Chapter 11 · Crawling Back to the Daughter You Broke

Chapter 11

My dorm at Riverside High School was a suite for six.By the time I arrived, my five roommates were already unpacking with their parents.The room was chaotic, overflowing with luxury suitcases, plush bedding, and expensive gadgets.I stood in the doorway holding a faded duffel bag.A girl in designer jeans turned to me. "You the new roommate?"I nodded. "I'm Charlotte Foster.""Emily Lane. And that's my mom." She pointed to an elegantly dressed woman.Mrs. Lane glanced at me, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, but covered it quickly with a polite smile. "Hello there. Did your parents not come up with you?""No, I came by myself," I replied."Oh. Well, do you have a lot of bags? Need a hand?""I'm good, thank you. I don't have much."I walked over to my assigned top bunk near the window, tossed my duffel on the bare mattress, and started unpacking.One thin quilt, two sets of clothes, and a stack of books. That was it.Emily walked over, eyeing my bunk. "That's everything?""Yeah," I replied."Where's your shower stuff? Slippers?"I froze for a second.I hadn't bought them yet to save cash."I-I'll go buy them later," I said."Gotcha." She walked away.But I caught her whispering to another girl, who shot me a look of pity mixed with slight disdain.I kept my head down and ignored it.After lights out, the room filled with whispers."Where did you guys go for middle school?""Oakridge.""Westwood Prep.""Northside."When the question circled to me, I kept my voice low. "Just a public school out in the county."The room went dead silent for a second."Oh. Your grades must be insane to get in here, then," someone finally chimed in."They're alright.""What did you rank on the entrance exam?""Thirteenth.""Wow, that's amazing."But it sounded totally hollow.The rest of these girls were in the top five.I was the lowest-ranked student in the room.I laid awake that night listening to them breathe, worrying about Grandma.Was she taking her pills? Was she eating?*****The pacing at Riverside High was brutal.The lectures moved at lightspeed, and the curriculum was incredibly advanced.These kids had foundations I couldn't even fathom.On the first weekly quiz, I ranked thirtieth out of forty-five students. Right below average.My homeroom teacher, Mr. Jason Carter, called me in. "Charlotte, you really underperformed on this test.""I'm sorry, Mr. Carter. I'll do better," I replied."I looked at your file. You were valedictorian at your old school. What happened?"I stared at my shoes. "I'm just having trouble adjusting.""You need to adjust fast. The competition here is cutthroat. If you fall behind now, you'll never catch up.""I understand."I walked out with a pit in my stomach.The gap between me and these kids was massive.They had private tutors, prep courses, and educated parents.I just had me.That night, I overhauled my schedule.Up at five for morning study hall. No lunch breaks.After evening classes, I studied in the dorm until two in the morning.My roommates thought I was nuts."Don't you get exhausted?" Emily asked me once."Yeah. But I don't have a choice," I said."Why not?""Because I can't afford to lose."She dropped it, but I knew she didn't get it.She came from a wealthy corporate family.She could bomb every test and still have a safety net.I had nothing but my grades.On top of the brutal course load, I took a job at the campus cafeteria, washing dishes twice a day for thirty bucks a month.I budgeted every single penny.Two dollars for breakfast, three for lunch, three for dinner.That was two hundred and forty a month.Add basic toiletries, and I was looking at three hundred.My cafeteria pay plus a hundred in financial aid left me fifty bucks short.I had to tighten my belt even more.Breakfast became a one-dollar bagel.Lunch and dinner were whatever was cheapest on the hot bar.My roommates were always eating takeout: burgers, sushi, ribs. I'd just watch.One time, Emily couldn't finish her plate and was about to just toss the rest straight into the trash."Wait, don't throw that away," I blurted out. "Can I have it?"She paused, a little surprised. "You want it?""Yeah. It's a waste."She handed me the box, her expression unreadable.I practically inhaled it. It was the best thing I'd eaten all week.After that, whenever the girls had leftovers, they passed them to me.There was no mockery, no weird pity. Just a silent understanding.I was incredibly grateful. We lived in totally different worlds, but they never made me feel less than.*****By midterms, I shot up to fifteenth in the class.Jason singled me out. "Charlotte made a massive leap this term. You all need to match her work ethic."Everyone clapped.I sat in my seat, feeling a sense of relief.My hard work was finally starting to pay off.That night, I sat down and wrote a letter to Grandma.I let her know I was settling in at school, and my grades were getting better.I reassured her not to worry about me, and reminded her to take care of herself.A week later, I got her reply.Grandma said she was doing fine and told me to just focus on my studies.She said the whole town was buzzing about me, and that she was so proud.I read the letter until the creases wore thin, then tucked it safely under my pillow.*****By the end of sophomore year, I hit top ten.By junior year, I was ranked second.The way people looked at me changed again. The initial dismissal turned into genuine respect.Emily pulled me aside one night. "You know, you're pretty incredible, Charlotte.""Just stubborn," I replied."No, it's more than that. You're brilliant, and you're tough." She hesitated. "I actually really admire you.""Why?""Because you know exactly what you want out of life, and you're willing to bleed for it. The rest of us are just sleepwalking through paths our parents laid out."I looked at her, realizing for the first time that wealth didn't buy freedom from pressure."You can choose your own path, Emily," I said."Can I?" she asked."Absolutely. You just have to want it enough."She smiled, and for the first time, it was a real, unguarded smile.We talked for hours that night.She told me her dreams, her doubts. I told her my past, my goals.We became real friends.High school didn't feel so incredibly lonely after that.Things were still hard, and I was still tired all the time.But at least, I wasn't alone.At least, I wasn't fighting this battle by myself.*****Then, the winter of my junior year, the bottom dropped out.Grandma got sick. Seriously sick.

Chapter 11