My Ungrateful Aunt Charged Me For Tutoring Lessons

The results were finally out. My cousin, whom I had tutored for free for an entire year, got into MIT.

My Aunt Brenda and her family were beaming with joy. But that same night, she slapped a two-thousand-dollar bill onto my desk.

Serena, you came over every day this year for those lessons, Brenda said, her eyes narrowing. "You drank our imported organic milk and used the AC. We calculated everything, and since we're family, we rounded it down to an even two thousand."

My Uncle Silas sat nearby, puffing on a cigarette with a sneer. "Exactly. You're a star tutor now. You can't just go around mooching off your own relatives, can you?"

I gripped the bill, feeling the sheer absurdity of the moment.

I was the top-rated Ivy League prep consultant in the state. People couldn't even get an appointment with me for any amount of money.

I had poured my time and energy into helping them for free, and now they were charging me for the water I drank?

I was shaking with rage at their audacity. I Venmoed them the two thousand dollars right then and there, just to get them out of my sight.

Less than two months later, Brenda showed up at my door again. She was dragging her youngest son, Toby, who had just been expelled for fighting at the start of his senior year.

"Serena, Toby's been suspended! The SATs are coming up, and no prep center will take him because of his record. The tutors we hired quit because he's too much for them!"

Brenda slapped her thighs in desperation, grabbing my sleeve tightly. "Only you can teach him now! You got Jasper into MIT, so Toby will be easy for you!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Sure. How do you want to handle the payment?"

Brenda froze. "What payment?"

I pulled a price list from my drawer and tossed it onto the table.

"I'm a nationally certified elite consultant now. One-on-one sessions are eight thousand dollars an hour, no credit. I'll need a twenty-thousand-dollar deposit upfront."

"He got in! He's going to MIT!"

My assistant, Maya, jumped up and slammed her hands on the desk in excitement.

I let out a long breath, feeling a year's worth of tension finally leave my body.

I pulled out my phone and sent a massive bonus into our team's group chat.

"Great work, everyone. You stayed up late with me for months. Go treat yourselves."

Mr. Henderson, one of our senior tutors, didn't check his phone. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Serena, you're too kind. You turned down a three-million-dollar contract from a private firm in New York just to tutor your cousin for free."

Maya chimed in, clearly frustrated on my behalf.

"No kidding! All those exclusive practice exams and leaked prep materials? You paid for those out of your own pocket using your personal connections."

"You've lost ten pounds over the last six months from overworking yourself. Why do it?"

I looked at the admission screen and felt a warmth in my chest.

Ever since Silas got injured, their family had no steady income. If Jasper could change his life, my lost earnings were worth it. Blood is thicker than water, after all.

He was the first college student in their family.

Suddenly, the office door was kicked open.

Brenda, Silas, and Jasper strutted in like they owned the place, followed by a few curious relatives.

Brenda was wearing a fake smile, but she was clutching a piece of paper in her hand.

"Serena, you saw the news, right? Jasper's going to MIT, and it's mostly thanks to your tutoring."

As she spoke, she slammed the paper onto my mahogany desk.

"But business is business. Even among family, we need to settle the books."

I looked down, and the blood in my veins turned to ice.

The paper was covered in tiny handwriting: one box of organic milk on such-and-such date, four hours of AC on another.

"You were at our house every day. We added up the milk and the electricity for the cooling."

Brenda pointed at the total at the bottom, tapping the desk with her long, tacky fingernails.

"Since we're family, we'll call it an even two thousand dollars."

I sat there, frozen, my brain buzzing with disbelief.

Silas pulled up a chair and lit a cigarette, leaning back.

"Come on, you're a famous teacher now. You shouldn't be taking advantage of your relatives."

He flicked ash onto the floor, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Besides, you were always there, eating our premium fruit. You really disrupted our family's peace."

"Now that Jasper's in, your reputation is even better. You're basically using our son's success to get more clients."

He stood up and crushed his cigarette butt into my favorite potted plant.

"Tell you what. Give us another twenty thousand as a 'nutrition fee' for Jasper, and we'll call it even."

I gripped that bill so hard my knuckles turned white.

I was a gold-medal teacher that people literally begged to hire. I had given them my time and soul for free.

And they were nickel-and-diming me for the water I drank?

They were actually trying to extort twenty thousand dollars from me?

Before I could speak, Maya couldn't take it anymore.

She stood up and pointed right at Silas's face.

"Are you people for real? Serena turned down three million dollars to help you! She spent thousands on materials for your son!"

"People wait in line for months to pay her for a single hour! And you have the nerve to bring a two-thousand-dollar bill for electricity?"

The relatives standing behind them looked embarrassed and lowered their heads.

But Silas just puffed out his chest and slammed the table.

"Who do you think you are? You're just an employee! Keep your mouth shut!"

He pointed a finger at Maya, spitting as he yelled.

"Accounts should be clear, even between brothers! She ate and drank, so she pays!"

"Don't try to scare us with those millions. She chose to teach him. We didn't put a gun to her head!"

Maya's eyes were red, and her voice was shaking.

"You're monsters! The fees Serena gave up are enough to buy your entire run-down house!"

Brenda saw the tension and quickly grabbed my hand, trying to sound sweet.

"Serena, honey, you know our situation. Your uncle can't work heavy jobs since the accident. I barely make enough to survive, and your two brothers are still in school. This money is nothing to you."

She pulled up her Venmo QR code and shoved it in my face.

"You make so much. You wouldn't care about a tiny bit of cash like this, right?"

Silas crossed his legs, nodding along.

"Exactly, Serena. Twenty grand is like pocket change to someone like you."

"You're a big-shot tutor now. Surely you aren't that stingy?"

I stared at him coldly, then pulled out my phone and opened Brenda's social media profile.

"You have no money?"

"Then how did you afford a five-star resort in Miami last month? You posted all about it."

Brenda flinched and stepped back, trying to cover her tracks.

"So what if we went on a trip? Does that mean you get to eat and drink for free?"

"Business is business! You pay that bill and the nutrition fee today!"

Looking at their entitled faces, I felt sick.

To make sure Jasper passed his finals, my team and I had worked three days straight without sleep. Mr. Henderson had even gotten a nosebleed from the stress.

I realized then that my kindness was nothing but a joke to them.

Silas saw my silence and stood up aggressively.

"Don't you play dead with me! Did you forget who took you in when your parents died?"

"Now that you're rich, you turn your back on us? You want to stiff us for twenty thousand? Where's your heart?"

I took a deep breath, pushing down the bile in my throat.

"Took me in? You mean making me sleep on the kitchen floor in the middle of winter?"

"You mean feeding me Jasper's leftovers every single day?"

Brenda panicked and tried to cover my mouth.

"What are you talking about? I never mistreated youD"

"Shut up!" I shoved her hand away. "My living expenses back then were paid for by my parents' life insurance!"

"That was eight hundred thousand dollars! You didn't spend a cent of it on me. You stole most of it to buy Jasper's first car and house!"

The room went dead silent.

Maya stepped in front of me, shielding me.

"After Serena started working, she didn't even ask for that money back! She even sent you five thousand dollars every month as an allowance!"

"And you guys had the balls to send her voice notes calling her a cheapskate! Who's the real leech here?"

Maya pulled up her phone, showing screenshots of the transfers.

"Two years ago, Serena paid ten thousand to fix the family cemetery! Last year, she sent five thousand to renovate your porch!"

"Who's mooching off whom? You want to settle accounts? Let's count every single cent!"

The relatives who were previously whispering now shut up completely.

Silas's face turned purple, but he couldn't find any words.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open again.

Brenda's eldest daughter, Cassie, walked in with a few tough-looking guys in hoodies.

"Why are we talking about the past? It's boring," Cassie said, rolling her eyes and slamming her designer bag on my desk.

"If my mom hadn't given you a place to stay, you'd be a beggar on the streets. Repaying us is just common sense."

She walked up to me, her finger almost poking my nose.

"You promised to take care of my brother until he graduated. He's in now, so you cover all the expenses. You don't get to eat our food for free."

"And you call yourself a teacher? You have zero ethics."

Cassie snatched Brenda's phone and shoved the QR code back into my face.

"Enough talk. Twenty thousand dollars. Not a penny less."

The guys behind her pulled out their phones, aiming the cameras at me.

"Record this! Post it online! Let everyone see how this 'star tutor' treats her own family!"

Silas regained his confidence and shoved Maya out of the way.

"You aren't leaving this office until you pay!"

The other relatives moved in, blocking my path and cornering me at my desk.

Mr. Henderson snapped. He yelled at the crowd.

"Do you people have any conscience? Serena has chronic laryngitis because she talks so much for your son!"

"She was coughing blood and went to the ER for an IV drip! She nearly worked herself to death for you, and you're extorting her for electricity?"

I leaned against my desk, my heart completely cold.

I picked up my phone and scanned Cassie's code.

I showed them the "Payment Successful" screen.

"The money is sent. Now get out."

Maya was crying, grabbing my arm.

"Serena! Why did you give it to them? This is extortion!"

I shook my head at Maya and pointed toward the door.

Brenda's phone chimed. She smiled, looking at the balance.

Cassie sneered and sat down in my chair, making herself comfortable.

"What's the rush?"

"The bills are settled, but there's one more thing we need to discuss."

"You lived with us for years. Let's say the rent was two hundred thousand dollars, total."

"Since Jasper's moving to Boston, that money can be his graduation gift from you."

The relatives' eyes lit up. They started shouting over each other.

"Yeah! You ate Thanksgiving dinner at my place once, too!"

"You stayed over at my house as a kid! You owe us as well!"

Maya was shaking with fury, standing her ground.

"You people are insane!"

She pulled a stack of receipts from a drawer and slammed them in front of Cassie.

"Look at these! These are the receipts for the private exams and registration fees Serena paid for Jasper!"

"Fifty thousand dollars! All out of her own pocket! Serena spent weeks kissing up to top educators just to get Jasper into those exclusive seminars! And now you're stabbing her in the back?"

Cassie chuckled, not even glancing at the papers.

"Stop trying to trick us with these scraps. I know those materials are free for people like you."

"You probably just made up the prices to pocket the difference."

I was so angry I could barely breathe. I pointed at Cassie.

"How can you say that? When you couldn't get into college, I paid the thirty-thousand-dollar 'donation' to get you into that community college!"

They were a pack of ungrateful wolves.

Silas cut me off.

"Enough! Pay the two hundred thousand dollars, or nobody leaves!"

I looked at their ugly, greedy faces and patted Maya's hand.

I opened my phone again and made the transfer.

The relatives huddled around Brenda's phone.

When the notification popped up, Brenda's face wrinkled into a massive grin.

"Oh, Serena, you're such a good girl!"

"Come on, everyone! Let's go to that fancy steakhouse! Drinks are on me!"

The relatives cheered as they followed her out.

"We're rich! We're finally rich!"

They swaggered out, and the office finally fell silent.

Maya was sobbing, clutching my sleeve.

"Serena, that was two hundred thousand dollars! Why would you give it to those people?"

I looked out the window at the city lights. My voice was like ice.

"Let them enjoy it for now."

"Whatever they took from me, I'll make them pay back with interest."

Two months later.

Brenda showed up again, holding Toby's hand.

"Serena! Toby got expelled for fighting!"

"You need to tutor him right now! Make sure he gets into an Ivy League school just like Jasper!"

I smiled and pulled a gold-foiled price list from my drawer.

"I'm an elite national consultant now."

"Private tutoring is eight thousand dollars an hour. No credit."

"If you want a session, pay the twenty-thousand-dollar deposit first."

Brenda started shaking. She grabbed the price list and threw it at my face.

"Eight thousand an hour? You're robbing us!"