I stood silently beside her, watching that smug expression spread across her face.
My heart bled.
Later, Professor Anderson lowered his voice to me.
“Emily, there’s a library off-campus that needs someone to help organize books. Two hours a day, fifteen dollars an hour. Given your situation, this might be a quiet fit.”
I froze.
“Don’t worry—just say it’s for a study group.”
I looked into his encouraging eyes and nodded firmly.
Back at the dorm, Sophie Miller and the others gathered around me.
“Emily, we’ll cover for you,” Sophie said, grabbing my hand. “If your mom asks, we’ll tell her we were all studying together.”
“That’s right—we’ll take turns walking you to the library.”
Their kindness made my nose sting with tears.
My first day at the part-time job, I was nervous beyond words.
After I finished stacking books, the librarian handed me thirty dollars.
“Good work. See you tomorrow.”
I clutched the bills, my hands trembling.
It wasn’t pity money from relatives—
It was mine.
I couldn’t stop touching the edges of the bills, over and over, relishing their texture.
Passing by a bubble tea shop, I hesitated a long time before finally buying a plain milk tea.