“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?”