My father brought my aunt's daughter home to raise. My parents showered her with affection, but I got nothing but beatings and harsh words. She personally pushed my mother down the stairs but framed me for it. My mother hated my guts, wishing every day that I would die. Finally, with a bitter laugh, I opened the window and jumped. 1. My head was shoved into a sink in the school bathroom. Water flooded my mouth and nose, and the feeling of suffocation washed over me. Ashley’s deceptively gentle voice scolded me. "Chloe, how could you pour hot water on a classmate?" "Let me teach you a lesson on Mom and Dad’s behalf." Recognizing the voice, I fought back, breaking free from the girls holding me and shoving Ashley to the ground. She landed hard on the filthy floor, stunned for a moment before erupting in anger. "Chloe, are you asking for it?!" She scrambled up, grabbing my hair and yanking hard, making my scalp scream in pain. Fury exploded inside me. I spun around and slapped her hard across the face. She cried out, clutching her cheek in disbelief. "If you all want to play rough, I'll play along." I grabbed her hair and started dragging her towards a toilet stall. She whimpered and wailed in pain, flailing her arms and legs like a fish fighting for its life. The school toilets were disgusting, perpetually stained with brownish grime and slime. The other girls watched, frozen, as I forced Ashley’s face into the toilet bowl and hit the flush lever. She struggled to get up, but I held her down firmly. I whipped my head around and grinned at the onlookers. That smile silenced them instantly. Only the sound of Ashley’s choked pleas and struggles remained. Ashley trembled, her voice shaking, "Chloe, are you crazy?" In my past life, trying to please Ashley, I’d gotten used to never fighting back, never talking back. Now I saw that constantly backing down only made others bolder. When I’d had enough, I tossed her onto the floor. She coughed and gagged wretchedly, spitting out toilet water. She was shaking like a leaf, unable to even look at me. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please let me go..." she stammered, terrified. The other girls were horrified. They grabbed the shaken Ashley and practically crawled away in their haste to escape. Now, it was just me and Ashley. I smirked, walking slowly towards her. "Ashley, you’re going to regret this." Her pupils contracted. She glanced around frantically, then grabbed a nearby mop and swung it hard, hitting me on the head. The metal clamp on the mop handle scraped my scalp. A thin trickle of warmth spread down from the top of my head. 2 My peaceful life shattered the day Dad brought Ashley into our home. She once threw Dad’s laptop into the bathtub. I rushed to pull it out. It contained important work files. A soaking like that would probably ruin it. The bathroom light cast Dad's shadow long and menacing on the wall. His face was terrifyingly dark, veins pulsing at his temples. He slapped me so hard I fell to the floor. My cheek went numb, my ears rang, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Even then, I clutched the laptop tightly, afraid of damaging it further. Dad didn't say a word, just snatched the laptop and left. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled up, head bowed, trying to explain, "Dad, I really didn't do it." He stopped, turned sharply, his eyes filled with disgust and irritation. "If it wasn't you, who was it?" "Ashley?!" "How did I end up with something disgusting like you?!" His words hit me like ice water, making me shiver uncontrollably. Ashley stood behind him, a smirk playing on her lips, looking down at me with contempt. "Daddy, she's a bad kid. Why don't you believe me?" My eyes stung, my vision blurring. But my words only enraged my father further. He grabbed my arm, dragging and shoving me out the front door. The biting cold wind hit me. I curled up, shivering, but couldn't escape the chill. My head throbbed. I touched my forehead – I was running a fever. Forcing my weak body up, I pounded on the door. "Mom! Dad! Please let me in!" My voice was hoarse, but there was no answer. Eventually, the neighbors couldn't stand it anymore. Only because of what people might say did my parents finally take me to the hospital. After that, I never dared say anything bad about Ashley again. No matter how I tried to explain, my parents always assumed the worst of me. It was like I was the filthiest piece of trash in the world. In the moment my head spun from the mop hitting me, Ashley seized the chance and ran off. "Chloe?" A shadow fell over me, making me jump instinctively. 3 I looked up. Mr. Davis, my teacher, came into view. "Who did this?!" He looked frantic, quickly helping me up. No matter how much he pressed me, I kept my mouth shut. What good would telling him do? It would just worry him for nothing. Besides, my parents practically wished I would drop dead. In my past life, the bullying got so bad I begged my parents to let me transfer schools. My father’s face was cold, his voice irritated. "Have you ever thought about yourself?" "Why does everyone pick on you? Is there something wrong with your character?" The air felt heavy, suffocating. I struggled to breathe, digging my nails into my palms. My silence left Mr. Davis frustrated. He sighed, "I'll take you to the hospital." The cut from the metal strip was risky; it could get infected. After hours at the hospital, I lay exhausted in a bed. Mr. Davis looked at me with complex emotions in his eyes, a thousand unspoken words seemingly condensed into a single sigh. "Your parents are… a bit busy. They might not be able to make it." Hearing this, my chest felt crushed by a heavy weight, making it hard to breathe. I thought I didn’t care anymore. So why did my heart still ache so much? I fought back tears, my voice steady. "It's okay. I can manage on my own." "Let me call in some backup for you!" "Huh?" I was stunned. The sadness vanished instantly. Mr. Davis rubbed his stubble awkwardly. "Something my son taught me." A man in his fifties, trying to be hip. It was kind of endearing. I stayed in the hospital for a few days, then texted Mr. Davis I was being discharged. [Mr. Davis: Is someone picking you up?] [Me: My parents are coming.] After sending the message, I got a cab and left the hospital alone. The moment I walked into the house, a cup flew straight at my face. "Running around with trash all day, and you still have the nerve to come back?!" 4 I dodged just in time. Shattered glass sprayed everywhere, stinging my cheek. My mother glanced at me blankly, indifferent to my father's outburst. Ashley quickly poured Dad a glass of water. "Please don't be angry. Chloe's still young, she just needs guidance." I couldn't be bothered watching this family drama unfold. As I turned to go to my room, Ashley stopped me. "Chloe, please don't hang out with those people anymore. Let me see your injury." Ashley looked at me with feigned concern, reaching for my cheek. Seeing her phony act made my stomach churn. I gagged slightly and pushed her hand away. My mother raised her hand high and slapped me across the face. "Chloe, why are you such a bitch?" "Is this how you treat your sister's kindness?!" The slap made my cheek throb numbly. My ears rang, and I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth. I vaguely remembered how gentle my mother used to be. She’d call me her sweetie. If I fell and scraped my knee, she'd tear up with sympathy. Until Ashley came. She pushed my pregnant mother down the stairs. Mom lost consciousness right there. When she came back from the hospital, the baby was gone. "Chloe kept telling me she didn't want a baby brother or sister," Ashley had said, tears in her eyes. "Please don't blame Chloe. Blame me. I should have watched her better." Ashley stood in front of me protectively, shielding me with her arms. The tenderness in my mother's eyes turned to hatred. No matter how much I explained, she didn't believe me. One night, going to the bathroom, I saw light spilling from under my parents' bedroom door. My mother was curled up in my father's arms, sobbing heartbrokenly. She grit her teeth and hissed, "I really want to kill that child!" I stood frozen, my mind blank. When I came to, I was back in my room. My parents hadn't noticed me. Or maybe they had, and just said nothing. Letting the fear fester inside me. "You're not my mom. My mom wouldn't hit her own child." I looked at my mother, my eyes filled with sorrow, hoping to see a flicker of regret or pity on her face. She stared back at me, saying word by word, "Of course I'm not your mom. I could never give birth to a monster like you." With that, she took Ashley upstairs. She gently squeezed Ashley's earlobe, her eyes full of affection, every gesture showing care. Ashley smiled prettily, puffed her cheeks, and stuck out her tongue playfully. As they entered the bedroom, Ashley popped her head back out and gave me a sweet smile. She mouthed silently: [You lose again, Chloe.] Lose? As for my parents, the moment I jumped from that window, any real bond was already severed. Any display of emotion, any plea for sympathy now, was just a tactic to make them lower their guard. Let them think I was still the same fool. After Ashley confirmed my return-to-school date, she deliberately twisted my relationship with Mr. Davis. Walking through the school hallways, I was met with pointing fingers and whispers. Boys looked me up and down suggestively. One swaggering guy blocked my path in the corridor, sneering, "Guess the old guy wasn't much fun, huh?" 5 "Want to try me instead?" I frowned. "Excuse me, but Mr. Davis and I have a purely professional student-teacher relationship." The surrounding crowd burst into laughter. I spotted Ashley in the crowd and forcibly pulled her out. "My dear sister, why don't you set the record straight?" Ashley looked annoyed, but quickly changed her expression when everyone looked at her. She frowned, sighed, and said a few vague things. "Chloe often stays out all night. Mr. Davis called the other day saying Chloe was hurt." "I never thought things would get twisted like this." Ashley looked guilty, then bowed deeply towards me, staying bent over for a long moment. "Chloe, this time it's my fault." With Ashley publicly bowing and apologizing like that, the other students started defending her before I could even react. "Ashley already apologized, what more do you want?" "Mr. Davis said she was hurt... wonder where she was hurt, haha." "You can't blame her sister for misunderstanding. Anyone would worry with a sister like that." Outwardly, I looked wronged and angry, but inside, I felt a growing excitement. Let it blow up. The bigger the better. I was going to make them pay dearly! The student commotion got so loud it reached the school administration. The school wanted to sweep it under the rug, but parents wouldn't have it and reported it directly to the district office. In my past life, Mr. Davis got involved when I was being bullied, and the bullies' parents ganged up and reported him, costing him his job. I didn't want Mr. Davis to suffer because of my messed-up situation. Ashley escalating things, especially hinting at an inappropriate relationship, really set the other parents off. Under pressure, the school administration identified the source of the rumors. Ashley and the students spreading the malicious gossip were all given formal warnings and had to read apology letters at the next school assembly. When my parents heard their precious daughter was in trouble, they rushed to the school. My mother hugged Ashley tightly, gently stroking her back. "Mom, it's all my fault." "Sweetie, how could it be your fault?" Ashley's eyes welled up, tears clinging to her lashes, looking especially pitiful. The school staff witnessed this, then glanced at me standing alone, shaking their heads slightly. My mother asked worriedly, "Ma'am, my daughter got a formal warning. Will this affect her college applications?" "Technically no, it won't prevent Ashley from applying to college." My mother breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned to me, walked straight over, and kicked me hard in the stomach.
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