My Parents are Loaded, and My School Messed With the Wrong Kid

01

The scholarship list came out, and my principal, Mr. Harrison, called me into his office. Again.

“Okay, Ashley, so the school’s decided to give the merit scholarship to Brittany Miller this year. You know…” he started, avoiding eye contact.

I practically leaped out of my chair. “What?! Why? I’ve had the highest GPA for three years straight! I’ve won eight national awards, ten state awards, and countless others. I’ve been top of the class every semester. Brittany? She's barely passing. Why?”

Mr. Harrison's face turned sour. “Ashley, don’t push this. Her dad is the VP of Stellar Tech. You…?” he looked me up and down with a disdainful stare, “You’re just some farm kid. What kind of pull do you have?”

I didn't need to compete with Brittany. Seriously.

I glanced at a photo on Mr. Harrison’s desk, a handsome, successful-looking man with a bold caption: "If you can do it, so can I!" That was my dad, Richard “Rick” Johnson, one of the richest guys in the city. He’s seriously loaded.

Then I noticed the wallpaper on his phone: it was a picture of my mom, the iconic actress, Michelle Rose, who's been at the top of her game for over two decades. She's won every acting award you can think of.

Wait a minute. Stellar Tech? That’s one of my dad's many smaller companies.

And I'm their only kid. My parents' wedding was a huge deal, plastered all over magazines. But after that, they went into incognito mode, keeping my life super private. No wonder the paparazzi haven't gotten a glimpse of my face.

Do I really need to fight Brittany for a scholarship?

I left the office with a casual "I'm not okay with this. If you give that scholarship to Brittany, I'll report this school." Mr. Harrison was practically yelling, but I walked out like a boss.

Right outside the office, I ran into Brittany. Talk about bad timing. She had this smug little smirk on her face. "Mr. Harrison talked to you, I bet. Just give it up, Ashley. If you're nice, maybe my dad will throw some change your way."

Her posse jumped in immediately.

“Brittany, why are you even talking to her? She’s a nobody, a hick from the boonies.” One of Brittany’s lackeys nudged my shoulder.

Another one, practically snorting, said, “Brittany’s allowance is probably more than she makes in a year. Look at her clothes, all sweaty and smelling like hay.” They pinched their noses like I was the foulest thing they'd ever smelled.

Brittany strutted up to me, giggling behind her hand. “Probably smells like cow manure, right? She has to get up early to milk the cows. Tell you what, I can ask my dad if he needs a janitor for the company – maybe your parents could apply.”

“Ha ha ha!” they all cackled. So fake.

Brittany looked down her nose at me. "Ashley, I'm warning you, don't try to be a hero here. My dad could get you kicked out of school with one phone call!"

I'd once mentioned to a classmate that my parents sold some cows to pay for my tuition. Now, with my quiet lifestyle, everyone assumed I was some far...