Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next semester, the money stopped completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad didn\u2019t send anything. Didn\u2019t call either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I called him. Three times. No answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fourth time, Melinda picked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, sweetie, your dad\u2019s busy right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s my allowance?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed. \u201cRenee, honey, let me be straight with you. Your dad thinks you\u2019re a sophomore now\u2013time you learned to stand on your oWN. From now on, no more allowance. You\u2019ll have to figure it out yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at other kids, sweetheart. They work part\u2013time, earn their own way. That\u2019s real character building. I just worry that if you keep relying on handouts, how will you manage in the real world?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat money is what Dad owes me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of talk is that?\u201d Her voice went cold. \u201cWhat do you mean he owes you? Your father raised you, put you through school\u2013and you say he owes you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Mom\u2019s money? What about my house?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are investments. You\u2019ll get them back eventually.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestments take time. Why are you in such a rush?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I supposed to eat right now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t you working part\u2013time? Earn it yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hung up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat on my dorm bed, staring at my phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My roommates came back one by one, carrying new clothes from home, new phones, bags full of snacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They asked, why are you so skinny?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I said, nothing. Just worked too hard over break.\u00a0<\/p>\n
First month of the semester, I scraped by on what I\u2019d saved over winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second month, the money ran out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I picked up more shifts. But I still had classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I started skipping. Electives first, then major requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12.46\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stanmam Cut Mar Thunday chala A_1__10: L=1\u00a0<\/p>\n
My advisor called me in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee Calloway, what\u2019s going on with you? You\u2019ve missed way too many classes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Professor, 1. something came up at home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth. Didn\u2019t know what to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t exactly tell her my dad cut me off and I had to work to eat, could I?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re struggling financially, you can apply for aid. Don\u2019t let it ruin your education.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d already looked into financial aid. You needed proof of financial hardship. Dad\u2019s signature.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t bring myself to ask,\u00a0<\/p>\n
And even if I did, there was no guarantee I\u2019d get it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Days blurred together,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I got thinner, More exhausted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sometimes I\u2019d wake up in the middle of the night with my stomach cramping so bad I couldn\u2019t sleep. I\u2019d just curl up in bed and wait for it to\u00a0<\/p>\n
pass,\u00a0<\/p>\n
My roommates told me to see a doctor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I said it was nothing. Just hadn\u2019t eaten enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They thought I was joking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, after the dining hall closed, I stood outside the gate, staring at my phone balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three dollars and seventy cents,\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was all I had left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dug through my bag and found that pack of stale saltines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crouched under the streetlight, chewing slowly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crackers were soft. They stuck in my throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought about Mom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before she died, she said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, I\u2019m leaving you something. Enough to get you through college. Enough for your wedding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cyour grandpa\u2019s getting old. Don\u2019t make him worry,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1246\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stepmom Cut My Funds? Should\u2019ve Asked My Big Shot Grandpa First\u00a0<\/p>\n
47.2%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three and a half years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t called Grandpa once,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was afraid he\u2019d worry,\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now\u2026 I really couldn\u2019t hold on anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled out my phone and found Grandpa\u2019s number,\u00a0<\/p>\n
My finger shook as I pressed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One ring. Two rings. Three\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d Grandpa\u2019s voice. Older than I remembered,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The second I spoke, tears started falling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I cried so hard I couldn\u2019t get the words out. Just crouched there under the streetlight, gripping my phone, tears streaming down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee? Renee, is that you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, what\u2019s wrong? Don\u2019t cry, sweetheart. Talk to me. What happened?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to speak. Only sobs came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, where are you? Tell Grandpa where you are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m\u2026 I\u2019m at school\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at school? Did something happen? Renee, don\u2019t cry. Tell Grandpa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I choked out the words between sobs. \u201cGrandpa, I\u2019m hungry\u2026 I don\u2019t have any money\u2026 Dad, he\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence on the other end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long pause, Grandpa\u2019s voice came back\u2013different now. Low. Calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRenee, listen to me. Don\u2019t worry about anything else tonight. Go to the front gate. I\u2019m sending someone with money for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you get yourself a proper meal and go back to your dorm and sleep. Everything else\u2013Grandpa will handle it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo as I say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hung up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know how long I stayed crouched under that streetlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Forty minutes later, someone found me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
A muddle aged man in a black coat seppus expresion\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irondded\u00a0<\/p>\n
He handed me on envelope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Hanley asked me to bring this to you. Use it for now. If you need anything else, call this mumber.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gave me a business card.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened the envelope. A stack of cash inside, and a bank card.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s fifty thousand on the card. PIN is your birthday,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Hartley said you\u2019ve been through enough,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded and walked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood there holding that envelope, tears falling again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, I had a real meal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in my dorm, lying in bed, I remembered what Grandpa said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything else\u2013Grandpa will handle it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know what he was going to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I knew Grandpa never made empty promises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2661 (1)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Waited for Answers by Orin Flux 5 Chapter 5\u00a0 The next semester, the money stopped completely.\u00a0 Dad didn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-billionaire-grandpas-secret-weapo-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23907\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}