The Counterattack Of The Scapegoat

Chapter 1

My so-called best friend, Amy, was a freakin’ liar, always using me as her scapegoat.

After graduation, she maxed out her mom’s credit card and told everyone it was for my prosthetic leg.

She moved in with her loser boyfriend and dropped out of college, all “for me,” she claimed.

Her parents blamed me for everything and… well, things ended badly.

Now, I’m back. Reborn.

And guess who’s at my door? Amy’s whole damn family.

“Ashley, did you put Amy up to changing her college plans?” her mom demanded.

I just smiled. “Yep, Aunt Carol. That’s me. Her guardian angel. She doesn’t listen, she’s doomed.”

…

The buzz of my phone finally jolted me awake. This was it. I was reliving the nightmare.

Back to the day before college started.

Last time, I was Amy’s personal patsy.

To shack up with her boyfriend, she drained her mom’s credit card, then blamed it on me, saying it was for my “medical needs.”

She snuck out every night to be with him, lying that she was “working” with me.

Then she dumped her dream school to be with him at some community college. Said it was “to support me.”

Her lies turned me into the town pariah. Her folks believed I was a gold-digging, no-good influence.

My phone kept buzzing. Amy, no doubt, trying to use me as a shield again.

I ignored it, and booked it downstairs to the art studio instead.

My cousin runs the place. I practically lived there all summer.

Barely got settled when Carol and her husband, Bob, burst in, Amy’s little bro, Mikey, tagging along.

“Ashley, why aren’t you answering? Where’s Amy?” Carol screeched.

I raised an eyebrow. “How should I know, Carol? We aren’t exactly joined at the hip.”

Last time around, Amy aced her college entrance. But that idiot changed everything for her boyfriend.

Her parents decided I’d ruined her life and… well, they did what they did.

I used to think Amy was my best friend.

But best friends don’t get you killed with their lies.

“Don’t give us that crap,” Bob said, sizing me up. His eyes landed on my prosthetic leg.

“If you two weren’t close, why would Amy blow all that money on a fancy leg for you?”

“Listen, I don’t know where Amy is. And I paid for this leg myself, thank you very much!”

But no matter what I said, they wouldn’t believe me. They were convinced I was a freeloader who had Amy stashed away somewhere.

I remembered going to Amy’s house before, her parents subtly lecturing me about “not taking advantage of people.”

“You two are only kids, you can’t be accepting expensive gifts.”

Too bad I didn’t realize back then that they were talking about me.

Amy had painted me to be a monster in their eyes. Thanks, bestie.

“Ashley, last chance. Tell us where Amy is hiding. If you do, we’ll forget all about what happened.”

But just as I was about to speak, Mikey shoved me hard.

I stumbled back, barely catching myself.

“You dumbass, give me my sister back, or I’ll tell Dad to beat you down.”

The air crackled. Everyone in the studio stopped what they were doing.

Carol saw the audience and her eyes lit up.

She let out a theatrical wail. “Amy’s got a heart of gold. She only hung out with you for three years because she felt sorry for your disability. Her test scores were great. So I let her use my card, but that gold digger talked her into blowing sixty thousand dollars on that leg!”

Carol saw the crowd growing and hit her stride.

“And that’s not even the worst part! That girl had college in her sights! Then you talked her into going to some dump with you, Ashley!”

She waved her arms. “How could you? Amy worked so hard! You’re a horrible person! You ruined her life. All her hard work down the drain, all because of you! How could you do this?”

The onlookers started whispering.

“I would be livid if someone did that to my kid.”

“Right? Ruining someone’s future like that? That’s cold.”

“I felt bad for her because of the leg, but maybe she’s not so innocent after all.”

“I can’t imagine how angry I’d be!”

“She’s a damn parasite!”

With the crowd on her side, the Harpers gained confidence.

“Give me my sister’s money back!” Mikey yelled.

“I didn’t steal anything!” I snapped back.

Before I could finish, Mikey swung a fist.

My instincts screamed, but the leg slowed me down. I took the punch square in the face.

The world spun, pain radiating across my cheek.

“Liar! Give us our money back!”

Mikey grabbed my prosthetic, trying to rip it off.

I struggled, but I was no match for him.

“You’ve got it all wrong!”

My voice was lost in the sea of accusations.

Let them rage. The bigger the scene, the better.

Mikey kicked the leg away from me.

I lost my balance and crashed to the floor.

The art students watched, like it was some kind of trashy TV show.

Mikey kicked the leg out of the studio door.

“Give me my leg back!”

Mikey smirked, kicking it even further.

“What your leg?” Carol sneered. “That’s bought with our money. It’s ours, and that’s that!”

Mikey flashed me a nasty grin.

“Yeah, we don’t owe you anything. This is our money!”

“I bought it myself! Give it back!”

I hopped forward, trying to grab it.

But Mikey stomped on it, the prosthetic buckling under his weight.

“We paid for it! I can break it if I want to!”

I collapsed.

One of the students spoke up. He was a quiet guy who was always in the studio.

“Aren’t you overreacting? I’ve seen her here every day this summer. I haven’t seen your daughter. It’s recorded on camera. Take a look.”

I’d said the same thing last time, but the Harpers were too worked up to listen.

They were convinced I was holding Amy hostage so she’d drop out of college with me.

Sure enough, before the guy could finish, Carol cut him off.

“My daughter never lies. If she said she was with Ashley all summer, that’s the truth.”

She glared at him. “Besides, a loser who’s always hanging out with druggies and getting high must be a bad influence. Are you friends with her or something?”

Mikey burst out laughing. “What could she give him? She’s a cripple!”

The guy shut his mouth.

I was grateful for his support, but I didn’t want him getting caught in this.

I was here for a reason – because the studio had security cameras everywhere.

The cameras were going to catch it all.

I stared at the whole scene.

Just then, a message popped up from Amy.

“Ashley, are my parents there? Please, don’t tell them about Kevin and me. They’ll kill me! Please don’t tell.”

I was about to reply when Carol lunged and snatched my phone.

“Show them! Tell them, this isn’t true! She’s with her boyfriend!” I told her.

Bob looked hesitant, but before he could react, Carol smashed the phone.

With a sickening crack, my phone was gone.