They Spoiled Her with My Money—Then Regretted Losing Me

I took screenshots of every transfer from those two months. The next day at noon, I caught Sienna outside the classroom building. Her smile faltered when she saw the screenshots. “Chloe, you actually went through everything?” I held out my phone and said, “See for yourself.” “You've been charging me more than you send me every week.” “One or two mistakes, fine, but it's almost every entry.” She scrolled more slowly with each screenshot. “That might be for something we bought together before.” She kept scrolling and said, “I don't remember this one.” I took my phone back and said, “Then don't strain yourself.” “Just work out what you still owe me and send it.” Her face went pale. “You make it sound like I'm stealing from you.” Adrian came up behind us and hurried over when he saw her red eyes. “What happened?” Sienna shook her head and looked away, saying, “Nothing.” His eyes dropped to my phone. “You're really checking every single thing she's spent?” I showed him the screenshots and said, “Good thing I did, considering what I found.” He barely glanced at them before pushing my phone down. “It's a few dollars here and there, probably just bookkeeping mistakes.” “Chloe, since when have you needed to worry about a few dollars?” My chest tightened. “How is that the point?” “It's my money.” Adrian's face darkened as he asked, “Do you have to be so aggressive?” “Sienna tracks four people's spending every day, and she barely has time to eat.” “Now you're standing here interrogating her over a few screenshots.” People were starting to stare. Sienna tugged his sleeve and said, “Adrian, please stop.” Her plea only made him angrier. “She's always been spoiled.” “Everyone at home gives in to her, and now she's finding fault with a friend who's trying to help.” My hands curled into fists. When I went to my first overnight pack training camp, Adrian had stuffed my bag with snacks so I wouldn't go hungry. Before leaving, he'd warned my roommates, “She won't ask for help, so make sure she eats.” Back then, he couldn't stand the thought of anyone mistreating me. Now I'd actually gone hungry, and he thought I was embarrassing myself over a few dollars. Logan and Mason arrived soon after. Logan heard a few words, frowned, and tried to pull me aside. “Enough, people are watching.” I shook off his hand and asked, “My money's missing, and I'm not allowed to ask about it?” His expression changed, too. “You can ask.” “Just watch how you say it.” He glanced at Sienna. “She's been doing this for us for free.” “How do you think she feels with you going on about missing money?” Mason scrolled through the screenshots I'd posted, his voice still calm. “A few of these don't match.” I looked up, but he added, “Still, there's no need to make a scene.” “We've known each other since we were kids, and it hurts when you assume the worst.” I stared at him and said, “It's my money that's gone.” Mason paused. “Chloe, you've been pretty short-tempered lately.” Heat rushed to my head, and I almost growled. I pointed at Sienna and said, “Fine.” “Let her keep your money if you feel that bad for her.” “But give me mine.” Sienna finally started crying as she tapped at her phone. A transfer came through, but it was only forty-five dollars. “Here's this week's money early, Chloe.” “You can't accuse me of something just because I wouldn't give you an advance.” “I'll do it this time, but you need to budget better.” Adrian seemed to relax when he saw the transfer. He patted Sienna's shoulder and said, “Okay, don't cry.” Then he turned to me and said, “You've got your money early, so let it go.” I almost laughed at the idea that forty-five dollars meant I should shut up. A few students had gathered around us. Sienna wiped her eyes with her head down. Adrian stood protectively in front of her, while Logan looked more annoyed by the second. Somehow, I was the one bullying her. I wanted to keep arguing, but the crowd was growing, so I walked away. That evening, the group chat lit up again. Sienna had won an award, and the others had taken her out to celebrate. Adrian posted a picture of their food. Mason said the cake was melting. Logan sent a photo of Sienna wearing a paper crown. Eventually, Adrian asked: [Where's Chloe?] Logan replied right away: [I thought you invited her.] Mason added: [She's been in a mood, so she probably didn't want to come.] After a while, Sienna wrote: [I thought seeing me would upset her, so I didn't dare ask.] Adrian immediately replied: [Stop blaming yourself for everything.] I stared at their messages, then deleted the words I'd typed: Did any of you ask me? Instead, I opened the spending breakdown Sienna had just posted. I scrolled down and stopped. [Dinner for five: $18 each.] I opened their group photo again. Four people, four place settings, and just four chairs. But she'd still charged me for a share. I was about to ask her why when Mom called. After a few questions about school, she asked, “That extra money I sent you a while back should still be enough, right?” My pen stopped against the paper. Mom went on, “I sent it straight to Sienna.” “She said you've been overspending, so I shouldn't give you too much at once.” I slowly sat up. Two months of records were still open on my laptop. I went through them from beginning to end. Sienna had never sent me that money.

For a moment, all I could do was sit there. When I didn't answer, Mom asked, “Are you listening?” I gripped my phone. “Mom, Sienna never gave me that money.” There was a brief silence. Then Mom sighed. “Chloe, what's gotten into you lately?” “Sienna just told me you'd already asked for several advances this month.” I straightened. “She's lying.” “Don't talk about her like that.” Mom's voice turned stern. “You've grown up together, so we know what she's like.” “Your brother trusts her with his money, so why would she short you on purpose?” I opened my mouth, but my throat felt blocked. In high school, Mom had always worried my monthly spending money wasn't enough. Once, when I complained about the dining hall food, she'd sent extra the next day. “Buy whatever you want,” she'd told me over the phone, “and don't pinch pennies like your brother.” Adrian had laughed and grabbed my phone, saying, “Keep spoiling her, Mom, and she'll bankrupt us.” I'd never imagined I'd need someone else's approval just to access my own spending money. Mom kept trying to reason with me, saying, “Sienna's doing this for your own good.” “You've never been good with money, so I'll keep sending it to her.” My eyes stung, and anger rose with the tears. “Even if I can't afford to eat?” Mom hesitated. “Of course you can afford to eat.” “Don't make it sound worse than it is just because you're mad at Sienna.” I hung up, my fingers shaking. The next afternoon, I went to see Sienna again, and all three of them were there. Adrian frowned as I approached and asked, “What now?” I looked at Sienna and said, “Give me my money.” She twisted the hem of her shirt. “Chloe, I already gave you this week's money early.” “That was mine anyway, and I'm here for the rest.” Her eyes filled with tears. “So unless I hand over everything right now, you think I'm stealing from you?” Adrian's face hardened. “That's enough, Chloe.” He stepped in front of Sienna. “Mom agreed to let her handle it, so why do you keep making trouble?” Logan put his phone away. “You can ask me if you really need money.” “You keep hounding Sienna, and now she's scared every time she sees you.” My chest felt tight. “I have to borrow from you to spend my own money?” Mason leaned against the table, frowning at me. “You've been out of line lately, Chloe.” “We've been doing this for two years, and suddenly you're the only one with a problem.” “Have you considered that maybe you're just spending too much?” I stared at the three of them, including my own brother. Another was the man I'd planned to take as my mate. The third was a packmate who'd been beside me since childhood. Sienna stood behind them, crying harder. Adrian turned to hand her a tissue. Logan quietly told her not to cry. Mason wasn't even looking at me anymore. After a moment, I turned and left. I still didn't have my money. By the end of the month, my bank account was empty, and my dining card was nearly out, too. I started looking for a job near campus. I went to class during the day and waited tables at the Black Pine at night. The staff meal saved me the cost of dinner, and I earned wages and tips each shift. At first, I was so underfed that my legs shook after a few hours on my feet. One night, I took off my shoes and found I'd rubbed my heels raw. My socks had stuck to the broken skin, and I gasped as I peeled them away. If I'd gotten so much as a scratch during shift training before, Mason would have hunted down antiseptic spray. Logan would have called him dramatic, then slipped the medicine into my bag anyway. Now I got back to the dorm around eleven every night, and no one in the chat asked where I'd been. They were too busy taking Sienna shopping and out to dinner. One weekend, I came out of the kitchen carrying food and stopped as I entered the dining room. The four of them were sitting by the window. Sienna sat in the middle, with Adrian unwrapping her silverware. Logan poured her water while Mason studied the menu. Then they saw me. Adrian stood first and asked, “What are you doing here?” I adjusted my tray and said, “Working.” His face darkened as he asked, “Since when does our family need you to wait tables?” Sienna went pale and hurried to her feet. “Chloe, are you still mad at me?” Logan frowned, too, saying, “Didn't I tell you to ask me if you needed money?” “Did you really have to get a job here to make a point?” I stared at him. Behind me, the manager called, “Chloe, get that food out.” I looked away and said, “Move, you're in my way.” Adrian reached for me. I stepped around him and delivered the food to the next table. After my shift, I sat by the back door eating my staff meal. My phone lit up with a message from Mom. [I've sent next month's money to Sienna.] Then came one from Sienna herself. [Chloe, stop making a fuss and I'll release your money a little at a time once you learn to budget.] I opened our chat and replied: [You'd better keep every cent of my money safe.] [I'm going to make you pay it all back.] Then I blocked her.