Chapter 13 I pulled a notebook out of my backpack and opened to the first page . ] Every debt was written down in careful handwriting . ] ] [ September 3rd , breakfast , $ 12 ] ] [ September 15th , lunch money , $ 50 ] ] [ October 8th , cold medicine , $ 38 ] ] … D Every single penny I'd ever owed him . [ ] 11 " Every cent your family spent on me over the years - I kept track . " [ ] I put the notebook on the desk and pulled out an envelope from my bag . [ ] " Here's twenty thousand dollars . Whatever else I owe , I'll pay back later . " [] " Starting today , we're even . " ] ] Dylan looked stunned . He stared at the notebook , at the envelope , his face getting whiter by the second . [ ] " Avery , what are you doing … " ] " What I should've done a long time ago . " My voice was completely calm . " Even parasites have some dignity . " ] I turned to leave . ] Dylan grabbed my arm " Avery , don't do this . Let's just talk . " [ ] " Talk about what ? " I yanked my arm away . " About how you called me a leech behind my back ? Or how you watched the whole school destroy me and did absolutely nothing ? " ] " I … " He opened his mouth but nothing came out . ] That's when Madison started crying . " This is all my fault ! I shouldn't have made that stupid joke . Avery , you can hit me , yell at me , whatever - just don't take it out on Dylan . " [ ] She was sobbing like her heart was breaking , looking so pitiful . [ ] But I was done with her bullshit . [ ] " Congratulations , Madison . You won . " I stared her down . " Dylan's yours now . Just pray you never become the next leech . " [ ] I snatched my backpack and stormed toward the door . [ ] 66.79 % Chapter 13 Dylan shouted after me : " Avery ! Where the hell are you going ?! " ] I didn't look back . Where was I going ? Somewhere nobody knew my name . Somewhere I could start over . Somewhere … you'll never find me . ] Dropping out was easier than I thought it would be . ] ] My guidance counselor tried to talk me out of it : " Avery , your grades are excellent . Why would you want to leave ? " ] " Personal reasons . " I didn't want to get into it . [] What was the point ? Tell her I was being bullied by the entire school ? That everyone called me a parasite ? That my best friend since childhood threw me under the bus ? ] Waste of breath . ] " You need to think this through carefully . Dropping out isn't something you can just undo . " She kept pushing . " You're so young . What could possibly be so bad that you can't work through it ? " [ ] What could be so bad ? Maybe everything . [ ] But I was exhausted . Completely drained . ] ] " Ms. Johnson , I've made up my mind . " [] Seeing I wouldn't budge , she sighed . " So what's your plan now ? " ] ] " Get a job , save up money , then finish school somewhere else . " needed to get the hell out of here . [ ] What was the truth . I wasn't giving up on graduating - just Once I had enough cash , I'd move to another state , another school . Clean slate . [ ] The paperwork was quick . Had my forms by lunch . [ ] I headed back to my dorm to pack up . My roommates were in class , which was perfect . No drama . ] I didn't own much - everything fit in one beat - up suitcase . One last look at the room I'd been stuck in for months . There was still this group selfie taped to the wall from orientation week . ] We all looked so happy and clueless . Who knew it would turn into such a shitshow ? ] 1 ripped the photo down and chucked it in the trash . Time to move on . [ ] Dragging my suitcase down the stairs , I walked straight into Dylan . [ ] ( 1 ) Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!