Ryan pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Hey, Joe. You did a good job last time. I’ll
pay you to help me put on a show.”
Joe was one of the thugs who had hurt me.
Ryan wanted them to kidnap him and blame it
on me.
He told Joe to say my name during the video.
“You bastard, your dad took my dad’s spot
and lived the good life for years.”
<
“Now you’ve taken my spot.
“I’m going to destroy you. Everyone will think
you’re evil! No one will believe you.”
I was furious.
Ryan was evil!
He wanted to take everything from me.
I calmed down and asked, “Can I get a copy
of this video?”
“Sure.”
I copied it and sent it to Mom’s company.
Ryan was fast.
Г
Thirty minutes later, everyone was saying he
had been kidnapped.
In the video, Ryan had a bloody nose and was
screaming, “Mom, Sarah, help me!”
The thugs said, “Danny sent us.
“Danny, I know you hate me for taking your
basketball tryout spot, but I don’t blame you.
Please let me go! Not because I’m scared to
die, but because I don’t want you to make a
mistake!”
Mom started yelling my name.
“Danny, let Ryan go! He had nothing to do
with this. If you want revenge, come after
me!”
Г
My sister said, “Danny, don’t do this! What
would Dad think?”
They were blaming me.
Everyone online was angry at me.
Some people wanted to find me.
I didn’t want to make things worse.
But Ryan had made it a big deal.
I made an account and posted the security
video.
Everyone could see that it was a setup.
I didn’t care about what people said online. I
L
An old man in a Rolls Royce Phantom patted
my head. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you surgery.
Your hands will be okay.”
“I’ll make sure your mom loses everything.”
I closed my eyes. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Grandpa teared up. “If your dad was still
here…”
“I’m sorry for what I did to him. I listened to
other people and didn’t believe my son.”
“If I had been there for him…”
There was no going back.
I looked out the window.
く
My dad had been kidnapped as a kid and
raised in the country. He worked hard and got
into a good college.
When he was eighteen, his parents found him.
My grandpa was rich, but he had lost his son
and adopted another one.
My dad had been the real son.
I didn’t know what had happened with
Grandpa’s family.
Dad and Mom got married, and he didn’t talk
to Grandpa.
He didn’t tell anyone that his dad was a
wealthy man.
When I was five, Dad found out Mom was
cheating on him.
They fought and yelled.
Mom wasn’t home much.
My sister didn’t care.
Mom paid the bills.
But Dad couldn’t sleep.
I told Dad that I would always be there for
him.
Three years later, Ryan’s dad came over. Dad
got sick.
Mom came home.
Dad gave me a phone.
If I needed help, I should call the number on
that phone.
It was Grandpa’s number.
After surgery, my hands were fixed.
The doctor said I couldn’t do anything too
hard, but I could use them.
I could never play basketball again.
Grandpa said he had invested in Mom’s
company to help Dad.
But Mom had cheated on Dad.
<
He decided to pull out.
“I’m going to destroy your mom’s company!”
For three months, I was in the hospital.
I couldn’t sleep at night.
Grandpa stayed with me and told me about
Dad.
