My Mother Plants a Phone

Proctor, she has a phone in her bag! I saw her using it to look up answers last night!

At the gates of the National Merit Exam, just behind the security line, my mother suddenly lunged out of the crowd.

She pointed at my backpack and screamed at the top of her lungs.

The bustling street fell into a deathly silence.

Thousands of eyesDparents, students, and police officersDpierced through me like serrated blades.

The lead proctor's face turned ashen as he grabbed me out of the security line.

"Young lady, open your bag immediately!"

My mother threw herself onto me, clutching my arm while sobbing hysterically.

"Nadia, don't blame me for doing the right thing.

I'd rather you fail than watch you throw your life away by cheating!"

In the struggle, the zipper of my backpack snagged and burst open.

With a heavy thud, an old black cell phone tumbled out of the hidden compartment in my pencil case.

The crowd exploded instantly.

"She actually brought a phone? That kid has some nerves!"

"This is the National Exam! If she's caught, her scores are voided, and she's banned for three years!"

I looked at the phone on the ground, then at my mother, who looked like she was about to faint from grief.

A bone-chilling cold seeped through my marrow.

I realized then that my own mother was trying to destroy me.

The night before the exam, I was tucked away in my cramped bedroom, reviewing my notes.

The muffled sounds of an argument drifted in from the living room.

It was my stepfather, Barrett Stone, and my mother, Elena.

"The wedding fund for Jaxson is still short by ten thousand dollars! When is that useless daughter of yours going to start working?" Barrett growled.

"Barrett, honey, please calm down. Nadia has her big exam tomorrow. Once she's done"

"Screw the exam! If she gets into a good college and runs away, who's going to pay for Jaxson's life?"

Barrett slammed his fist onto the coffee table, making the glass rattle.

"I already talked to Miller at the meatpacking plant. They need girls on the assembly line.

It's two thousand a month, room and board included. The checks go straight to my account.

You better find a way to make sure she fails tomorrow, or I'm taking it out on you!"

My grip tightened on my pen until my knuckles turned white.

Barrett was a deadbeat, and Jaxson was his spoiled son from a previous marriage.

Ever since my mother dragged me into this house ten years ago, my life had been a living hell.

I was nothing more than a free maid and a future ATM for them.

A few minutes later, my bedroom door creaked open.

Elena walked in carrying a glass of warm milk.

She wore a forced, submissive smile, but I could see the fresh bruise blooming near her eye.

"Nadia, honey, how's the studying going?" she asked softly.

I closed my book and looked at her with a blank expression.

"It's fine. If I perform like I did on the mocks, I'll get into a top-tier university."

When I mentioned university, Elena's eyes flickered with guilt.

She set the milk on my desk and rubbed her hands nervously on her apron.

"You know, Nadia a girl doesn't really need all that schooling.

Your Stepdad found you a great job at the plant. Two thousand a month is a lot of money.

If you start working, your brother can finally get married, and we can all live a good life."

I let out a sharp, cold laugh.

"We? You mean you and your new family?

If I go to college, I'll work part-time. I won't ask you for a single dime for tuition."

Elena's face contorted with desperation as she grabbed my hand.

"How can you be so selfish!

Barrett has put a roof over your head for years. Don't you owe him something?

Besides, if you move away, how am I supposed to survive in this house alone?"

I looked at her weak, pathetic face. The last spark of hope I had for her finally died.

She knew exactly what kind of monster Barrett was.

She was just too cowardly to fight back, so she wanted to chain me down to take his blows for her.

"I am taking that exam tomorrow," I said, pulling my hand away.

Elena froze, a flash of panic crossing her features.

She bit her lip and suddenly pulled a brand-new, clear stationery bag from her pocket.

"Fine. If you want to take it, take it.

I bought this special exam bag for you today. Put your ID and pens in here.

Go to sleep early. I'll walk you to the test center tomorrow."

I stared at the clear bag, and my heart sank into my stomach.

The next morning, Elena was up before the sun.

She made breakfast and kept checking the clock, ushering me toward the door.

"Nadia, hurry up! We can't be late."

As she spoke, she naturally reached for my backpack sitting on the sofa.

"Let me carry this for you. You just focus on getting your shoes on."

I watched her knuckles turn white as she gripped the straps.

"It's fine, I can carry it myself," I said, reaching for it.

She jerked back, her eyes darting around the room.

"Oh, stop it. It's your big day. Let me do this for you.

Let's go. Barrett and Jaxson are waiting downstairs."

I didn't argue. I put on my shoes and followed her out.

Downstairs, Barrett was leaning against his rusted truck, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Jaxson stood nearby, nose buried in his phone, smirking.

Barrett blew a cloud of smoke in my direction, his eyes filled with malice.

"Look at that. The little scholar is heading out.

Don't say I didn't warn youDeven if you make it inside, you aren't going to college."

Elena hurried over and whispered something to him.

"Barrett, shut up. I've handled everything."

Barrett snorted and looked away.

Jaxson looked at me with pure schadenfreude.

"Nadia, save your energy.

My dad said if you fail today, you're on the bus to the plant tomorrow to earn my wedding money.

There's no escape."

I didn't give them a second glance and walked toward the complex gate.

"I'm taking the bus. I don't want to ride with you."

Elena scrambled after me, clutching my backpack like it was a holy relic.

"No! The bus is too crowded today. We'll take a cab!"

The entire ride, Elena held my bag in her lap, making sure I couldn't touch it.

Her phone kept buzzing in her pocket.

I caught a glimpse of the screen. It was a text from Barrett.

"Is the package in place? Don't screw this up, you bitch!"

Elena quickly covered the screen and sent a voice note back.

"It's done. Don't worry. Everything is going according to plan."

She thought I didn't hear her, but I heard every word.

We arrived at the test center thirty minutes before the doors opened.

The sidewalk was a sea of anxious parents.

I turned to my mother and held out my hand.

"Give me my bag. I need to get in line."

Elena's face went ghost-white. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

She gripped the bag tighter, her voice trembling.

"Nadia just think about it again.

The plant isn't so bad. I'll even go work there with you, okay?"

I stared her down, my voice cold.

"Give. Me. The. Bag."

Just then, the speakers announced the start of the check-in process.

"All students, please have your IDs ready and proceed to the security gates."

Elena's hands flew open as if the bag had suddenly turned into hot coals.

I grabbed it and turned toward the gate.

I hadn't even taken two steps when her shrill scream tore through the air.

"Proctor, she has a phone in her bag! I saw her using it to look up answers last night!"

That single sentence sliced through the noise of the crowd like a guillotine.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around.

Elena was pointing at me, tears streaming down her face in a perfect mask of maternal agony.

"Nadia, I can't let you make this mistake!

You've always struggled with your grades, but how could you resort to cheating!"

The parents around us erupted.

"My God, her own mother is turning her in?"

"That girl must be a nightmare if her mother has to choose justice over her own child!"

"Kids these days will do anything for a score. It's terrifying."

Several security guards and teachers rushed over, surrounding me instantly.

The head proctor looked at me with disgust.

"Step out of line, young lady. We need to search you."

Elena lunged forward, grabbing the proctor's arm.

"Please, you have to check her!

She lied to me just so she could get into a good school!

I'd rather she fail today than become a criminal tomorrow!"

She sobbed so convincingly that the crowd began to murmur in sympathy for her.

"What a brave, honorable woman," someone said.

"She's saving her daughter's character even if it costs her a future."

"That girl looks so innocent, but she's rotten to the core!"

I saw the tiny spark of triumph in Elena's eyes.

She thought she had won.

She thought that by publicly humilating me, she could finally cut off my wings.

The proctor looked at me sternly.

"Open your bag."

I calmly unzipped the pack and pulled out the clear stationery bag.

With a heavy thud, an old black phone slid out of a hidden flap.

The crowd gasped.

"She really had it! She's done for!"

"Caught red-handed. Her life is basically over now!"

Seeing the phone, Elena collapsed onto the pavement, wailing and slapping the ground.

"What did I do to deserve this! Why are you so useless!

How could you do this to Barrett? How could you do this to your brother?

Just apologize to the teacher and let's go home. You're going to the plant!"

The proctor picked up the phone, his face hard as granite.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?

Bringing a communication device into the center is an automatic disqualification and a permanent black mark on your record."

There were only fifteen minutes left before the gates closed.

If I didn't resolve this in ten minutes, I wouldn't even get to sit for the test.

Elena scrambled up, reaching for my arm to drag me away.

"Come on! Let's go home! Stop embarrassing us!"