"Look at that face. She's even more shameless than her mother."
I knew my mother was guilty. I knew I wasn't innocent either. So I never fought back. I let them take it out on me.
That went on for the better part of a year. And then Adam Sanchez stepped in and saved me.
"Who says a mistress's daughter is destined to become one herself?"
He grabbed one of the women by the arm and asked, "What does your daughter do for a living?"
The woman puffed up with pride. "My daughter's an accountant at a big firm."
Adam turned to her. "And what about you, ma'am?"
The woman stammered, unable to answer. Another woman answered for her. "Her? She cooks meals at a construction site."
Adam smiled. "See? Your daughter turned out nothing like you."
After that, fewer and fewer of them came looking for trouble.
My life slowly found its footing again. And then Adam began pursuing me in earnest.
He held an umbrella over me in the rain. He shielded me from the sun when it was bright.
Every night after study hall, he walked me back to my dorm without being asked.
In the cafeteria, whenever he caught classmates dumping leftover soup and scraps onto my seat out of spite,