My mother is my homeroom teacher, but not a single person in the class believes me. When I ranked second in the exams, she forced me to kneel under the flag during the assembly and repent, making everyone line up to spit on my face. After standing in the scorching sun all day, suffering from heatstroke, I bought a bottle of water at the school store. She poured boiling hot tea over me, scolding me for being wasteful and extravagant. During recess, I hid in the equipment room to apply ointment to my wounds. She dragged me by my hair from the gym to the Dean's office, accusing me of being unable to control my lust and masturbating in public. I became the laughingstock of the entire school. Taking advantage of the situation, she had a blacksmith forge a custom-made iron chastity belt for me. With the key in her hand, I had to beg for permission just to use the bathroom or change a sanitary pad. To escape her twisted control, I studied desperately, secretly changing my college application to the farthest city possible. This time, she didn't torture me. Instead, she took all my money, sneering as she waited for me to beg for mercy. Penniless, I stole the key, went to the red-light district, and sold my virginity for $300. As a stranger choked me and pinned me down, my vision blurred with pain, and I seemed to see my mother's hideous face again. "Mom, I've completely become the slut you always called me. Are you satisfied now?" 1 With the money in hand, I didn't even dare to pack. Clutching my ID, I went straight to the train station alone. After a grueling three-day train ride that nearly broke my body, my heart felt lighter than ever. In the new dorm room, my roommate pinched her nose exaggeratedly at my sweaty, disheveled appearance. "Ew, what is that smell?" This subtle bullying couldn't hurt me at all. I greeted her politely, turned to make my bed, but my phone started screaming. It was my mother. Before even answering, I was already trembling uncontrollably, my nerves instantly taut. Her presence was like the Grim Reaper calling roll; she could execute me at any moment. If I forgot to write "Solution" on a math test, she would make me stand on the podium, prick my finger, and force me to write the word "Solution" all over the blackboard in my own blood. If I spent an extra fifty cents on ice cream in the summer, she would drag me to the school store, make a huge scene, and slap me twenty times in public until the owner refunded the money just to make it stop. When I wrote a few extra words in a male classmate's yearbook, she made me kneel at the classroom door, tore the yearbook to shreds, and forced me to swallow the pieces—paper, plastic flowers, metal rings and all—while the whole class watched. Looking at my bloody mouth, she stood over me, calling it "character education." "I can't control the mistress outside, but I can control you!" "I raise you to prove my daughter is better than that bitch's daughter. Not only do you have to study well, but you also have to be cleaner than her!" "Only a daughter born of a slut would be so eager to find a man. If this happens again, I'll cut off your breasts myself and sew you up down there!" Every word sent chills down my spine, making my limbs cramp involuntarily. While I was zoning out, my roommate shoved me. "Are you crazy? Why are you standing by my bed?" I jolted awake, realizing I was thousands of miles away at college. Clutching the remaining $150 in my sweaty palm, I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It's okay. I'm grown up now. I escaped. I used my virginity to buy a ticket out, and I can support myself by working hard from now on. Like a fish released back into the water, I smiled genuinely for the first time in three years. Mom, I'm finally free of you! I relaxed, spread the new sheets I was issued, and started cleaning. The smell of sunlight mixed with dust made me smile again. It's so good. This will be my new home. A home without a controlling mother. A home where I don't have to worry about being dragged out of bed by my hair and beaten in the middle of the night. A home where I don't have to wear custom-made locked iron underwear and can enjoy total freedom! Sitting on the bed, thinking about my future, I was so excited I almost cried. However, just as I gathered the courage to introduce myself to my roommates, my phone received a message. Lighting up the screen, my smile froze. In the sweltering heat, I felt a cold sweat drench me. In the picture, that rusty iron chastity belt had been dug out and thrown on the floor. The message was a furious tirade from my mother. [How dare you steal the key! Don't you know Mom makes you wear this to protect you?] [Why did you do this? Are you dating someone? Did you sleep with someone?!] [How can you be so cheap, so eager to offer yourself to a man? What's the difference between you and the slut who stole your dad? Are you trying to kill me along with them?!] Messages popped up one after another. My hand shook, and the phone fell from the top bunk. The roommate on the bottom bunk picked it up, glanced at it confusedly, then suddenly covered her mouth. "Ava, why do you wear this thing?" "And... your mom says you're a slut who craves men. What does that mean?" In that instant, my sky, which had just brightened, turned dark again. 2 I don't remember how I ran out of the dorm. When I came to, I was standing by the artificial lake on campus. Looking at my reflection in the water, tears streamed down my face. A voice screamed at me to jump, but reason stopped me. I kept comforting myself: Ava, you've escaped. She can't hurt you. She can only curse and scream through the phone. High school was so hard, but you made it out, didn't you? You can do this. Taking deep breaths, I wiped my tears and walked back. But for some reason, everyone along the way was looking at me with complicated expressions. Those probing eyes gave me a bad feeling. I lowered my head deeply like a frightened bird, my hunched figure just like in high school. But when I reached the dorm building, the dorm manager, with a cold face, blocked my path with several people. "Student Ava Lane, is it?" "Someone posted on the campus confession wall that you're working as an escort at such a young age. There's plenty of evidence." "The students in the dorm are afraid you have diseases and are demanding you show a medical report!" I looked up, face pale, and immediately saw the phone screen shoved in my face. Line after line, it was all messages from my mother insulting me. The main image was the photo she sent—that rusty set of iron underwear stained with three years of my humiliation. My brain buzzed, my mind went blank. I shouted at the roommates standing behind the manager. "What right do you have to invade my privacy!" Roommate Chloe flashed a strange smile. Holding my phone with a tissue, she threw it at me. "Because we are cleaner than you." "Even your own mother says you're horny for men every day. Even iron underwear couldn't lock you up; you stole the key to sleep around. Who knows what viruses you have?" "Ava, you are not allowed to step foot in our dorm room ever again!" Tears in my eyes, I looked at everyone, hoping someone would say a word for me. But no. The onlookers all around opened and closed their mouths, spewing only insults. My ears rang, my limbs went numb. I turned in panic, wanting to flee. The next second, someone grabbed my arm violently. I felt a long-lost touch of... well, not kindness, but attention. I sniffled and looked up. Before I could see who it was, a sharp pain exploded on my face. Only when I fell to the ground did I realize—oh, someone slapped me. The surrounding students were startled by this turn of events and scattered. That was when I saw who it was. My mom, Linda Lane. Seeing the fear in my eyes seemed to give her immense satisfaction. She raised her hand and slapped me two more times. "Ava, you're really something. Tell me, where did you get the money for the train ticket!" "Did you sleep with someone behind my back? Did you become a hooker?" "Get up right now! We're going to the hospital to check if your hymen is still there. If I find out you slept with someone, I'll sew you up immediately so you can never be a slut again!" I covered my face, motionless. Because I sadly realized my life wouldn't get better. I thought leaving home would free me from Linda, free me from the painful past. But I was wrong. This slap wasn't just from Linda; it was from reality. I can never escape. Seeing I wouldn't move, Linda grew even more furious. She grabbed a mop handle from the dorm entrance and started beating me indiscriminately. "You're scared! Just like your scumbag father, running away when you can't answer!" "You think you can hide? Ava, if you don't leave, I'll call a doctor right here, strip you naked in front of everyone, and check you myself!" In that moment, I only wished Linda would hit harder. If she accidentally killed me, I wouldn't have to face any of this. I could already imagine the future. Everyone would avoid me. Roommates would bully me openly. Teachers would ignore me. Even worse, male students would ask how much for a night. Everyone would think I'm cheap. A child not even loved by her mother—no one will love her. I held back tears and looked up. "Just kill me." Linda froze, then started screaming. "You'd rather die than be checked! You definitely have a problem!" "How many men have you slept with? Are you pregnant?!" I smiled bitterly, looked at her, and repeated: "Just kill me." Linda's eyes filled with rage, her strikes getting heavier. Just as she beat me until I vomited blood, school leaders rushed over and stopped her. "Parent, how can you hurt your child like this in public!" Linda didn't hold back. She spat on my face before answering. "She's my daughter. I decide whether to beat or scold her." "Don't try to pull rank on me. I'm an award-winning teacher; I don't buy that!" The leaders' faces changed colors as they continued to persuade. "We can solve any issues privately. This... looks bad." Mom threw the mop handle on the ground, eyebrows knitting together. She tilted her head, studied the leaders for a few seconds, and suddenly revealed an expression so familiar it terrified me. I jumped up to cover her mouth, but it was too late. "You're protecting this little slut so much... are you the adulterer?" "I wondered why Ava gave up good grades to come to this crappy school. Turns out, it's all because of you!" My head buzzed. I shook my head frantically. "Mom, I beg you, stop talking!" She slapped my face, mouth still running. "My daughter is usually the most obedient. She wore iron underwear for three years without taking it off. As soon as she starts college, she steals the key to take it off. It's all because of you!" The crowd went into an uproar. Some blushed at the mention of iron underwear. Others pointed at the leader, saying the Vice Principal was in big trouble. Oh, so he's the Vice Principal. Looks like I can't go to school here anymore. I collapsed in despair, all beautiful dreams drifting away. The Vice Principal was indeed furious, face red. "I've never seen this student before, don't..." Before he could finish, Linda grabbed my hair, shoved people aside, and forced me to say my room number. Then, just like in high school, she choked me with one hand and kicked me forward with her foot. In the dorm room, Linda let go of me and rummaged through her bag. Everyone stared as she pulled out a surveillance camera kit. "Which bed is yours? Install it yourself." My roommates weren't having it. One picked up the camera and smashed it on the floor. "What right do you have to invade our privacy? We'll call the police!" Linda's skills in throwing tantrums were perfected; even high school principals feared her. Why would she be scared of a few kids? I numbly picked up the broken camera, standing aside like a zombie. Unexpectedly, the police actually came. Two officers took Linda and me away. A policewoman protected me, covered in bruises, and helped me get an injury assessment. Hearing them talk about "intentional injury," my heart raced again. I seemed to have a way. I seemed to... finally be able to protect myself. Amidst Linda's screaming insults, I stated without hesitation that I would not settle. Linda's voice choked in her throat. Her face went cold inch by inch, staring at me with pure malice. Yet I felt a thrill of revenge. But I didn't expect that my injuries didn't meet the standard for a criminal case. The incident was ultimately ruled as a "family dispute." And Linda only received a verbal warning. At this moment, I just wanted to run. I ran back to the dorm, only to find my luggage at the door. Chloe led the way, blocking me, looking at me like garbage. "Ava, we've already reported to the counselor. You can't live here anymore." Under everyone's probing gazes, I walked out of the dorm in a daze. Just as I was feeling desperate, my phone received a message. [Tonight, same place. Keep the boss company. I know your name is Ava and your mom is Linda Lane from No. 1 High School. You can't escape.] I was stunned. Before I could reply, another video came through. [Not talking? Want everyone to see you selling your virginity cheaply?] Watching myself in the video, my heart almost stopped. But I didn't want to go. I couldn't go. Hesitating for a few seconds, I typed a reply. [If you dare post it, I'll call the police.] Life was a mess. I couldn't think of any way to cope, so I found the cheapest motel near the school to stay temporarily. The next day, I wanted to go to the school leaders to apologize. But as soon as I stepped onto campus, everyone's eyes focused on me. "That's the girl in the video, right?" "Yeah. When her mom caused a scene yesterday, I thought it was a misunderstanding. Turns out it's all true!" "In the video, she's admitting she's selling herself while getting screwed. So cheap!" My limbs went numb. I couldn't move. I took out my phone and frantically opened the campus wall.
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