Chapter 7 - The Summer of Triumph
Two months later, the hot summer sun shone bright over the campus of the National Youth Design Academy.
The courtyard was filled with proud parents, professors, and young artists displaying their work on grand easels set up under white canvas tents.
Lily stood near the center display, wearing a dark blue dress and a wide, brilliant smile. Her exhibit—a complete branding and visual identity campaign for an eco-friendly oceanic research foundation—had won first place in the summer showcase.
A major design firm from New York had already offered her a collegiate scholarship and a paid internship for the following summer.
I stood at the edge of the tent, holding two cold lemonades, watching her explain her concepts to a group of admiring professors.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text message from Evan.
First installment of $833.33 from Diane Vance’s wages has been successfully garnished and deposited into Lily’s college trust account. Vehicle lien is active.
I smiled and slipped the phone back into my pocket. Diane was working overtime at her administrative job now, her checks automatically deducted every month to pay for the laptop she thought she could burn without consequence.
Jake had been sentenced to fifty hours of community service and mandatory anger management counseling. According to my mother’s brief, subdued phone calls, he was no longer allowed to play video games, and his mother had been forced to sell her luxury SUV to cover her legal debts, now driving an old used sedan.
My parents remained at 412 Elm Street under the strict eyes of the property management company. The fire pit had been dug up and removed from the backyard, replaced by a neat lawn of green grass. They lived quietly, their authority shattered, realizing too late that the daughter they had taken for granted was the only reason they had a roof over their heads.
Lily walked over to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Mom! Did you see? The dean said my work might be featured in the national design journal!"
"I saw, sweetheart," I said, handing her a lemonade. "I never doubted it for a second."
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She looked at me, her expression turning gentle and sweet. "Thanks for fighting for me, Mom. When that computer was burning... I really thought everything was over."
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Nobody gets to burn your future, Lily. Not as long as I'm breathing."
