09/08/2025
My cousin has always taken my things and ruined them—clothes, makeup, even my headphones. So when I finally leased my own Ford Escape, after years of saving, it was sacred to me. My car, my rules.
A few days before her 18th birthday, she texted me:
Cousin: "Hey, I'm borrowing your car this weekend—mall, road trip, everything. Don't even say no."
Me: "Sorry. My car is mine to drive, I need it."
Cousin (rolling her eyes): "Ugh, you're SO SELFISH. It's my birthday, and everyone expects me to have a car. You're ruining my life over a stupid car! It's YOUR fault!"
I ignored her tantrum. The weekend arrives. When I finally see my car, IT'S COVERED IN EGGS, BAKED INTO THE PAINT UNDER THE HOT SUN. Checking my security footage, I see my cousin and her friends vandalizing it that morning. I immediately called her:
"THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU JUST LET ME TAKE IT. YOU GOT WHAT YOU DESERVED."
Her parents doubled down.
Aunt (scoffing): "It's just a car, you can get it cleaned."
Uncle (rolling his eyes): "Exactly. She deserved to blow off some steam."
They refused to pay a dime. I even offered to let her work it off with chores. She laughed in my face:
Cousin: "I'm not your maid."
So, I had no other choice. ⬇️