Page 1 of The Penalty

ONE

MCKENZIE

I’m a liar.

To be fair, I didn’t want to lie. But when my dad asked me if I was doing ok and if I had enough money for this semester, there was no way I could tell him the truth. It would kill him to know that his only daughter can barely make ends meet.

The only way that I could get through the semester was to give up my apartment and spend my nights either in my car or crashing on other people’s sofas. My scholarship just barely covers my tuition, and I had to drop some of my hours at the restaurant I work at in order to fit all my credits in. One of my journalism classes is going to take up a lot of time because I have to attend sporting events to report on them and actually spend time with the team.

It’s only for one semester, so I figure I can handle it.

I couldn’t tell my dad the truth. Not after all he’s done for me and my brothers. I know there’s nothing he can do about it. He doesn’t have the money. He would be stressed if he knew the truth and tell me to come home, but that’s not an option for me. Or he’d try to take out another loan, which would put them in an even worse situation. No, I couldn’t let that happen. I went away to college to fulfill my dream of becoming a sports journalist.

So, I lied, but I did it for him. That counts for something, right?

“You’re sure you’re ok? Everything going ok at the restaurant?” he asks for the third time this phone call. He always worries about me, but it definitely got worse when I left for college. Not that I mind the calls I get while he drives to and from work or the check-in texts throughout the week. I just don’t want him to worry so much. I’ve got it covered. Mostly.

“Yes, Dad. You worry about taking care of Mom and Spencer,” I tell him. Luckily, my three older brothers are now out on their own. I’m here at La Vista University, a good two hours away from my hometown, so it’s just my mom and younger brother still living at the house. The problem is my mom recently went through chemo, and the costs associated with the treatments have added up quickly. Turns out the health insurance Dad got through his company was only good until something major happened, like, ya know, cancer. Now they’re in debt even though they won’t talk to us about it. I saw one of the monthly bills sitting on the counter one day, and it didn’t take a math degree to know he owed more than he made.

Mom is in remission now, which, of course, is the most important thing. But I hate that they have this burden on their shoulders. So, I refuse to add to it.

My parents strongly suggested that I go to a community college near home to save money, but I insisted on getting out of there. La Vista was my top choice school, and I was ecstatic when I got my acceptance letter. No one could have talked me out of coming here.

I don’t regret it. Not one bit.

Even now that my new bed is going to be the driver’s seat of my old-ass car, I’m still happy with my decision.

“Alright, baby girl. Well, you know if you need anything, you can call me.” My dad has always had a soft spot for me. By the time they had three boys, my parents for sure thought that baby number four was going to be another boy, but nope. Out I came and turned their lives upside down.

My brothers have always accused me of being Dad’s favorite. He’ll deny it until his dying day, but secretly, I think they’re right.

“I know, Dad. I’ve gotta run. I’m walking into my first class, but I’ll talk to you soon.”

We say our goodbyes, and I hang up just as I get to the building for my Cultural Diversity class. It’s a required course for my Sports Journalism major, but it’s not only for journalism majors. There are plenty of people I’ve never seen before walking into the class.

The lecture hall is filling up quickly as I walk in, so I take the first seat I can. It’s right next to a girl I don’t know, but she smiles at me, so I assume she’ll be friendly.

“Hi, I’m Kylie,” she says as soon as I’m seated.

“McKenzie,” I say, introducing myself.

“Are you a junior?” she asks.

“No, I’m a senior. You?”

“Junior. I just transferred here, though, so I feel kind of like a freshman.” She laughs nervously, and I instantly feel for her. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to come into a school where you don’t know a single person.

“Oh. Well, welcome to La Vista. You’ll love it here. There’s so much to do.”

Kylie scrunches her nose like she doesn’t know if she believes me. “Really?”

I laugh because, come on. This is Nebraska we’re talking about. “No, it’s boring as hell, but at least La Vista is a good school.”

“That’s what I’m hearing.”

“Are you from around here?” I ask. The professor walks in and starts setting up, but there are still a few minutes before the class actually starts, so we continue talking.

“No. I’m from Georgia, but my dad lives here. I needed a change of scenery, and he suggested I stay with him, so here I am.”