I never thought this would be my life, but here we are. I spent literally all summer at my dad’s place working like crazy. I picked up extra shifts, did random side gigs, and basically did anything I could to save up for college because I knew once I got back to my mom’s, money would get tight. My relationship with my mom and stepdad is fine, I guess. A few weeks ago, I got home, stashed my savings in what I thought was a private spot, and went about my life.
One day I came home, and my mom and stepdad were sitting at the kitchen table. They had THAT look in their eyes, and my stomach just dropped. They straight-up confronted me about “hiding money” and then told me I needed to hand it over because my stepsister “needed” breast plastic surgery and “it would change her life.”
I legit thought it was a prank at first. Like, you want my college savings so she can get implants? Really? I told them no, obviously. They got super pissed, called me selfish, and my mom kept saying things like, “You don’t care about family.” I stood my ground, thinking my refusal was the end of it.
Later, I accidentally overheard them and felt awful. My stepdad and mom were discussing that they would get the surgery anyway by taking out loans. My mom said it with incredible sadness: “We’re drowning in payments now, but it’s fine; we’ll figure out something.”
A week after that, they sat me down again. They told me that since the household bills had gone up, I needed to start paying “my fair share.” When I reminded them that I literally have no money left because it is all for college, they told me that if I can’t contribute, I’ll need to find somewhere else to stay.
So yeah, they know I’m broke. They know I’m trying to go to school. Instead of helping me, they’re threatening to kick me out because they prioritized breast surgery over actual bills. Am I actually the bad person here? Or is this as messed up as it feels? What would you do in my situation?
