The condo was fifteen minutes from campus. Mark didn't just rent it for me, he owned it. Call it foreshadowing if you will, but he had kept it even after the marriage 'just in case' and was subletting it until the end of the school term. University was finished before secondary schools, so it was blessedly vacant at the time I needed it most.

I packed the very next day after the fight with my mother, well everything besides the essentials until I knew where I was going. Mark told me to take my videogames and things with me in exchange for leaving my bigger furniture that had been a gift from him. I was pretty upset to leave it behind, but I understood it would be too hard to take.

Instead I took everything that was portable and belonged to me. Mark got his hands on an envelope with my name on it from the safe. It was much bigger than I thought it would be, and I waited to open it until after I had left 'the danger zone' with my mother stalking the halls and shooting me dirty looks. She hated me more than ever, and I was relieved to be leaving.

Mark helped me pack up his SUV with all my trunks, suitcases and boxes of stuff. It was full to the brim, and other than my overnight bag with the last of the toiletries and personal items for a day or two, my life was packed away tightly for the trip to the condo. I was excited to see what Mark's bachelor pad looked like.

I was also somewhat happy that I was not going to be too far away from him. It was only a two hours drive to get to my mother's house, and he did promise he would visit me once in awhile. I wouldn't blame him for wanting to get away from the witch he married. Especially once I saw the beautiful building he lived in before, and walked into the warm space he once occupied.

I was expecting a cool, modern condo with granite and hardwood everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised with exposed wood beams, plush carpets and massive velvet drapes that framed the view. The couches were a warm brown leather and the television enormous. I was in a cozy student's dream pad, and I was getting it for free!

I hauled my butt and brought my stuff inside, then hugged him so tightly I think he couldn't breathe. Then we sat down and he ordered us pizza, on me now that I was about to have access to my accounts. I opened the envelope and added a few obvious things to my wallet, such as any missing identification she was keeping.

There were no recent statements or books, so I had no idea how much was in the accounts though. I would have to go in and set things up with the bank now that I had moved. I would need to set a pin for my account and get a debit card, since that was missing too. I had to find out what investments were under only my name. All I had to go on were initial signup sheets. There was also a pile of envelopes inside, all elastic banded together.

I opened the one with the oldest date and my face went red in fury. It was a letter from my father, my real father, to me. Each one told me I was loved. Each one told me that he thought of me. I learned of birthday gifts I had never received. Visits that I was never allowed to show up for. I learned the full extent of my mother's selfishness.

I passed each one wordlessly to Mark to read after me. We stared at each other until the door rang for the delivery and then we sat down with cooling plates, not as hungry as we once were. This was so big, neither of us knew quite what to do. I felt so betrayed in that moment that I was unable to even speak, for fear I would lose my sanity.

"I will hire someone to contact him and let him know what has been going on if you like. We can set up a meeting... if..." He whispered the words, as though sensing how delicate the situation was. I nodded faintly, relieved that he would take it over for me because I didn't have a clue what to do. I stared at the stack of opened accounts in my name and wondered what other surprises were in store for me.

"Can... can you stay tonight? I need to go to the bank tomorrow and I don't want to go alone." I murmured as I absently brought the slice of pizza to my lips. He nodded and that seemed to break the moment enough for us to be able to eat. I was too listless to do much more than that though. I left my boxes unpacked and my suitcases untouched in the middle of the rooms.

Mark tucked me into bed in the spare room once we got the sheets for both set up. I insisted he take his own bed for the night. It was his condo after all. Even though the room was comfortable and bed well sprung, I laid there awake and a little on edge for the next day. Was I going to be rich? Did she leave me with nothing? I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the bank.

My greatest worry was that she would have joint signing authority or something and lock me out of my own money. At that point, would she put a freeze on my account if I didn't listen to her? I wanted to go to school so badly, and I just prayed that she wouldn't be able to keep me from the one I wanted to go to.

I woke up with a jolt in the morning and smelled fresh coffee. I waddled out half-asleep, accidentally walked into the hall closet instead of the toilet, then did my morning ritual in the right room. By the time I walked into the kitchenette, there was bacon sizzling in a skillet on the stove and Mark was scrambling some eggs in a bowl.

I watched in awe as he poured them into a hot pan and flipped the bacon. After the eggs were fluffy, he sprinkled cheese on top and moved the bacon to drain on a plate. Two places were set with forks and orange juice. He doled out food onto two plates before bringing them over to the bar seating. I climbed onto the padded seat.

"Thank you Mark. This looks amazing. How did you manage all this?" I murmured appreciatively. My mouth was watering as I smelled the deliciousness before me. He grinned and passed me some salt and pepper after gently shaking some on his food.

"I had groceries delivered last night after you went to bed. I can make the essentials so I bought a few things that were easy. I figured I could leave some instructions on how to cook up a couple different options for you." He replied before chomping down on his bacon. I followed his example and started to eat.

It was really good. I finished everything on my plate and when both of us were done, I washed the dishes with the soap and scrubber. Mark left to go get dressed to leave. I followed suit afterwards, grabbing my clothes from my overnight bag on the way. Good thing I had everything I needed in there, since I hadn't unpacked my suitcases yet.

"Ready to go?" I heard Mark call out from the hall. I put on my socks and trailed after him to the front door. We put on our shoes and Mark had me lock up so I remembered how to do it. There were two locks, a normal handle door one and a deadbolt on the door with a code. Turns out it was two famous hockey player numbers that I knew.

"I'm nervous. What if I don't have enough?" I said to him on the way. He just smiled at me knowingly. What was that supposed to mean?

"Relax. Take a deep breath and let's go in." He patted my back soothingly as we walked through the doors. I went to the counter with my envelope and asked to have a debit card issued. When she pulled up my account information her eyes got wide and she excused herself. What the heck? She came back with a rather smartly dressed older woman with a big smile on her face.

"Mr. Gregory Winters?" The woman asked. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that is me." I replied politely. My manners were automatic and she seemed surprised it was me and not the man beside me.

"Welcome. Please follow me. I will be handling all your account needs personally." She led us to a locked partition and let us through to her office. It was big, and had pictures of children at various stages in their lives. She seemed very nice, offering us something to drink and comfortable chairs. I took a bottle of water, not because I was thirsty but because I was nervous.

"So, I just turned eighteen last year, and I didn't really have any involvement with my finances up until now. I thought it was about time I take responsibility and see what is going on, but more importantly I will be attending university in the fall. I will need faster access to funds in order to pay for my school tuition and books." I explained to her as she drew up the paperwork for a debit card.

"Of course. Will you be requiring your statements now that you are overseeing things personally?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yes, however I will need them to go to my new address. I have moved into a condo closer to my school in order to get settled in before the term starts." I had Mark give her the full address and update my file, after I showed her two pieces of ID and signed her paperwork of course. Then she went into her filing cabinet and passed me a binder with my name on it.

"Would you like me to go over the accounts with you before you go?" She smiled in understanding as my eyes widened.

"Yes please." I answered. She opened the binder and showed me various graphs, statements and columns of numbers. It was very confusing to me. It seemed there were different types of investments as well as the standard accounts. Some of them had rolling interest, which meant the money made from them went back in for principle towards the next year.

"Your mother, I presume, has been depositing money into the main fund, here. Your father has been putting money into this secondary fund, here. All of the account statements have been held for you here at the bank, with only a yearly summary report going to both of your parents to keep them informed of what growth we have been able to achieve." She smiled proudly and turned to the most recent summary statement.

"Is that...? Is that how much I have?" I just about passed out as I read the bottom line. She seemed very proud as she confirmed it.

"That is how much you had as of December of last year. Of course we have been able to add to that since then." She exchanged a glance with Mark, who didn't seem surprised in the least. I just nodded faintly. I wasn't expecting that much. I was going to be fine. No, I was going to be more than fine. Say nothing else about my mother, she had taken care of me in one way.

"How long until he gets his debit card?" Mark interjected. She explained it would be at least a week or two and then I would need to come in and set up a personal pin.

"Oh dear. Should I transfer the bill money to your account, Mark?" I asked in concern. I didn't want him to have to pay for my utilities and phone if he wasn't even going to be living there. That wouldn't be fair, especially if I could afford it.

"We can set up an automatic payment for those if you bring in a statement." The woman suggested.

"Even if it isn't in my name?" I was confused.

"Yes, we set them up as a payee for you with that account number. As long as your... friend here puts you on his account then it should be fine." She glanced between us, slightly curious but not really saying anything. It surprised me when Mark didn't jump to correct her, so I didn't think to do so either.

"I will do that tonight, first thing." He told me. I nodded and collected the pile of things I now had. It was a lot to take in all at once.