My Family Members Are Dolls That Never Respond To Me Chapter 03
The next day, I went to my part-time job at the coffee shop as usual.
Every day, I put on a mascot costume and handed out flyers outside the mall.
The midday heat was brutal, and the heavy costume made it difficult to breathe.
When I could not stand it any longer, I pulled off the oversized head and crouched in a corner to drink some water.
“Nora?”
A familiar voice came from behind me.
I froze, then turned around.
Mom, Dad, my brother, Adrian, and Annie were standing a short distance away.
Even Adrian’s parents were with them.
My brother and Adrian both had their arms full of shopping bags.
I did not need to ask who the bags were for.
Mom looked at my sweat-soaked hair. There was no concern in her eyes.
Only embarrassment and anger.
“Nora, don’t I give you money?”
“Are you parading around in that costume on purpose so people will think the Sheldons neglect their own daughter?”
My grip tightened around the water bottle.
“Three hundred dollars a month. My rent is two hundred and fifty.”
“How am I supposed to live if I don’t work?”
My brother frowned and gave me a hard shove.
“How dare you talk to Mom like that?”
Adrian stood beside Annie, his expression conflicted.
Then he addressed me in his usual lecturing tone.
“Nora, you’re being extreme and oversensitive. Annie gets the same three hundred dollars a month. Whenever she runs out, she asks your mom for more. Has your mom ever said no to her?”
“You never ask, so of course she assumes you have enough.”
“You’re the one in the wrong today. Apologize to her.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came.
Annie’s three hundred dollars arrived in her account on time every month, sometimes even early.
Mine was different. I had to beg for it month after month while Mom delayed and made excuses.
It would finally appear near the end of the month, delivered like an act of charity.
If I asked for more, would she give it to me?
I already knew the answer.
Saying any of it aloud would change nothing. It would only earn me more accusations that I was selfish and ungrateful.
So I kept my expression cold and put the mascot head back on.
“You can all leave. Don’t keep me from working.”
The heavy head settled over me, and my world instantly went dark.
The next second, someone shoved me hard from behind.
“Don’t you dare bully Mommy!”
The mascot head was so heavy that even a light bump hurt inside it.
The force of Annie’s shove sent me stumbling forward.
My forehead struck the hard inner shell, and my vision went black.
I braced myself against the wall and stood there for several moments, unable to move.
But no one was worried about me.
Instead, Mom seized Annie’s hand, frantic.
“Annie, sweetheart, does your hand hurt?”
My brother frowned too.
“She’s wearing such a thick costume. Why would you shove her? What if you hurt yourself?”
Adrian spoke to Annie in a low, soothing voice.
“It’s okay. No one’s blaming you.”
While they fussed over her, I stumbled away.
By the time I steadied myself, sweat and tears had soaked through my clothes.
By the end of my shift that night, a swollen lump had formed on my forehead.
It was payday.
With the nine hundred dollars in cash tucked into my pocket, I headed to the night market on the corner.
I wanted a bowl of steaming soup and a glass of ice-cold lemonade.
My mouth watered at the thought, and for the first time all day, I smiled.
But the moment I handed over the bills, the vendor grabbed my wrist.
He held up the money, his expression darkening.
“You look like a decent kid. Why would you pull something like this?”
“Tell me. Where did you get these counterfeit bills?”