, focused on my books, pretending not to hear.
Maya sat on her bed like she was giving me sage advice. "Why study so hard anyway? Even if you get into college, Mom won't let you go."
I turned to look at her.
Maya added, "Don't waste your energy."
That same faint, superior mockery crossed her face—like she was laughing at how no matter how hard I tried, she could cut off my path effortlessly and crush me without breaking a sweat.
I said, "This is MY house."
Maya blinked, probably not expecting me to talk back like that.
But she didn't get mad. She just smiled. "So? Jess, someday I'm gonna kick you out of here."
I stared at her coldly.
"Wanna test that theory?" Maya said. "Let's see whose house this really is."
As if to prove her point, the door opened from outside.
Dad stood in the doorway.
"Brought you girls some late-night snacks," he said. "Chocolate chip cookies. Maya, share them with Jess."
"Okay!" Maya walked over and took the bag, looking up sweetly. "Thanks, Daddy."
Dad ruffled her hair, then looked at me.
"Still studying? Don't stay up too late."
I said, "Got it."
After he closed the door, Maya bit into a chocolate chip cookie. "Want some?"
Before I could answer, she smiled again. "Oh wait, I forgot. You're allergic to chocolate."
She looked SO pleased with herself.