Chapter 4

Piper’s POV

With no one to rely on, I had to carve out my own path.

Since my laptop was destroyed, I used my cracked phone to apply for every part-time gig within a five-mile radius.

Before midnight, I got a hit—a 24-hour convenience store outside the university's west gate needed a graveyard shift cashier. The manager liked that I was an honor student who didn't mind grueling hours, hiring me on the spot to start that very night.

The shift ran from midnight to 8:00 AM. A hundred and twenty dollars a night, plus a free sandwich.

It wasn't much, but it was steady, and I wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

Standing on the back steps of the store, I let out a long breath into the chilly night air.

For the first time, I was earning my own escape fund.

Once I finished a month, the paycheck would be mine. No one could touch this account.

On my third night, around 2:00 AM, the chime above the door rang.

A group of rowdy young people walked in. The girl leading them wore a skimpy dress and strappy heels, strutting with an exaggerated sway. It was Chloe.

Kyle flanked her, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips.

Lucas walked in last, his brow furrowed.

They made a beeline for the snack aisle, laughing obnoxiously and knocking items off the shelves.

I kept my head down, scanning barcodes, pretending they didn't exist. But my knuckles turned white under the counter.

I didn't want trouble.

Chloe sauntered over holding two bags of chips. As she reached the register, her fingers slipped. The bags hit the floor with a loud smack, the packaging tearing open and spilling chips across the linoleum.

"Oops, my bad," Chloe purred, covering her mouth with faux innocence. "Slipped right through my fingers. Could you clean that up for me, Piper? It's not like you're busy standing there doing nothing."

Her voice was deliberately loud, catching the attention of the few late-night customers in the store.

I looked up at her, motionless.

Kyle leaned against the counter, sneering. "What's wrong? Can't even pick up a bag of chips? You're a cashier—aren't you supposed to serve the customers with a smile? Instead of studying, you’re out here wiping shelves for pocket change. Aren't you embarrassed?"

He winked at his friends, drawing a chorus of cruel laughter.

This store was miles from our neighborhood; the night crowd was entirely strangers.

I chose this place because I thought it was out of their reach.

I earned my spot here with my own hands.

Yet Chloe had hunted me down just to remind me: no matter where I ran, I was still the designated servant who had to bend down and clean up her messes.

Lucas stood near the back, his eyes sweeping over my cheap green uniform, his frown deepening.

I understood that look.

To him, I was being an embarrassment.

"Are you going to clean it or what?" Chloe tilted her head. "If you don't, I’m filing a formal complaint. If your manager finds out you're neglecting customers, will you get fired?"

I stared her dead in the eye. "If you don't leave, I'm calling the police."

"Calling the cops? Go right ahead!" Kyle laughed. "Let's see if the cops side with a delinquent daughter or her family! Your own sister comes in to buy snacks, and you act like a psycho. What's wrong with you?"

His shouting grew louder, drawing the other patrons over to watch the spectacle.

Chloe's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She shrank back, looking like a battered victim. "Piper, I swear it was an accident! My hand just slipped. If you don't want to pick it up, fine! Why do you have to threaten to call the police on your own sister?"

"Piper! That's enough!"

Lucas marched over, pulling Chloe protectively behind him. "It was an accident! Do you really have to be this venomous? Doing this humiliating job is bad enough—why are you taking your anger out on Chloe?"

With that, he glared at me, turned on his heel, and pushed through the glass doors without looking back.

The door chime rattled.

For a split second, I realized with sickening clarity that I had still been waiting for him to defend me.

I needed to kill that reflex once and for all.

Chloe didn't leave. She loitered near the aisles, giggling with Kyle and shooting mocking glances at the counter, waiting for my breakdown.

I knelt down on the cold floor, picking up the crushed chips piece by piece, tossing them into the trash bin.

My legs went numb from crouching.

I had to clean it up.

I needed the money.

Less than an hour later, the door was violently kicked open again.

This time, Brenda barged in, with Lucas trailing behind her, looking grim.

The moment Brenda spotted me behind the register, her shriek tore through the quiet street: "Piper Vance! So this is where you've been hiding, humiliating this family!"

She lunged at the counter, clawing at my arm. "I put you through school, and you sneak out to work as a lowly cashier?! If the neighbors find out, how am I supposed to show my face? How is Chloe supposed to maintain her reputation?!"

Several customers stopped in their tracks, turning back to watch.

I pulled back, dodging her grip, biting my lower lip until it bled.

Outside, Arthur’s sedan pulled up to the curb.

Lucas stood near the door, eyes cast down, refusing to look at me.

He had brought them here.

When he stormed out earlier without a word, it wasn't out of anger—it was to call my parents.

My job was gone.

The barcode scanner in my hand slowly dropped to my side.