The Getaway Plan

The moment I learned my childhood sweetheart, Nolan, was breaking up with me because my family was too poor, a wave of relief washed over me.
Thank god I was only pretending to be poor.
He had no idea. My mom, worried that our wealth would crush his self-esteem, had made me keep up the charade for years. It was exhausting. And now, finally, it was over.

1
My mom practically arranged my marriage to Nolan when we were kids. She spotted him on a playground one day and decided his tragically handsome face belonged in our family album. He had to be her future son-in-law.
To make sure I could win his heart from a young age, my entire family packed up our sprawling penthouse in the city center and moved into a cramped, rundown house in his neighborhood. Just like that, Nolan and I became the quintessential childhood sweethearts.
After befriending Nolan’s family, my mom gave up her spa days, her country club lunches, her charity galas. Her new hobby became elbowing her way through crowds with Nolan’s mom at the supermarket to snag discounted eggs and day-old produce. She threw away her life as a socialite, all for the sake of her chosen son-in-law.
I once told my dad that if people on the internet ever heard about my mom’s bizarre antics, she’d be canceled instantly. He didn’t say a word, just quietly put away the keys to his Rolls-Royce and pulled out the keys to his electric scooter to take me to school.
Yeah, my dad was just like me. We had no say in this family.
I’d asked my mom countless times when I could finally be myself around Nolan. Her answer was always the same. "Teenage boys have the most fragile egos, darling. What if Nolan finds out how rich we are and it shatters his confidence?"
I didn't know if Nolan's confidence would shatter, but my sanity certainly was.
One night, I couldn't take it anymore. I marched into my parents' bedroom and demanded an answer. "Is Nolan your secret love child from an affair?!" I yelled. "It's fine if he is! Just let Dad and me move back to the city. We're willing to accept him into the family!"
My outburst earned me a tag-team scolding from both of them. My butt was sore for days.
Fine. I'd just have to endure it a little longer.

2
Thankfully, the end was in sight. The day finally came when Nolan’s affections strayed.
After school today, he refused to take the bus with me.
"Stella, you know my family’s old property got bought out by developers," he said, puffing out his chest. "Do you have any idea how much we got?"
He held up five fingers. "Five million dollars."
He smirked. "So, I won't be taking the bus anymore. You get what I'm saying, right?"
Honestly, I didn't. I just stared at him blankly. "Okay, cool. We can take a cab together from now on, then!"
Nolan made a tsking sound. "It's not about the cab, Stella."
"Then what is it about?"
His tone became cold, unfamiliar. "My mom said we're moving out of this dump in a few days. My family's worth millions now. And you? You're still..."
"I'm still what?"
He sighed, a picture of put-upon patience. "I didn't want to have to spell it out for you. Why are you being so dense? I think everyone has the right to chase something better. You can't stop me from moving on to someone who's more on my level, can you?"
"So, Stella," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "Do you get what I'm saying now?"
After all that, I finally understood. His family had struck it rich, and suddenly, I wasn't good enough for him anymore. He was dumping me.
"Fine," I said.
He looked surprised. He'd clearly expected a fight, not instant agreement.
I decided to press for gossip. "So who's this 'better' person?"
"Jane," he said, the name rolling off his tongue with reverence. "At this stage in my life, she's the one who's a perfect match for me. Socially, financially... everything."
Ah, Jane. The beautiful, wealthy queen bee of our school.
"Okay," I said, pulling out my phone. "I agree to the breakup, but you have to be the one to tell my mom. In person."
Nolan's brow furrowed. "Stella, we're not kids anymore. Do we really have to do that?"
My resolve was firm. "If you don't tell her, she'll never believe it."
He let out another impatient sigh. "Fine. Breaking up with poor people is always so much drama."
Excuse me? Poor people? Was he talking about me?
I dialed my mom's number. The moment she heard Nolan's voice, she lit up. "Nolan, sweetie! Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? Your mom's been so busy lately, she hasn't been answering my calls or texts."
Nolan was silent for a beat, as if wrestling with a sliver of guilt. "Mrs. Evans," he began, "I'm calling to tell you that I think it's time for me to focus on my studies. We can't let ourselves get distracted by romance."
"So, Stella and I have decided to peacefully go our separate ways."
"Peaceful?!" I shrieked into the phone. "Nolan, why don't you tell her the truth! Mom! His family got a huge payout and now he thinks I'm not good enough for him! He's dumping me to go after the school queen bee!"
Nolan snatched the phone and ended the call.
"Stella!" He was genuinely angry with me for the first time I could remember. "Couldn't you just be classy about this? Did you have to make me look bad in front of your mom?"
I just stared at him. What is wrong with you?
"Whatever," he huffed, regaining his composure. "It's done. I'm officially going to start pursuing Jane tomorrow. Do me a favor and make sure everyone in our class knows that we're broken up."
Watching his retreating back, I suddenly felt a surge of gratitude for my mom's insane scheme. How else would I have ever seen his true colors?
But an even happier thought bubbled up inside me.
I was finally free. No more pretending. And no more damn bus rides.

3
I splurged on an Uber to get home. The second I walked in the door, my mom was on me. "What happened with you and Nolan? Did you two have a fight?"
I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Haven't you figured it out yet? His family hit the jackpot, and now he thinks we're beneath him."
My mom refused to believe it. "Impossible. Nolan isn't that kind of boy. Maybe... maybe he has a terminal illness! And he's just making up an excuse to break up with you so he won't be a burden!"
I rolled my eyes. "You need to read fewer romance novels. They're rotting your brain."
She was undeterred. "We'll sell everything we have! We have to save him!" she declared, grabbing my arm and dragging me out the door.
Nolan's house was right across from ours, but it took an eternity of knocking before the door finally opened. When Nolan's mom saw us, a strange expression crossed her face.
"Oh, you're home," my mom said, completely oblivious. She had a superpower for missing social cues. "We were supposed to go get those discount eggs this afternoon. Why didn't you text me back?"
She pressed on. "Nolan called earlier and said he wants to break up with Stella. I just wanted to ask if something's wrong."
For some reason, Nolan's mom's voice turned sharp and cruel. "What could be wrong? Are you wishing ill on my son? They broke up because he doesn't like her anymore. It's that simple."
She started to close the door, then paused. "Oh, and by the way," she said, a smug little smile playing on her lips. "I forgot to tell you. We got five million from the developers for our old property. We just bought a new Porsche, and next week we're moving into that new luxury condo complex down the road—the one where units start at two million."
"So," she finished, her eyes glinting, "let's just leave the past in the past. There's no need for us to stay in touch."
The moment the door clicked shut, I could almost hear my mom's heart breaking. She couldn't believe she'd been so wrong about them. The final nail in the coffin was when she opened her phone and saw the little red notification telling her she'd been blocked.
That night, she shook me awake. "Stella," she whispered, her voice filled with a newfound determination, "let's move back to the city. To the penthouse. The private concierge, the high-end spa days... I miss them."
I shot up in bed, a wide grin spreading across my face. My dad and I had been waiting for this day for so long.
We packed that night and drove the Rolls-Royce back to our real home.
No more pretending.
My haute couture dresses, my designer bags, my limited-edition collectibles... I'm back, babies! And I bet you missed me.

4
The next day, I walked into class wearing a pair of limited-edition sneakers.
Jane, the school queen bee, let out a derisive snort. Every head in the room turned.
"Whoa, Stella and Jane are wearing the same shoes."
"Took me a whole second to figure out which pair is fake."
"Stella's wearing knockoffs? No wonder Nolan broke up with her. So tacky."
"I heard she was begging him not to leave after she found out about his family's money."
"She was wearing eighty-dollar sneakers yesterday, and today she's in two-thousand-dollar ones? Yeah, right."
Jane then held up a hand, putting on a show of magnanimity. "It's okay, guys. Maybe Stella just doesn't know any better."

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