Chapter 13 CHAPTER 13
Vivienne’s POV
The cafeteria was loud—too loud. Voices bounced off the walls, trays clattered, and someone laughed way too hard at something that probably wasn’t even funny.
But at our table in the corner, it was quiet.
Emma had been trying for the past twenty minutes to get me to talk. To eat. To do literally anything other than stare at the table.
“Come on, Vivi.” She pushed a cookie toward me. “Your favorite. Chocolate chip. You haven’t eaten anything all day.”
I didn’t move.
“Okay, fine. What about this?” She pulled out her phone. “I found this hilarious TikTok last night. This guy tries to—”
“I’m not really in the mood, Em.”
She set her phone down, her smile fading. “You haven’t been in the mood for anything since yesterday. Talk to me. Please.”
I couldn’t. Every time I thought about opening my mouth, about actually saying the words out loud, my throat closed up.
Three years of savings for college. Gone.
Uncle Martin had taken everything. Zero balance. He had cleaned it out completely.
Three years of working myself to exhaustion. Of skipping meals to save money. Of saying no to everything—movies with Emma, new clothes, anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. All of it for nothing.
How was I supposed to afford college now? How was I supposed to get out?
“Vivienne.” Emma’s voice pulled me back. “You’re scaring me. You’ve barely said two words since you woke up. Did something else happen? Did Jessica—”
“It’s not Jessica.”
“Then what is it?” Her voice cracked slightly. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Because saying it makes it real. Because once I tell her, I’ll have to admit that I’m completely screwed. That there’s no way out. And I didn’t want my best friend to feel any sort of pity for me or think I was begging for help.
I didn’t want to be a liability.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Can’t or won’t?”
I didn’t answer.
Emma was quiet for a moment. Then she stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.
“Fine,” she said, her voice tight. “You won’t talk to me? Then maybe this will get your attention.”
She grabbed a bottle of hot sauce from someone’s abandoned tray.
I looked up. “Emma, what are you—”
She unscrewed the cap and lifted it toward her mouth.
“I’m gonna chug this entire thing in one go.”
My eyes went wide. “What? No—”
“Watch me.” She tilted her head back.
“Emma, stop!” I lunged forward, grabbing her arm. “That’s insane! You’ll make yourself sick!”
“Then talk to me!” She lowered the bottle but didn’t let go of it. “I’m serious, Vivi. You either tell me what’s going on or I’m doing this.”
“You’re being ridiculous—”
“So are you!” Her eyes were shiny now, like she might cry. “You’re my best friend and you’re clearly falling apart, and you won’t tell me why. So yeah, I’m being ridiculous. But at least it got you to actually look at me.”
My chest tightened. She was right. I had been shutting her out all day, all morning, barely acknowledging anything she said.
“Emma—”
“Please.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Just tell me what’s wrong. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together. I promise.”
I stared at her for a long moment—at the determination in her eyes, the worry etched across her face.
She wasn’t going to let this go.
And honestly? I was so tired of carrying it alone.
“Okay,” I said quietly, my voice shaking. “Okay. Put the hot sauce down and I’ll... I’ll tell you.”
She set the bottle down immediately, then sat back down and reached across the table to grab my hand.
“I’m listening.”
I took a shaky breath, trying to figure out where to even start. My hands were trembling.
“My uncle...” I stopped, swallowed hard. “He took all my money.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “What?”
“My college fund. Everything I saved for three years. He—” My voice cracked. “He cleaned out my entire account. There’s nothing left.”
“Are you serious?” She squeezed my hand tighter. “Vivi, that’s theft! You can report him, get the police—”
“I can’t.” Tears were burning behind my eyes now. “He’s my legal guardian. The account was technically under his name too because I was underage when I opened it. There’s nothing I can do.”
“But that’s not fair. You worked so hard for that money—”
“I know.” A tear slipped down my cheek. “I know. But it’s gone, Emma. All of it. And I have no way to pay for college applications, let alone tuition. I’m just... I’m stuck.”
Her face crumpled. “Oh, Vivi.”
“I don’t know what to do.” The words came out broken. “I worked so hard. I did everything right. And it still wasn’t enough.”
“And I’m sorry,” I said, my voice cracking. “I didn’t tell you because... because I didn’t want to be a burden.”
Emma pulled back slightly, her eyes red. “A burden? Vivi, you’re not—”
“Yes, I am.” The words tumbled out now, everything I’d been holding back. “You have this perfect life. This amazing family. You never have to worry about money or where your next meal is coming from or whether you’ll have a roof over your head. And I— I’m just the charity-case friend who can’t afford anything.”
“That’s not true—”
“It is!” Tears were streaming down my face now. “Every time you invited me to the movies or to go shopping or out to eat, I said no. And you probably thought I didn’t want to hang out with you, but it wasn’t that. It was never that.”
Emma’s face crumpled. “Vivi...”
“I was saving every single dollar. Every penny. Because that money was supposed to be my way out.” My voice broke completely. “All those times I said I wasn’t hungry at lunch? I was lying. I was starving. But I couldn’t afford to waste money on cafeteria food when I could make a sandwich last two days.”
“Oh my God.” Emma’s hand flew to her mouth.
“And when you wanted to celebrate your birthday at that nice restaurant? I said I was sick, but really I just... I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t afford any of it.” I wiped at my face, but the tears kept coming. “I didn’t want you to know how pathetic my life actually is. I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me or obligated to help me or—”
“Stop.” Emma grabbed both my hands, squeezing tight. “Just stop, okay? You’re not pathetic. You’re not a burden. And I would never, never think of you as a liability.”
“But—”
“No.” Her voice was firm even though she was crying too now. “You’re my best friend, Vivi. My best friend. And the fact that you’ve been going through all this alone, that you’ve been struggling this much and never said anything—” Her voice broke. “That hurts. That really hurts.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t apologize.” She pulled me into another hug, tighter this time. “Don’t you dare apologize for something that’s not your fault. Your uncle is a piece of shit. The system is broken. But none of that is on you.”
I buried my face in her shoulder and just cried. All the fear and frustration and hopelessness I had been carrying for so long poured out.
“We’re gonna figure this out,” Emma said fiercely. “My brother and I will help. We’ll get you loans, scholarships, whatever you need. You’re going to college, Vivi. I don’t care what it takes.”
“Emma—”
“I mean it. You’re not giving up. I won’t let you.”
We stayed like that for I don’t know how long, just holding each other and crying in the middle of the cafeteria. I was vaguely aware that people were probably staring, probably taking videos, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
Then the cafeteria doors slammed open.
The sound was so loud it cut through all the noise. Conversations stopped. People turned.
I pulled back from Emma, wiping my eyes, and looked toward the entrance.
Rafael stood there, his face dark with fury. His hand was clamped around someone’s arm, dragging them forward.
Jessica.
My blood went cold.
Jessica’s makeup was running down her face, her perfect ponytail disheveled. She looked terrified. Rafael pulled her through the cafeteria like she weighed nothing, his jaw clenched, his eyes blazing.
The entire room went silent. Everyone was staring now.
“Oh shit,” Emma breathed beside me.
Rafael’s eyes scanned the cafeteria until they landed on our table.
On me.
And he started walking straight toward us, dragging Jessica behind him.
My heart hammered in my chest. “Emma, what’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, her grip tightening on my hand. “But I think we’re about to find out.”