Hidden Bully Truth

The scholarship student my parents sponsored led the charge in bullying me. She locked me in a bathroom stall, dumped freezing dirty water over my head, and took degrading photos of me stripped down to my underwear.

When I knelt crying on the floor, clutching my medical report and an audio recording, begging my parents to call the police, they confiscated my phone. They did it for the sake of their laughable public image.

"Audrey, Riley comes from a dirt-poor family. This is just kids messing around. If we involve the cops, the press will say the District Attorney is throwing his weight around, destroying a disadvantaged kid's future."

"You are our daughter. You need to look at the bigger picture. To avoid any conflict of interest, we are settling this privately. You are going to sign a formal statement of forgiveness."

I stared at that piece of paper, filled with words about grace and maturity, in absolute disbelief.

"She ruined me, and you're afraid of ruining her?"

"Is she your real daughter?"

Later, I saw a post on Riley's Instagram. The picture showed my parents treating her to a massive seafood feast I had been begging to go to for months. The caption read:

"My godparents say some entitled brats just need to be put in their place."

In that exact moment, my heart turned to ash.

"Smile for the camera, Audrey! Aren't your parents big-shot lawyers?"

"Call them! Let's see if the almighty DA saves his precious daughter, or if he protects his favorite charity case."

The stall door was kicked open. A bucket of ice water, reeking of cigarette ash and bleach, washed over my head.

I curled up next to the toilet. My clothes clung to my shivering skin.

Riley shoved her phone right into my face. The camera flash blinded me, burning into my retinas.

I bit down on my lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth.

That night, I knelt on the cold marble floor of our living room. I held my medical report in one hand and a voice recorder in the other.

"Dad, Mom, I need to file a police report. Riley took photos of me in my underwear..."

"Shut your mouth."

Victoria sat perfectly upright in her tailored designer suit. She held a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea, not even bothering to look up.

"Go change your clothes. You smell like a dumpster. Look at the state of you."

I jerked my head up. The hard floor was grinding into my kneecaps, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the shock.

"Mom, this is proof! She held my head near the bowl! She's threatening to post the pictures online..."

My dad sat in the center of the plush leather sofa, rolling an unlit cigar between his fingers.

He finally looked at me. His eyes were like dead stones.

"Audrey. Hand me the phone."

My hands shook violently as I offered it to him.

Without missing a beat, he powered it down, popped the SIM card out, and tossed it right into the heavy crystal ashtray on the coffee table.

"As of today, your phone is confiscated. You are grounded. Stay in your room and reflect on your behavior."

I shot to my feet.

"Are you insane? I am the victim! Dad, just listen to the tape! Listen to what she said to me..."

"I said, shut your mouth!"

Richard slammed his fist onto the coffee table. The teacups rattled.

He stood up, towering over me.

"Call the cops? Do you have any idea what that means?"

"How do you think the media will spin it? The arrogant daughter of the District Attorney bullies a poor scholarship girl and ruins her future."

"Riley's family has nothing. Her father is paralyzed. She is the city's poster child for overcoming adversity."

"Do you want to throw away everything we've built just because your feelings got hurt?"

My jaw dropped. My throat felt like sandpaper. No words would come out.

My feelings got hurt? I was stripped, photographed, and humiliated. And to him, it was just a minor inconvenience.

My mother set her tea down and walked over.

"Audrey, be reasonable. We are public figures. Thousands of eyes are watching our every move."

"Riley has had a hard life. Maybe she acted a bit aggressively, but she's just crying out for attention."

"You are older. You need to show some grace. To keep our hands clean, this gets buried. Tonight."

She pulled a crisp sheet of paper from her leather briefcase and slid it onto the table.

Statement of Forgiveness.

Party A: Audrey. Party B: Riley.

Terms: An acknowledgment of roughhousing between classmates. I agree to drop the matter and waive all rights to pursue legal action.

Dad handed me his Montblanc fountain pen.

"Sign it. Don't make us force your hand."

I stared at the pen. I had saved up for months to buy it for him when he got promoted to Chief DA.

"And if I don't?"

Dad let out a short, cold laugh.

"If you don't? I will pull you out of school and ship you off to your grandfather's cabin upstate."

"As long as I run this district, no precinct will touch your case. No one will cross me."

These were my parents.

To protect their pristine political feathers, to maintain their fake philanthropy, they were willing to feed their own flesh and blood to the wolves.

My fingers trembled as I took the pen.

The nib scratched harshly against the paper. I signed my name.

Mom smiled, clearly satisfied. She folded the paper neatly.

"That's my girl. I knew you'd understand. You must be starving. Let me go fix dinner."

"Don't bother."

I pushed myself off the floor. My legs were numb.

Back in my room, I dug out an old backup iPad from the bottom of a drawer.

Half an hour later, an Instagram notification popped up.

It was from Riley.

A photo carousel.

Massive Alaskan king crab legs. Maine lobster tails. Two hands clinking champagne glasses.

One hand wore my mother's signature diamond ring. The other wore my father's Rolex.

Location tag: The Oceanaire Room.

Caption: "My godparents treating me to calm my nerves. Some entitled brats just need to be put in their place. Thank you Mom and Dad! Love you!"

I stared at the screen. My stomach did a violent flip.

Mom didn't go to the kitchen to fix dinner. She had a reservation booked the entire time. They were throwing a victory dinner for my abuser.

I bolted to my bathroom and threw up until my ribs ached.

The girl in the mirror was pale as a ghost, a bruise already blooming on her jawline.

And on the screen, the three of them looked like a perfect, happy family.

If they loved their little charity case so much.

Then I guess they didn't need a real daughter anymore.

The sky was barely gray when I woke up.

I dragged my dusty suitcase from under the bed and unzipped it.

My closet was stuffed with designer labels. Prada, Gucci, Chanel. All bought by my mother to make me look like a proper DA's kid.

I didn't touch a single piece.

I packed a few faded vintage tees and two pairs of worn-out denim jeans.

I smashed my porcelain piggy bank with a heavy book. It held about three hundred dollars in crumpled bills and coins.

When I lugged the suitcase downstairs, the smell of fresh coffee and bacon filled the air.

Mom was untying her apron. She frowned the second she saw me.

"What are you doing dragging that thing around at six in the morning? The noise is unbearable."

Dad was reading the morning paper at the island counter. He didn't look up.

"Put the bag away and eat your breakfast. Riley is coming over this afternoon. Don't ruin the mood with that miserable look on your face."

Riley. He practically said her name with affection.

I left my suitcase by the front door and stood in the entryway.

"I'm not eating. And I am never looking at her face again."

Mom slammed a plate onto the granite counter.

"Audrey! What kind of tantrum is this? We settled this last night."

"Riley apologized. You signed the paper. We are turning the page."

"Why are you being so vindictive?"

"Vindictive?"

I tapped my temple with my index finger.

"Mom. I have a mild concussion."

"She has pictures of me stripped down on her phone, and you two bought her lobster."

"Is this your idea of the bigger picture?"

Dad slammed his newspaper down. His face turned an ugly shade of red.

"You're stalking our social media now?"

"She posted it on a public feed. That's the whole point."

"Enough!"

Dad stood up, pointing a thick finger at the front door.

"You want to walk out? Fine! Let's see how far you get!"

"If you walk through that door, you stay gone. I will act like I never had a daughter."

"Leave the credit cards, the keys, and whatever cash you have on you."

I reached into my pocket, pulled out the heavy brass house key, and tossed it onto the shoe cabinet.

It made a sharp, metallic clink.

"You took my phone last night."

"I don't have your plastic. It's in my desk."

"As for this house..."

I took one last look at the crystal chandeliers and the imported rugs.

"Give my room to Riley. She's clearly cut from the same rotten cloth as you two."

"You ungrateful little bitch!"

Mom snatched her hot coffee mug and hurled it at my head.

It shattered against the doorframe. Boiling coffee splashed my jacket, and a sharp shard of ceramic sliced across my cheek.

A warm line of blood trickled down my jaw.

"And one more thing. Stop pretending you do anything for my sake."

"The only things you love are yourselves and your fake public image."

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase, pushed the heavy oak door open, and stepped into the cold morning air.

Dad's roar echoed behind me.

"Get out! Let her freeze! Give her three days, and she'll be crawling back on her knees!"

I didn't look back.

Three days? I wouldn't beg them for a drop of water if I were dying of thirst.

I found a cramped, illegal basement apartment in the rundown east side of the city.

I had just dropped my bag onto the concrete floor when my iPad buzzed.

An incoming FaceTime call from an unknown email.

I hesitated, then swiped to accept.

Riley's smug face filled the screen.

The background was my living room. She was lounging on my custom velvet beanbag chair, the one nobody else was allowed to sit on.

She was spinning my limited-edition anime figure in her hands.

"Hey there, big sis. Heard you ran away from home?"

Her voice was dripping with fake sweetness.

"Mom says you threw a massive fit. Told me to just ignore your drama."

"This little toy is pretty cute though. Mom said I could keep it. You don't mind, do you?"

Snap.

She twisted her hands, violently snapping the figure's head off.

She covered her mouth in mock horror.

"Oops. My hand slipped. You're not mad, are you?"

My mother's voice drifted in from the background.

"Riley, honey, leave that garbage alone. Throw it in the trash. I'll buy you a better one."

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edges of the iPad.

I saved up my allowance for six months to buy that figure. It was the only thing in that suffocating house that brought me any joy.

I took a deep breath and forced a dead, chilling smile.

"I don't mind at all."

"Trash belongs with trash. It suits you."

"Oh, and by the way. I used to let a stray dog sleep on that beanbag. It pissed all over the filling."

Riley's face warped into disgust. She vaulted off the chair like it was on fire.

"You're lying! They don't even own a dog!"

"Believe what you want."

I cut the call.

Staring at my black reflection on the screen, I slid down the dirty wall until I hit the floor.

My stomach growled fiercely.

The real nightmare was just beginning.

I filed for a temporary leave of absence at the university.

My academic advisor took one look at my bruised face and my medical report, sighed heavily, and processed the paperwork without asking questions.

Without a degree, my options were trash. I took a graveyard shift at a sketchy gas station convenience store and spent my days doing cheap freelance translation online.

By the third day, the fever hit.

I needed antibiotics, but my bank account had exactly thirty dollars left.

I chugged tap water and forced down some expired cold medicine I found in my jacket pocket.

As long as I kept breathing, I was going to stick around to watch their empire burn.

Half a month later, I had to go back to campus to pick up some administrative paperwork.

My backpack held my beat-up laptop and my ID documents.

I had barely reached the steps of the main library when a group surrounded me.

"Well, well. If it isn't the disgraced DA's daughter."

Riley stood at the top of the concrete steps, looking down at me like I was a rat.

She was wrapped in a cream-colored cashmere coat. I recognized it. My mother bought it in Paris last month.

"What are you wearing? Did you fish those jeans out of a dumpster?"

Riley trotted down the steps and pinched the sleeve of my faded hoodie.

"This is so pathetic. Mom told me you were whoring yourself out on the streets, but I didn't believe her."

"I guess it's true. You can't even afford decent clothes."

A crowd of students started gathering, whispering and pointing.

I slapped her hand away and glared at her.

"Did you steal that coat, or did you beg for it?"

Riley's face twitched, but she immediately cranked up the volume.

"What are you talking about! Mom lent this to me!"

"I'm representing the university at the State Debate Championship. She didn't want me catching a cold."

Her eyes darted around. Suddenly, she lunged forward and grabbed the straps of my backpack.

"Wait a minute! I just realized I'm missing a hundred-dollar bill!"

"You stole it! You're broke and desperate, and you were lurking right next to me!"

"Search her! Check her bag!"

Her little groupies instantly closed in.

I hugged my backpack to my chest.

"Back off! I didn't take your damn money!"

In the scuffle, Riley's manicured acrylic nails dragged hard across the back of my hand.

The skin split open. Blood welled up instantly.

"What is going on here!"

The Dean of Students pushed through the crowd, looking panicked.

And walking right behind him, carrying thermal soup containers, were my parents.

They had come to bring their pet project a hot lunch.

Mom shoved past me, practically knocking me over, and pulled Riley into a protective hug.

"Riley, sweetie, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Dad marched right up to me.

"Audrey! How long are you going to humiliate this family?"

"Sneaking onto campus to steal money? You are a complete disgrace!"

I held up my bleeding hand.

"Mr. District Attorney. Which eye did you use to see me steal anything?"

"I thought your job required evidence. Or do you just skip right to the conviction without a trial?"

Dad's face flushed dark purple.

"Then why would Riley single you out? Out of everyone here, she pointed at you."

"Where there's smoke, there's fire. You've clearly hit rock bottom."

Riley buried her face in my mother's expensive blouse, faking a sob.

"Dad, maybe I misplaced it... but Audrey was acting so aggressive..."

"It's okay, honey. I'll handle this."

Mom glared at me with absolute venom.

"Open the bag, Audrey. Let everyone see what's inside. Prove your innocence."

"If you didn't take it, you apologize to Riley for causing a scene, and we'll let this go."

Looking at my parents acting like benevolent gods, my stomach churned. I couldn't take it anymore.

I grabbed the zipper of my backpack, ripped it open, and flipped the whole bag upside down.

Crash.

Notebooks, chargers, cheap pens, and my old sticker-covered laptop spilled onto the concrete.

My frayed wallet hit the ground. A few crumpled one-dollar bills fluttered out.

"Look at it! Where is the hundred dollars?"

My eyes burned with rage as I pointed at the mess.

"Search it! Isn't that what you wanted? Search me!"

The crowd went dead silent.

Riley shrank back, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Then... maybe I left it in the lecture hall."

"You 'left it'?"

I took a step toward her.

"You publicly accused me of theft, incited a mob to search my property, and physically assaulted me. Isn't that harassment?"

"Enough!"

Dad barked out the order.

He noticed the growing ring of students holding up their smartphones. His jaw tightened.

He marched over and clamped his hand around my wrist like a vice.

"Stop acting like a lunatic and get in the car."

He dropped his voice to a menacing hiss.

"We will talk about this at home. Stop putting on a show for these peasants."

Mom caught on quickly. She plastered a fake, polished smile on her face for the crowd.

"Teenage rebellion, you know how it is. Nothing to see here, kids. Let's clear the area."

They flanked me, grabbing both my arms, trying to physically drag me toward the black Audi A6 idling by the gates.

I dug my heels in and grabbed onto a metal handrail.

"I'm not going anywhere! Let go of me!"

Dad leaned in, his breath hot against my ear.

"If you don't stop making a scene, I will have you committed to a psychiatric ward before the sun goes down."

A psych ward.

To protect his reputation, he was perfectly willing to lock his own daughter in a mental asylum.

I let out a dry, cracked laugh.

"You care about your optics?"

I sucked in a massive breath and screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Help! Someone help me! The District Attorney is trying to kill me! My parents are trying to silence me!"

Every single person froze.

The campus security guards popped out of their booths, looking terrified.

Dad's face drained of all color. He instinctively let go of my arm like it was on fire.

"Are you insane!"

He roared, veins popping on his forehead.

Mom panicked, her perfect political wife mask completely shattering.

"Audrey, stop lying! When have we ever hurt you?"

I didn't give her a second to recover. I pointed straight at the Audi.

"You're dragging me to the car so you can lock me away and threaten me where no one can hear!"

"Just like the night you forced me to sign that NDA!"

"You covered up Riley's abuse to save your own political careers! You forced me to kneel and apologize to my own bully!"

"And now that I've escaped, you hunt me down at school to frame me for stealing?"

The crowd erupted.

"Wait, what NDA?"

"The abuse rumors were real?"

"Did she just say her parents covered it up?"

Hundreds of judging eyes locked onto Richard and Victoria.

Dad's hands were shaking. He wanted to strangle me, but the sea of glowing camera lenses held him back.

He stared at me, his eyes filled with pure hatred.

"Audrey. If you don't get in that car right now, I will freeze every asset tied to your name. You will never set foot in a classroom again."

I smirked, reaching into my hoodie pocket. I pulled out my cheap folding boxcutter.

Click.

"Don't take another step."

I pressed the blade lightly against my own neck.

The crowd gasped in horror.

Mom shrieked. "Audrey! What are you doing! Put that down!"

"Are you scared?"

"You're not scared I'll die. You're scared I'll bleed out right here and ruin your shiny election campaign."

"Richard. Victoria. Listen very carefully."

"As of this exact second, I have no parents."

"Whatever debt I owed you for bringing me into this world, I paid in full the night you forced me to sign away my dignity."

"Now take your fake charity daughter, and get the hell out of my sight."

I pressed the blade just a millimeter deeper. The skin broke. A single drop of crimson blood rolled down my collarbone.