e need t

ning room. My mother, Sarah, stopped pretending to eat and looked at him, then at me. My

" Mark said, his voice flat. "Congratulati

acceptance letter lay on the small table by the do

arah chimed in, her tone artificially sweet. "But he did

e details were so sharp, so clear, it felt like a memory fro

e point. "You' ve always been smart, you can find other ways. Noah...

was a surge of hot anger, a desire to scream, to throw the plate against

washed over me, a col

I told them the scholarship was mine, earned through years of sleepless nights

d not

y made them mo

ne that was crucial for the scholarship application, was flagged. They claimed I had stolen it. The evidence was a digi

perfect

disappointment from my parents, and Noah' s crocodile tears as he confessed he had written th

through the mud. Betrayed, heartbroken, and publicly shamed, I was cast out. My life after that was a slow, agonizing slide into poverty and d

't afford to treat, watching a news report about Noah' s latest bu

The letter was on the table.

cream. I would not fight

onstructed mask of surprise and reluctance. I le

to Noah?" I asked, my

ining a hard edge. "A successful son reflects well on all of us.

stion slipped out, a ghos

"You know you' re not a people person. You' re better with books. N

kay, Mom, Dad. If big brother doesn' t want to, I understand. I' ll jus

thick I could taste it.

ile. I looked at my father, then my moth

y,"

lent. They had e

k asked, look

y chair back and stood up. "You' re right.

k straight. The oppressive atmosphere of the cramped house seemed to cling to

ndful of books, and a small tin box containing a few hundred dollars I had save

e, a piece of the life I was leaving behind. This wasn't just running away, it was an escape

tance letter on the dining table. They could have it. They could have the sc

. The sun was rising, casting a golden light on the old brick buildings. I

lly withdrew my application, citing personal reasons. It was a clean cut. There would be no plagiarism in

e administration buildin

Liam T

ily Roberts. She was a recent graduate who had volunteered as a mentor for the scholarshi

pulsion, I had been too asha

I said, my

were made," she said, her smile bright.

ainful reminder of what I had

xpression unreadable.

by confusion. "You what? Why

y wall I had built around my heart. But

I said simply. "It was

full of worry and confusion. I didn't look back. I had a new path to forge, one built not on their charity, bu