Chapter 5

I stood at the entrance of the dining hall, and there was only one thought left in my head.

If I didn't eat something soon, I might actually die.

I looked into the dining hall. It was the dinner rush, people coming and going, and a lot of students would simply leave their trays in a corner after eating, waiting for the cleaning staff to come collect them.

Looking at that corner piled high with trays of half-eaten food, I hesitated for a few seconds, then walked over and dug into the pile of leftovers, wolfing them down.

I was too hungry.

Leftovers or stale food, it didn't matter. As long as it filled my stomach, I was willing to eat anything.

Seeing me eating other people's leftovers in the corner sent a shock through the whole dining hall.

Every student turned to stare at me.

"Oh my God, who is that? Why is she eating someone else's leftovers?"

"That's Theresa, from our class. I heard her family's dirt poor, only two hundred bucks a month to live on. She can't even afford sanitary pads. That's so sad."

"No way. People are still that poor these days?"

"Her hands are all red and swollen from the cold. It's so gross to look at..."

The crowd around me kept growing.

Some people pulled out their phones to film me.

Some pointed and whispered.

I heard every word—the gossip, the disgust, all of it.

But I had no room to care.

I crouched in the corner like a dog driven half-mad by hunger, thinking of nothing but filling my stomach.

A few seconds later, I heard the sound of an engine outside the dining hall.

Then came the gasps from everyone.

"Whoa, a Maybach?"

"Which rich kid's parent just showed up?"

I was too busy gnawing on the discarded chicken bones to pay any attention to the commotion.

But the next second, a pair of high heels stopped right in front of me.

I slowly lifted my head.

And saw my mother's furious face.

My mom appeared in front of me without warning, and I froze, my mind going completely blank.

I stared at her for several seconds, wondering if I was dreaming, before scrambling to my feet.

"Mom?"

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

That one word made the whole dining hall fall silent in an instant.

No one had expected the elegant woman stepping out of that Maybach to be the mother of the poorest girl on campus.

My mom said nothing.

She only looked me over without a word.

My hair was a mess, my mouth greasy, and my clothes covered in stains.

And I was still clutching a half-eaten chicken frame in my hand.

Before I could react, my mom frowned, snatched the thing out of my hand in a fury, and threw it into the trash.

"Theresa, have you lost your mind?"

"It's not like I don't give you living expenses. You're here eating other people's scraps. Are you trying to make people think I don't even feed my own daughter?"

My mom was angry.

But did I want this?

If I hadn't been broke, would I have chosen to eat other people's leftovers like a dog, while everyone pointed and whispered about me?

I was about to speak when the academic advisor hurried over, leaned in close, and said to me in a low voice.

"Don't talk back. Your mom cares about appearances. Seeing you like this, she feels humiliated, so of course she's angry."

"But she's still your mother. Don't embarrass her in front of everyone."

I glanced at the advisor, and in the end I stayed silent.

Having calmed me down, the advisor immediately turned to my mom.

"Alma Henson, Theresa's only doing this because she doesn't want to waste food. It shows she's got a good heart. Don't blame her."

My mom's expression eased a little, but her tone was still hard.

"Being thrifty is a good thing, but you don't go around eating other people's leftovers. How would that look if word got out?"

The advisor smiled and nodded.

"You're right. Theresa really didn't think this through. She's still young, doesn't know any better. I'll make sure to keep an eye on her and talk some sense into her."