“My daughter walked home in the rain to save money on bus fare. She’s sick with a fever now. As her mother, my heart aches, but we truly can’t afford medical bills…”
Post sent.
Almost instantly, my phone buzzed non-stop with payment notifications.
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.