Her gaze fell on the hand Sarah was using to hold the coffee cup.
It was not a pretty hand.
The skin was rough, the knuckles were slightly deformed, and the back of the hand was covered in red rashes and peeling skin.
It was contact dermatitis caused by prolonged wearing of rubber gloves and contact with disinfectant—an occupational hazard for ER Nurses.
It was with these allergic, swollen hands that this woman struggled alone in this dog-eat-dog city of New York, all while biting the bullet to take on her, this huge trouble.
"Got it."
Alice replied softly and pulled the tab on the soda; the faint sound of the bubbles was exceptionally clear in the quiet living room.
She took a sip of the sweet, fizzy drink, and the money-making plan she had originally formulated just for the system upgrade gained a new footnote at this moment.
The next time she made money, it wouldn't just be to top up the system.
Perhaps she should also buy this cheap aunt some better hand cream, or replace the washing machine with one that didn't require hand-washing.
Two-thirty in the afternoon, Community Service Center.
The air conditioning here was blasting, which felt exceptionally merciful on this hot afternoon, but the place was also filled with that suffocating air of bureaucracy.
Sarah clearly loathed this kind of place.
She waited in line at the window impatiently, fanning herself with the thick application form, complaining about her bad luck in not finding a parking spot earlier and almost getting a ticket.
"Name?"
The clerk behind the window was a middle-aged woman wearing thick-rimmed glasses; she didn't even lift her eyelids as she typed mechanically.
"Alice Mason."
"Mason?" The clerk's fingers paused. She looked up, adjusted her glasses, and examined Alice, who was standing behind Sarah, with a look like she was inspecting a rare animal. "The Mason from the Ponzi scheme in the news last week?"
The noisy crowd around them suddenly quieted down, and several curious, prickly gazes were cast their way.
"Yes, that Mason, but his daughter is innocent, and that's all in the past."
Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Sarah lunged forward, blocking those gazes, and slammed her hand against the counter glass fiercely.
"Listen, we're here to register for school, not to be interviewed by the media. Her file has already been transferred. Based on the school district zoning, hurry up and assign her a school. I have things to do this afternoon; I don't have time to waste here with people like you who take taxpayers' money and drag your feet."
The clerk was choked up by Sarah's intensity, pursed her lips, and lowered her head to continue typing.
"Fine, Ms. Wilson. According to the address and her past transcripts, although she was previously at a private elite school, based on the current school district zoning..."
The printer made a buzzing sound and spat out an enrollment notice.
The clerk tore off the sheet, stamped it, and handed it out through the window.
"This is the assignment result. She can only go to a public high school, and it must be one of the ones that accept transfer students."
Sarah snatched the sheet, scanned it, and raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised, but more than anything, relieved.
"Fine, at least it's not one of those trash schools full of gang members." She shoved the sheet at Alice. "Take it and go report there later."
Alice took the thin piece of paper, her gaze falling on the bold, black-lettered school name at the very top.
Midtown School of Science and Technology.
As a transmigrator, she found this name absolutely thunderous to her ears.
This was a public magnet school located in Queens, specializing in science and technology. While not a private elite school, it was quite famous academically.
Of course, the reason it was so famous wasn't because of its college acceptance rate.
It was because there was a nerdy student here who usually went around taking pictures with a camera, was always bullied by school thugs, but secretly wore a red and blue spandex suit and swung between New York buildings.
Spider-Man, Peter Parker.
Of course, Peter wasn't Spider-Man yet.
"What, disappointed it's a public school?"
Seeing Alice staring blankly at the sheet, Sarah assumed the former rich girl was throwing a tantrum, and said testily while walking out.
"Don't dream. You don't have the money to go to those private schools that cost fifty thousand dollars a year. Midtown High School is already the best choice in this district. It's a key high school with more nerds and fewer thugs; at least you won't have to worry about someone stuffing marijuana into your toilet while you're using it."
"No, I'm very satisfied."
Alice put away the notice and followed Sarah's pace.
Walking out of the community center, the blinding sunlight made it hard to keep one's eyes open.
"Let's go. We'll go to the discount store up ahead and buy you a backpack."
Sarah counted the few remaining bills in her wallet and sighed, feeling the financial pain.
"And a school uniform. God, raising a high schooler is just burning money. Remember, Alice, if you dare to cause trouble at school and I get called in by the parents, I'll throw you off the attic."
"Don't worry, Aunt Sarah."
Alice replied obediently.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"