Laura Parker counted the money happily, not even lifting her head.
“Emily, you did well today. I’ll add 30 points for you.”
I stood there, clothes still dripping wet, watching the excitement on her face.
But inside, I felt nothing but emptiness.
On the day final grades were released, I stared at the ranking on my computer screen, my heart pounding out of my chest.
First place.
The National Scholarship.
Eight thousand dollars.
I rubbed my eyes, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
It was the first time I had ever won something this big.
For once, I felt valuable.
I sprinted out of the dorm and rushed home.
Pushing open the door, I saw Laura flipping through the shabby Suffering Scoreboard, preparing her new Facebook post material.
“Mom! I got the scholarship! The National Scholarship—eight thousand dollars!”
My words tumbled over each other, excitement bubbling out of me. I wanted to shout this good news to the whole world.
She lifted her head, looking oddly blank.
“What scholarship?”
“The National Scholarship! Only five spots in the entire school, and I got first place!”
I thrust my phone toward her, my face glowing with pride. “Look, it’s written clearly on the transcript!”
She stared at the screen for three seconds.
Then—slap! A sharp sting burned across my cheek.
“Who told you to apply for that?”
I covered my face, stunned.
“You winning a scholarship ruins everything! How am I supposed to tell your Uncle David we’re too poor to survive? Do you know you just destroyed my entire plan for the next six months of sympathy money?”
Her finger jabbed at my nose, her eyes full of fury and blame.
“I… I thought you’d be happy for me…”
“Happy? How could I be happy?” She snatched up her phone, pulling up a chat log. “Look at this! Just yesterday I told your uncle you didn’t even have enough for living expenses. He was going to send two thousand this month. Now you show up with an $8,000 scholarship?”
My heart sank, piece by piece.
My honor meant less than her lies.
“Mom, I worked hard for this…”
“Worked hard?” she sneered. “You worked hard in the wrong direction! You should be working on looking more miserable, not more successful!”
“Listen to me, Emily. A mother always has her child’s best interests at heart. Remember, no one in this world loves you more than your mom. You must obey me.”
“Don’t sacrifice the big picture for something small.”
The next morning, she dragged me to campus.
Inside Professor Anderson’s office, her tears came on cue.
“Professor, I’m Emily’s mother,” she choked out, her voice trembling. “I came today to apologize for my daughter’s behavior.”
Professor Anderson looked puzzled. “What behavior?”
“She applied for a scholarship out of vanity, with no thought for our family’s situation,” Laura sobbed, dabbing at her eyes. “Yes, we really are struggling, but she shouldn’t have resorted to plagiarism.”
I froze, staring at her in shock.
Professor Anderson shook his head. “That’s impossible. She couldn’t have plagiarized…”
“Professor, Emily has always been vain, always wanting to be better than everyone else. But I believe honesty is far more important.”
Professor Anderson looked at me, then back at her, his expression complicated.
“So what are you saying?”
“I’d like us to switch her application to financial aid instead. We really do need help, but not through dishonest means.”
My fists clenched tightly under the desk.
In front of him, she had turned me into a vain cheater.
“Emily, tell the professor—wasn’t Mom right?”
Her eyes carried a silent threat.
“I… I plagiarized… I want to apply for financial aid.”
