Chapter 1 The second I walked out of the SAT testing center , my mom dropped three new house rules in our family group chat . [ ] " 1. You're paying for your own college tuition and living expenses . " ] " 2. Starting today , you pay rent and utilities if you're living here . " [ ] we me $ 150 a " 3. You owe me a month for household expenses . " ] Before I could even respond , a delivery guy showed up with my suitcase . Mom called to inform me : " You're 18 now . I'm done being responsible for you . " [ ] " Do yourself a favor and go get a job . " ] She hung up , then blocked my number . ] ] A year later , Dad tracked me down and his first words were : " Delia , did your mom give you the property deed ? " I thought of the document folder hidden in the bottom compartment of my suitcase and put on my most innocent face . ] " Mom and I cut ties ages ago . I have no clue what you're talking about . " ] The moment I finished my SATs , Mom couldn't wait to blast those three house rules in our family group chat . " 1. You're paying for your own college tuition and living expenses . " 2. Starting today , you pay rent and utilities if you're living here . " * 9 . You owe me $ 1500 a month for household expenses . " [ ] -0 Every single rule was designed to push me out the door - basically forcing me to leave home . ] Standing outside the bustling school gates , I felt ice - cold all over My life changing SATS had literally just ended , and Mom was already chomping at the bit to kick me out . The second those rules dropped , my cousins - who'd been excitedly planning post - graduation trips just minutes before - went dead silent . right7 | With shaking fingers , I typed : " Mom , you're kidding , right ? Mom immediately posted a statement : " This house doesn't support deadweight . " " II Delia won't follow the rules , she can get out and fend for herself . " " Legally , I only had to support you until 18. You're an adult now - I don't owe you anything " Mom's always been this way - stubborn as hell , with a personality that rubs everyone the wrong way . Out of all my grandparents ' kids , she was the least favorite . Took a lot of hits growing up because of it . ] Even as an adult , she never learned how to handle close relationships properly . ] Our house has always been a pressure cooker , with everyone ready to explode at the slightest provocation . [ ] I inherited her temperament , and we clash constantly . She's said it a million times - she'd only take care of me until I turned 18 , then I wouldn't see another dime from her . [ ] I never took her seriously . Hell , I thought she was just blowing smoke . Turns out she meant every word . The group chat erupted , with relatives jumping in to talk sense into Mom . And there I was , clutching my phone in the middle of a busy plaza , with nowhere to go. That's when a delivery guy jogged over . He handed me a suitcase . [ ] " You're Delia , right ? Your mom asked me to deliver this . Just need you to sign for it . " I took it , completely confused about what Mom was playing at . ] The group chat had turned into a battlefield . After all , everyone in our family has kids facing college admissions . My cousins are all basically their parents ' pride and joy . e face ] What Mom was doing was like slapping every doting parent in the family across the My mother's brother , uncle Marcus : " She's never been away from home - what if someone scams her ? " ] Uncle Ray : " How can you be so heartless ? Aren't you worried she'll hate you forever ? " Aunt Cheryl : " Are you really that strapped for cash ? She's your only kid - you'd be happy if her life falls apart ? " -0 My cousins , who'd been silent earlier , finally spoke up . [] " Aunt Landa , Delia just graduated - she needs to socialize too . " " Yeah , if she's gonna work , at least wait until she gets to college . " ] " She's just a teenage girl - what if someone takes advantage of her or scams her? " ] Everyone was pointing out how absolutely insane it was to make me get a job right now. My cousin even shared some news articles about summer workers who'd gone missing . But Mom stood her ground . [] " She's my daughter , and how I raise her is my business - not yours . " ] " She's 18. When I was 18 , I'd already been working for years . " [ ] " Hothouse flowers can't handle real weather . I'm teaching her independence . " Uncle Marcus lost it when he saw Mom wouldn't budge . " What independence ? Can't it wait one more year ? " ] Mom went quiet for a long moment , then typed : " Even if it's just one more year , I want her out now . Preferably for good. " The relatives stopped talking . [] At the end of the day , this wasn't their family drama to handle . [ ] I stared at the suitcase and DMed Mom . [ ] " Mom , what's with the suitcase ? " She replied instantly : " Those house rules were just to throw the relatives off . Do yourself a favor and get a job - don't come back here bothering me . " I already cleared our your room to make it my study . " ] " Starting today , we're cutting ties . Mother and daughter ? We're done . " Mom had been nagging Dad about wanting a study for ages , but he always said she was being pretentious and overdramatic . ] ] They'd fight about it constantly . ] Mom would say the house was part of her dowry , so she should get to decide how to arrange it Dad would argue that we needed to keep a guest room for when his family visited . [ ] When their fights got really heated , Dad would point at me and say : " She'll get married eventually . After she moves out , you can turn her room into your study . But we're keeping the guest room . " ] My room would only be mine until I got married . Looking at Mom's messages , I could practically see her gleefully clearing out my space , filling it with all her favorite décor and plants . She'd been holding back until she hit her breaking point , just waiting for my SATs to end so she could boot me out . ] She even wanted to cut ties completely and never see me again . ]