Chapter 8 · Crawling Back to the Daughter You Broke

Chapter 8

I skipped Monday morning classes and marched straight into the administrative office to find the work-study coordinator."Excuse me, are there any jobs available on campus for students?" I asked.Jack Warren, a guy in his forties, gave me a skeptical look. "You want to work?""Yes, sir.""You're a seventh grader. School policy says you can't join the work-study program yet.""Please, sir. My family desperately needs the money."He fell silent, studying my face. "The cafeteria needs a prep cook. You'd have to help out during the lunch and dinner rushes."It pays fifteen bucks a month. You want it?"Fifteen bucks.It wasn't much, but it was a start."I'll take it," I said."Report to the kitchen at eleven o'clock today," he said."Thank you so much."From that day on, I practically lived in the cafeteria.Every day at eleven, I washed vegetables and scrubbed pots.At five, I was back at it until seven.The head cook, Martha Warren, was a sweet older lady.She saw how hard I worked and would occasionally set aside extra food for me."Eat up, honey. You're a growing girl," she'd say.I was endlessly grateful because it meant I could save my meal money.But time became a luxury I didn't have.Between classes, work, and homework, I was running on fumes.I woke up at five and rarely slept before midnight.Sometimes, exhaustion would hit me in the middle of a lecture.A teacher would call on me, and I'd stand up with my mind completely blank.The class would snicker as my face burned with shame, and I'd slowly sink back into my seat.My grades took a nosedive.From third place, I dropped to seventh, then tenth.Winona pulled me aside. "What is going on with you, Charlotte?""I'm sorry, Ms. Lewis. I promise I'll do better," I said."Trying harder isn't enough. If you keep this up, you'll lose your scholarship at the end of the semester."My heart stopped. The scholarship was one hundred dollars a term.Without it, I would be expelled."I understand, Ms. Lewis," I said.*****Back in the dorm, I sat numbly on my bed.My roommates were laughing and gossiping, eating chips and flipping through magazines.I didn't even have time to sleep.I had a nightmare that night.Gran was standing at the end of the dirt road, waving at me."Come home, Charlotte," she called out. I tried to run to her, but my legs wouldn't move.I woke up to a soaking wet pillow.Wiping my eyes, I checked the clock. Three in the morning.I crawled out of bed, clicked on my desk lamp, and opened my textbooks.One of my roommates groaned. "Charlotte, can you keep it down?""Sorry," I said.I switched off the lamp, grabbed my books and flashlight, and crept out into the freezing hallway.I huddled in a corner and studied until the sun came up.*****A week before finals, my body gave out.I spiked a 102-degree fever.The school nurse told me to go to the clinic, but I refused.I popped some Tylenol and dragged myself to class.I tried desperately to focus on the lectures, but my brain was thick with fog, retaining nothing.On exam day, I practically crawled into the testing room. I stared at the paper for what felt like hours.I knew this material, but my mind was completely blank.I pinched my arm, trying to force myself to snap out of it.It didn't work.The words blurred and danced on the page.After the final bell rang, I stumbled out of the classroom.The hallway spun, and the floor rushed up to meet me.*****I woke up in the nurse's office.Winona was sitting in the chair next to me. "Charlotte, why didn't you tell anyone you were this sick?"I didn't answer.I couldn't.I couldn't afford to rest.If I rested, I wouldn't get paid. If I didn't get paid, I couldn't save Gran.Winona looked at me and let out a heavy sigh. "You're too stubborn for your own good, kid."She pulled a plain white envelope from her purse. "A few of the teachers put this together. It's seventy hundred dollars. Take it and get your grandmother to a real doctor."I stared at her, stunned. "I can't take this.""Take it. Consider it a loan. You can pay us back when you're older and on your feet." She pressed the envelope into my hand.I gripped the envelope tight, and suddenly tears started streaming down my face. "Thank you," I sobbed."Save your tears. Just rest up and hit the ground running next semester."*****The final rankings came out. I placed twelfth.My scholarship was gone. But I had the seventy dollars.On the first day of winter break, I rushed home.Gran took one look at me and gasped. "Charlotte, you're skin and bones!"I forced a smile. "Gran, I won a scholarship! Seventy hundred dollars." I handed her the cash. "I'm taking you to the hospital."Gran looked at the bills, her eyes welling up. "Where did you really get this, sweetheart?""It's a scholarship, I swear."I couldn't tell her it was charity from my teachers.I couldn't tell her I almost worked myself to death for fifteen bucks.I couldn't tell her I had lost my financial aid.I didn't want her to worry. More than anything, I didn't want her to feel like a burden.*****The next day, I took her to the clinic in town.The doctor confirmed it was chronic bronchitis and put her on long-term medication.A month's supply cost fifty bucks.I made Gran keep the rest of the money for groceries.On the walk home, she held my hand tightly. "You've really grown up, Charlotte."I nodded. "I'm going to protect you from now on, Gran."She smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening. "My brilliant girl. You're going to do great things."But I knew I wasn't doing enough.If I were truly successful, she wouldn't have to suffer like this.If I were successful, I could give her the life she deserved.That winter break, I spent every waking moment thinking.Thinking about how to make real money. How to give Gran a good life. How to prove her sacrifices weren't in vain.In the end, I came to a conclusion.I had to get into the best high school.I had to get into a top-tier college.I had to land an incredible career.It was my only way out. And it was a path I had to walk, no matter what it took.

Chapter 8