Chapter 7

During the spring semester of sixth grade, my homeroom teacher asked to see me.

Her name was Winona Lewis, and she was a woman in her thirties.

I walked into her office after the final bell, nervous about what I had done wrong.

She motioned for me to sit.

"Charlotte, your grades are exceptional. You're at the top of your entire grade," she said.

I gave a small nod, too timid to speak.

"You'll be starting junior high soon. Where are you planning to go?" she asked.

"The local school."

Winona frowned. "The academics there aren't great. A smart kid like you belongs at the magnet school in the district."

"But that's a boarding school," I argued. "My Gran is all alone..."

"I know your situation, but you need to think about your future."

She paused. "The magnet school sends three times as many kids to good high schools. If you stay at the county level, you might miss your shot at college."

I stared at my lap, unsure of what to say.

She sighed gently. "Talk it over with your grandmother.

"If you decide on the magnet school, I can help you apply for a low-income scholarship."

I told Gran about the meeting that night.

She sat under the dim light, quiet for a long time. "Do you want to go to the magnet school, Charlotte?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Then you're going."

"But you'll be here all by yourself."

"I'll be perfectly fine. Don't you worry about me."

Her voice was soft but left no room for argument. "As long as you make something of yourself, any hardship I face is worth it."

Tears welled in my eyes. "I'll come visit you, Gran."

"I know you will," she said, reaching out to smooth my hair.

Her hands were rough with calluses, but they felt incredibly warm.

*****

That September, I packed my faded backpack and headed for the district magnet school.

Gran walked me to the end of our dirt road.

She pulled a cloth bundle from her pocket and handed it to me.

Inside was thirty dollars, all in crumpled one and two-dollar bills. "I saved this up. Keep it on you, and make sure you're eating enough at school."

I pushed it back. "No, Gran. You need this more than I do."

"I don't need it. Take it." She forced the money into my hands.

Clutching the bundle, I couldn't stop the tears. "I promise I'll study hard, Gran."

"I know you will. Now go."

I put on my backpack and started walking toward town.

After a few steps, I looked back.

She was still standing there, waving at me.

The sunlight caught her silhouette, casting a long, solitary shadow on the dirt road.

That was the last time I saw her completely healthy.

*****

The magnet school was massive. It had two academic buildings, a huge track, and dormitories.

I was placed in an eight-girl dorm with locals from the district.

They were loud, cheerful, and chatty.

I just sat in my corner.

One girl eyed my worn-out backpack and whispered something to her friend, making them both giggle.

I pretended not to hear and kept unpacking.

After lights out, they stayed up talking about weekend plans and sharing snacks.

No one spoke to me.

I stared at the ceiling, wondering if Gran had remembered to eat dinner.

*****

Classes were a rude awakening. The pacing was incredibly fast.

I hadn't learned half the concepts the math teacher covered, and the reading list in Language Arts was full of words I didn't even recognize.

I took notes furiously until my hand cramped, but I couldn't afford to stop.

I was already behind. If I didn't push myself to the absolute limit, I would never catch up.

*****

I placed fifteenth in my class on our first-quarter report cards.

For anyone else, that was a solid ranking.

For me, it was a catastrophe.

I had never ranked lower than first place in my life.

I hid under my covers that night and cried until I shook.

*****

The next day, I hunted down all my teachers and asked for extra worksheets and old textbooks.

I started waking up at five in the morning to study in the empty classrooms.

After lights out, I read under my blanket with a flashlight.

My roommates thought I was a freak.

"Why are you trying so hard?" one of them scoffed. "It's just middle school."

I just ignored them.

They didn't get it.

If they failed, they had parents to coddle them and money for tutors.

My grades were my only lifeline. I literally couldn't afford to lose.

*****

Two months later, midterms rolled around. I jumped to third place.

Winona praised me during homeroom. "Charlotte has made incredible progress. You should all take a page from her book."

The way my roommates looked at me shifted from mockery to quiet envy.

But third place wasn't good enough. I needed to be first.

First place guaranteed my scholarship, and first place meant Gran's sacrifices weren't in vain.

I wrote Gran a letter that night, bragging about my grades and begging her to take care of herself.

I waited a month for a reply, but nothing came.

My anxiety spiked.

When the weekend arrived, I hiked the two hours back home.

It was pitch black by the time I arrived. The house was dark.

"Grandma?" I called out.

No one answered.

Panic seized my chest as I scrambled to flip the light switch.

Gran was in bed, looking dangerously pale.

She squinted at the light. "Charlotte? What are you doing home?"

"Grandma, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Just feeling a little under the weather."

I rushed over and felt her forehead. She was burning up, and it looked like she had been for a while.

"Why didn't you go to the doctor?" I said.

"It's just a bug. No need to fuss," she replied.

"This isn't just a bug!" I cried, my voice cracking.

She weakly stroked my cheek. "Don't cry, silly girl. I'm fine."

I sprinted back to town for Louis.

He took one look at Gran and his face darkened. "She's got pneumonia. She needs a hospital."

"How much will that cost?" I asked.

"A few hundred dollars, minimum."

I froze.

A few hundred dollars? We didn't even have a fraction of that.

Louis sighed heavily. "I'll leave some stronger meds to help manage the fever, but it won't cure the root of the problem."

He left the pills and walked out.

I stayed up all night, feeding her medicine and wiping her down with a cool cloth.

Gran looked at me with deep regret. "I'm so useless, Charlotte."

I shook my head. "Don't say that, Grandma."

"You're too young to be dealing with this."

"I'm thirteen. I'm not a kid anymore."

Her tears spilled over. "You're only thirteen..." She squeezed my hand, trembling violently.

I didn't sleep a wink that night.

Sitting by her bed, I made a firm decision.

I had to make some money. I had to save her.

Otherwise, I was going to lose the only person in the world who loved me.