The First Invoice
I found it taped to my bedroom door the day after my sixteenth birthday—a handwritten “household contribution agreement” listing:
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$400/month rent (more than my part-time job paid)
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$50 utility fee
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$20 “dishwashing surcharge”
My stepmother’s signature was already at the bottom. My father’s was conspicuously absent.
The Financial Trap
When I showed my dad, he just sighed. “Things are tight since the layoff.” But I noticed:
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My stepsister still got $200/week allowance
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They’d just booked a Cancún vacation
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The “rent” matched exactly what they owed on their boat loan
I paid by waiting tables until 1 AM on school nights. They cashed every check.
The College Fund Betrayal
On graduation day, my guidance counselor asked why I hadn’t applied to any schools. That’s when I learned:
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My late mother had left $78,000 in a college trust
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My stepmother had been the trustee since I was 12
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The account was empty—closed six months prior
The bank statements showed transfers to:
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A pool installation company
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My stepsister’s “modeling portfolio”
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A BMW dealership
The Legal Reckoning
At 18, I sued with help from my maternal grandparents:
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Judge ordered restitution + 5% interest
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Stepmother charged with fiduciary fraud
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Father’s divorce papers filed within a month
Where I Am Now
That boat they loved so much? Repossessed.
My stepsister’s modeling career? A 387-follower Instagram page.
And me?
Writing this from my dorm at Cornell—where I’m double-majoring in finance and forensic accounting.
Every tuition payment comes with a photocopy of the court order mailed to their new apartment. The one above the laundromat.