Chapter 5: I Will Fight Back

Most of the year, Scarlett was not seen at school. A rumor spread that she was the mistress of a wealthy old man who lived in Irving City. The original tweet that exposed Scarlett had been retweeted more than 2,000 times! The girls at school would update the post every day to reflect so-called “new evidence” concerning the scandal.

The latest tweets read:

“Girls, S. is holding a LOUIS VUITTON LIMITED today. Do you guys believe that a college girl could afford that? I don’t. [picture]”

“NE: Damn. Scarlett’s new sneaker is my FAVORITE. I tried to reserve one, but I failed because you know what, only FIFTY PERSONS IN THIS PLANET got it! God, that man must be wealthy. #ScarlettMorrisIsABitch”

But these offensive tweets didn’t last long because people soon found out that most of the updates were just using some fake news or photoshopped pictures to court more followers and keep their attention. The truth was, of course, that Scarlett Morris was poor.

But girls at Scarlett’s school who loved to gossip endlessly would never miss a chance to create and spread false rumors. One time, a girl came across Scarlett taking a walk on campus with a man. She immediately spread the news to everyone she knew, and rampant gossiping began. A new hashtag was born, too: #ScarlettMorrisAndHerMen.

Scarlett didn’t bother with the rumors. She barely knew what people were saying about her. This wasn’t because Scarlett thought she was better than everybody else. No, it’s just that she had no time to care. She’d been a busy bee, trying to earn enough money to pay her tuition fees, as well as cover living expenses for her brother.

Scarlett didn’t have much of her own leisure time: she would either be dancing at the bar or working hard at several different part-time jobs at restaurants and clubs. Sometimes, Sophie would recommend Scarlett to different agents looking for actresses willing to play big roles in B-grade movies.

Scarlett could earn 60-80 bucks on average per day when she didn’t have classes at school. She’d been supporting her younger brother like this for years. She always told herself, “When life tried to knock me down, I will fight back and triumph over it.”

***

As soon as Scarlett hung up Sophie’s phone, she called her brother up, “Skyler, it’s me. I’ve just transferred 500 bucks to you. Can you check if you received the money? Are you still at the lab? Have you eaten lunch yet?”

Scarlett and Skyler are fraternal twins. Scarlett had been born only five minutes before Skyler. Both of them had inherited their parents’ good genes– they were a good-looking set of twins.

Yet, they were each beautiful in their own unique way. While Scarlett’s appeal is enchanting and positively ravishing, Skyler has a more endearing, cute type of look to him. Skyler looked like he could be a member of a hit boy band– like One Direction or something. Most people thought Skyler was still in high school. On the other hand, Scarlett had a more mature look to her, and people often assumed she was pursuing her master’s degree.

“Why do you keep transferring money to me, Scarlett? I didn't even use up all the money you gave me last month. Keep the money for yourself. Why don’t you go to the mall and buy some dresses, and makeup and shit? Whatever you like. I don’t need all this money.” Skyler spoke to his sister, his eyes dwelling on the experimental data on the computer screen in front of him.

“What? Skyler, don't be silly. I don’t need those things. Don’t you go saving money for my sake, okay? Invite your friends, your supervisor, and lab partners for dinner, or maybe some drinks. Don’t stay in the lab all the time. I don’t want a nerd for a brother.” Scarlett teased.

“Hey, I’m not a nerd, not at all. By the way, I just finished a project last week, and the supervisor rewarded me with some extra money, and I… I bought you a dress.”

“A dress for me? Do you think your sister is short of dresses?? I didn’t give you the money and expected you to return it to me in this way, Skyler.”

“I know, I know. But please, don’t worry about so many part-time jobs. You’ll tire yourself out. You should get a boyfriend or something and go have fun at your age. What’re you doing these days anyway?”

“Mind your own business, Skyler. Alright, I gotta go. Remember, eat regularly and sleep properly. I don’t want you to go and faint in the lab again like last time. I was so worried about you! I won’t forgive you or your supervisor if that happens again. Anyway, bye now.”

Skyler replied, “Fine, fine. I got it. Bye!” He hung up the phone.

Scarlett got on the bus and headed for the hotel– a new part-time job as a receptionist at the concierge.

There were no open seats left on the bus, so Scarlett just stood beside a seat, looking into the distance and thinking about her and Skyler’s future.

She had been supporting both of them, single-handedly, for many years. She signed up to do all kinds of jobs, from part-time gigs to competitions where she might win some money. Now, Skyler had gotten a full scholarship. His tuition fees and living expenses were covered. He even received a stipend from the lab to support himself and live on his own for once. Scarlett had worried about her brother for a long time, but it seemed like it was now time for her to just think about herself.

Mr. Howard, the chairman of the Russian department, had talked to Scarlett recently. Scarlett was a talented student– she had a gift for learning languages and always got straight As in all of her courses.

Mr. Howard, as a result, encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree in Russian. He said that he would write her a letter of recommendation, and she wouldn’t even need to take the GRE to get enrolled– that’s how much he supported and believed in her.