Things were different now.
My bodyguard was back, and he gave me a
number that I could call him on.
Jake saw the marks on my face and couldn’t
hide his rage.
“Who did this?”
I explained what had happened.
He hit the steering wheel.
“Nobody hurts my girl.”
I started laughing.
“You need to follow through on your promise.”
He looked surprised.
“You really have changed You used to want to
“You really have changed. You used to want to
please Mom and Dad.”
“I was stupid back then! Parents who don’t love
their kids don’t deserve them.”
I said that I wanted to go to art school.
Jake looked at me. “Do you know why I liked
you back then?”
I shook my head.
“My parents had just died. You said that you’d
learned a song and wouldn’t stop singing it to
me.”
“I didn’t want to listen at first. But then, I
realized that you had the power to heal.”
- 14.
A
く
When I got home, Dad said that I needed to
apologize to Brittany.
“Why?”
“You hurt her. You need to apologize.”
I looked up at him. “You hit me first. Apologize
to me first, then I’ll tell you what you want to
hear.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Kids don’t ask that of their
parents.”
I laughed.
Dad thought that he could do whatever he
wanted, and I had to follow.
I was allergic to fish, but he made me eat it,
even if it gave me hives.
I liked to sing, but he thought that wasn’t good
8:16
RUBIN
894
Г
He thought he was the only one who was right.
Now, I realized why I wasn’t going against Dad.
I was like an elephant who has been tied up and
got used to it.
Having amnesia let me become a better person.
I will keep moving forward and becoming who I
want to be.
- 15.
Jake asked Ms. Lin to find me the best vocal
coach and secretly worked on my grades.
I stayed out of the house, and my parents
started to complain.
But once my grades came up, they stopped
talking.
Г
Brittany could see that things weren’t working.
She wasn’t getting good grades.
She wanted to go to college abroad like
everyone else.
But Dad said that he wanted her to go to
college here because that was her dad’s wish.
I was glad that Dad was stubborn.
He tried to get Brittany’s grades up.
He asked me to give in.
Brittany said that Dad was going out of his way
to get things for her.
Mom stopped going out and made Brittany eat
good things.
When she dropped the tonic off in my room, I
was studying English.
“Ashley, you haven’t talked to your dad in a
while. Are you still mad?”
“Don’t blame him. My own dad was really rough
on me. Dad wants to keep you in line.”
Right.
Dad didn’t even say that he’d hire me a private
tutor.
Even if it meant having me repeat a year, he
still wanted me to feel like he was in charge.
I asked, “Ok! Can I get back to studying?”
Mom looked sad and left the room.
Before she closed the door, I heard Brittany
<
“Thanks, Aunt Carol. You’re the best mom.”
Were they still trying to turn us against each
other?
So immature.
I laughed.
I didn’t want to get any love if someone else
had it.
- 16.
Ms. Lin asked me, “Ashley, we’re having a
festival at school. Do you want to perform?”
It was an international school.
Most of the students were getting ready to go
abroad.
I used to have bad grades.
