Mom threw herself at him, clinging to his arm. "She's your niece! Your own blood!"
"How did my sister give birth to something like you?!"
Albert jabbed a finger in my face. "When you were born, your grandmother took one look—saw you weren't a boy—and wanted to drown you in a chamber pot right then and there! Middle of winter, your mother ran out barefoot, knelt in the snow, begged her on her hands and knees!"
The comments shifted instantly:
[Oh my god... what a mother.]
[She raised her daughter under that kind of pressure.]
[She really is the most selfless mother!]
I swallowed the familiar taste of iron.
Mom's voice came out small: "Once you have a child, you're responsible for them..."
She crouched down again to pick up the scattered coins, wiping each one before holding them out to me.
The neighbor's voice shook with emotion: "When you started elementary school, your father wanted to pull you out. Your mother divorced him without a second thought! Said she'd never let anything get in the way of your education!"
I yanked my hand free from Mom's grip. "That was her choice. It's compulsory education—she can't use that to guilt-trip me."
Aunt Naomi let out a theatrical sigh. "Every penny your mother had went to your tutoring classes. Her own clothes? Begged from charity, door to door. But every one of your school uniforms is brand new. She starved herself to make sure you'd never feel ashamed in front of your classmates."
I laughed. "A mother who can't even afford to buy clothes for her kid? I'd rather she never had me."
The livestream exploded.
[Ungrateful wretch!]
[Sucking her mother dry just to get top grades!]
[Look at how she's dressed—clearly no good. Hair that short, can't even tell if it's a boy or girl. Probably runs with a bad crowd.]
That last comment shot straight to the top.
Mom sobbed through her explanation: "Doris used to be such a good girl..."
The reporter cut in. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Young lady, what's your reasoning for saying that?"
Mom's tears dripped onto my hand. "You have such a bright future ahead of you. Don't say things out of anger that might ruin it..."
I yanked my hand back. Hard. The seam of my uniform tore wide open.
I ripped off the jacket entirely and hurled it to the ground.
[Wait... that body...]
[Is that a guy or a girl? Eighteen and not developed at all?]
[No Adam's apple though. And completely flat below the neck...]