Turns Out I Was Just His Cheap Little Game

Nora’s POV

To save enough for a summer trip with my boyfriend, Tripp, and his friends, I worked late every night after school as a food runner at the upscale French restaurant in town.

Tripp told me his family didn’t have much money. He wore old thrift-store T-shirts and always ordered the cheapest lunch in the cafeteria.

I felt bad for him. During the year we were together, I quietly paid for most of our dates.

Until one night, when I carried a bottle of wine to a private dining room and heard voices coming from inside.

“Tripp, how long are you going to keep pretending you’re broke?” It was Chase, Tripp’s best friend.

Then I heard Bitsy’s sugary-sweet voice. She and Tripp had grown up together. “Thanks for the limited-edition bag, Tripp. Eighty grand, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I love it!”

I froze. An eighty-thousand-dollar bag? He wouldn’t even spend twelve dollars on a burger.

Then Tripp spoke in a lazy drawl. “Girls like Nora are low-maintenance. She’s easy to fool. Buy her an iced latte, and she’ll act like it means the world to her. She barely costs me anything.”

He had never really cared about me.

“Tripp, how long are you going to keep pretending you’re broke? You might not be embarrassed walking around in those ratty clothes, but the rest of us are embarrassed for you.”

The heavy door to the private dining room had been left slightly open. I stood outside holding a bottle of wine that cost more than I made in six months of running food. I had been about to knock, but my hand froze in midair.

The speaker was Chase, Tripp’s best friend. Whenever he saw me, he always made some snide comment about how poor I was.

Pretending to be broke?

Then I heard a sugary-sweet voice. It was Bitsy.

“Exactly, Tripp. You even stopped driving your favorite sports car because of Nora. But thanks for the limited-edition bag. Eighty grand, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I love it!”

My ears started ringing.

An eighty-thousand-dollar bag? He wouldn’t even spend twelve dollars on a burger.

“Come on, leave her alone,” Tripp said through the gap in the door, as casually as if they were discussing the weather. That same voice had whispered sweet things in my ear countless times. Now every word cut straight through me.

“Nora isn’t like you guys. Girls like her are low-maintenance. She’s easy to fool. Buy her some little thing, and she’ll act like it means the world to her. She barely costs me anything. Bitsy’s different. She grew up with the best, so of course she deserves the best.”

Chase burst out laughing. “Man, you really know how to string a girl along. It’s not like she can afford college anyway. Once you get bored with her after graduation, toss her some cash and dump her.”

My whole body went numb. Even breathing hurt.

I had believed we were supporting each other. I had believed he truly loved me. To them, it was nothing more than a rich kid pretending to be poor for fun.

I quietly backed around the corner, handed the wine to another food runner, and claimed I had a stomachache before hiding in the restroom.

Leaning against the cold tile, I pulled out my phone. The group chat for our summer trip was blowing up.

Bitsy had posted a long list of travel tips with a message: “The private beaches in Turks and Caicos look amazing! Tripp already booked the flights and hotel. Don’t forget your passports!”

Turks and Caicos? Weren’t we supposed to drive to the Jersey Shore? The three thousand dollars I had saved for that beach trip suddenly felt like one big joke.

My fingers trembled as I typed, “I thought we were going to the Jersey Shore. I probably can’t leave the country. I don’t have a passport, and I can’t afford a trip like that.”

The group chat went silent.

A few seconds later, Chase sent a voice memo, his tone dripping with ridicule.

“Nora, do you have to ruin everything? Everyone wants to go to the Caribbean. You expect all of us to drive to the Jersey Shore and swim in that muddy water just because of you? If you can’t afford it, don’t come.”

Bitsy immediately posted a crying GIF. “Is Nora upset? This is all my fault. I’m the one who said I wanted to go to the islands. Tripp, maybe we should just go to the Jersey Shore instead. I really don’t mind…”

A second later, Tripp called me.

Seeing his familiar name on the screen made me sick. I took a deep breath and answered.

“Nora, what are you upset about now?” He sounded impatient and accusatory. “Bitsy finally has some time off and wants to go somewhere nice. Why can’t you just go along with it? If you can’t afford it, then don’t come. Why would you say something like that in the group chat and make everyone uncomfortable?”

“Tripp.” My voice sounded hoarse in the empty restroom. “Are you really broke?”

He went quiet for a moment.

Then he dismissed me as if I were being unreasonable. “You really want to start a fight with me right now? Fine. Come or don’t. I don’t care.”

He hung up.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes red, and suddenly felt pathetic.

I splashed cold water on my face and forced down the ache in my chest. I couldn’t fall apart here. I needed this job to help pay for my mother’s medical care.

The moment I stepped out of the restroom, the manager rushed over and shoved a dessert platter into my hands.

“Nora, where have you been? Take this complimentary dessert for two to the private dining room. It comes with their couples’ prix fixe menu. Be friendly and say something nice!”