Writer That Writes

Tina liked to walk around using certain words when talking about others.  Her mother was a complete pushover, constantly trying to tell Tina what and what not to do- Tina called her “supportive”.  Her father was entirely neglectful, and hadn’t been to one of her piano recitals since she was six years old- Tina called him “business-oriented”.  The girl who one-upped her at everything at school?

She was a bitch.

Tina obviously didn’t enjoy saying mean things about people, but that was exactly what Emma Davis was- a bitch.

She remembered her first day of school walking in for Mrs. Jones’s Kindergarten class, wearing her favorite t-shirt and Hello Kitty backpack, only for Emma to laugh it and say it was “for babies”.

Of course, that was years ago, that wasn’t necessarily something Tina would hold a grudge over.

There was, however, the time Emma found the Buddha picture in Tina’s cubby during recess and drew crosses all over it in permanent Sharpie.

Or the time she put little pieces of beef jerky in Tina’s lunch kit while she was in the bathroom, before laughing in her face when she had begun to eat it.

Or even the time she started a rumor in her 6th grade English class that Tina smelled like fish, and everyone started calling her “Tuna Tina”.

Tina’s parents told her to live and forget though- times had changed, they were older now, and Emma obviously wouldn’t be the same person.

Tina, however, knew the truth.

There was something else that she didn’t really like about Emma: every single time Tina wanted something, Emma was just somehow always able to get it.

Tina auditioned to be in the talent show and there was only one spot?  Sorry, Emma had the better singing voice.

Tina wanted the higher class rank?  Sorry, Emma got a higher grade in AP Calculus.

Tina liked someone?  Sorry, Emma’s dating them now.

Emma was smarter, prettier, more talented- and Tina would always be nothing compared to her.

She wondered constantly if something was wrong with her, or if Emma was just that perfect- and also really hated Tina that much.

Then, there was the scholarship.

Only ten girls from the entire city were given the privilege of being selected after an extremely rigorous application process.  Each applicant had ten minutes to give their “life story” to five judges and, if they won, they would be granted free tuition to whichever University they chose to attend, for all four years.

Tina, after discovering that she had been selected, felt like physically leaping for joy- until seeing that Emma had been as well.

The scholarship was mainly for individuals who were underprivileged, people of color, or both.  Emma had put down that she had “African American roots” on her application since her great-great-grandmother was black.

Regardless, Tina worked, and she worked hard.

She spent hours and hours crafting her speech, practicing it, seeking help from her English teacher, and staying up late at night editing it to make sure it had every single important detail worth mentioning.

She drafted how her parents’s savings had fallen completely down the drain after saving up to care for her grandfather when he was diagnosed with cancer while she was in middle school.  She wrote about the racism that she had faced growing up, being a Vietnamese-American Buddhist in a predominantly white Christian school.  She detailed the terrible loneliness she felt growing up while her parents were too focused on hoping she did well in school, rather than asking if she had any friends.  She recorded how she constantly felt second best at every single thing that she did- how, no matter how hard she tried, and she was terrified that it would always come out to nothing.

Then, it was the day of the speech.

Tina couldn’t sleep the entire night before, unbelievably anxious.  She wondered constantly whether it would be good enough, what Emma would say, and if she even had a chance of winning.  Ignoring the large, gaping hole in her stomach, she went into the speech room, right after Emma, and began her speech.

Midway into her segment about her grandfather, she began seeing the judges whispering amongst themselves.  Not in a way that seemed usual for judges discussing a speech they were viewing, but rather in a mild buzz of confusion.

After three more minutes of whispering, one of the older judges stopped Tina mid-sentence.  

“Excuse me, but we’re going to have to stop you right there.  We have reason to believe that you are plagiarizing another contestant’s speech.”

Tina’s eyes widened, as her hands began to shake.

“Um, ex-excuse me?  I’ve been working on my speech for weeks now, I even asked the English teacher at my school, Mrs. Lawson for help.  You can ask her, she can prove it to you.”

“Yes, and our other contestant warned us that she believed someone had stolen a part of her speech.  Mrs. Lawson also called us this morning to confirm that she believed that you might have stolen part of her speech, but we wanted to hear it ourselves.  Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Tina’s eyes began to well up.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.  Please, I’ve worked so hard, is there any way that the other student might have taken my-”

“The other student,” the woman began, “Emma Davis, as you may know, is extremely exemplary and is the valedictorian of your class.  Please do not go around accusing her.  I am afraid that we are going to have to disqualify you.  Please exit the room through the door on your left.”

Feeling utterly worthless, Tina slowly walked towards the door, trying not to burst into tears.  As she passed through it, she clenched her fists, cringing at the thought of what her parents would say to her when they heard the news.  Hoping that she would at least not have to see Emma before she left for her car, she glanced to her right and locked eyes with a familiar face, holding her nose and smiling at her, mouthing the words “Tuna Tina”.