The Backup Plan

During my sophomore year of college, I sent a box of gifts to my boyfriend. He was happily video-chatting with me when he opened it. Suddenly, a roommate walking by his screen chimed in: "That stuff looks cheap. Why are you flexing that so hard?" My boyfriend turned his head and shot back playfully: "Oh, and that raggedy old little pouch you carry around isn't a treasure? You won't even let anyone touch it." The next second, my ex-boyfriend's face appeared in the camera frame. I was instantly transported back to my senior year of high school. I remembered the moment I was framed for stealing an exam answer key, losing my guaranteed college admission spot. The bad boy who had once sworn to be my ultimate protector had looked at me with impatience and said: "Do you know who her family is? Do you know who you are? Did you really have to provoke her?"