Chapter Six
1657 Words
No…
Our eyes meet and I see the horror on my face reflected in her dilated pupils. We speak at the same time, again, our voices ringing above each other’s.
“I got it.”
“I’m rejected. “
“What?”
“What?”
“You got in?”
Miley says, eyes widening, pupils growing like big dark holes and my heart’s thumping loud when I say.
“Uh… you didn’t?”
“No, I didn't.’’
Her eyes blur and I want to cry too. This is so f*****g unfair. No, it's not unfair. It's f*****g stupid.
My hands close around the paper and I check the name on my papers again.
“There might be a mistake. Look. No. Give me that. “
I bend over the table and reach out to her papers. I take them away from her and she lets allows me.
I’ve never seen her so sad before, but I am still hoping there might be some mistake. I am trying to comfort her, so I keep blabbering nonsense to help her come down. There has to be a mistake, there's no other way.
“Come on, let me read it. How many people apply to Lunar Crest from here? “
By now, her eyes are filled with tears and I hate this so damn much.
“I don’t know…” she mutters, almost sobbing. “Not many. “
“It's not "not many". It's None. You know that. This year- probably just the two of us. I am sure there’s some mistake. They confused me for you. I’m sure…”
I read her letter too. Then I get back up to mine.
It’s right. It’s my address and all that. The letter talks about my essay or whatever I wrote on the exam.
Damn it.
I hiss through clenched teeth.
“We could..”
I begin when Miley gets up abruptly, picking up her jacket.
“I’ll … I need to get home. “
“Wait, I’m leaving too and…”
“See you tomorrow, Kaya.”
My friend turns her back on me and heads to the door before I could gather all the documents and envelopes spilled in front of me.
“Miley, wait!” I repeat, protesting and fumbling with all the things I carry around.
“Wait, where…”
She is already out the door.
“Great. “
I sat down heavily and lean back.
“Just f*****g great. “
The sheets spill from hands and land on the floor ot
My eyes are now blurred too.
***
“Look who finally graced us with their presence!”
Brandon flops heavily on the couch as I close the door behind myself and come into the living room.
“Where have you been?”
My mom comes from the kitchen, wiping her hands.
“I told you she’s fine. “
Brandon says, opening a beer. “She always does this. “
“I called you five times! " My mom says. She looks genuinely worried. "Do you know what time it is? “
I don’t even try to argue with them.
I push my hands deep in my pockets and look down at my feet.
“I’m sorry. I lost track of time. “
At the very moment the words leave my mouth, my brother sits back up and places his bottle heavily on the table. My mother comes in.
“What’s wrong?”
She asks. “Nothing.” I shrug. “I’m a bit tired, I’ll go upstairs and…”
“Kaya, you’d better tell us right now what’s going on. “
“Nothing, I told you, I just….”
Brandon shifts in his seat and makes space next to him.
“Come here and tell us what happened. Did you kill someone?”
“What? No?”
“Then why do you look like someone just died?”
“I got in.”
I say and they exchange a look.
“Got in where?”
Brandon asks, slowly.
“The Academy. The university I applied for? “
“Lunar crest?”
Mom says, speaking even more carefully than Bran did.
“Yeah. “
“What? You got in?" he says" Are you kidding us? Then why are you so…”
“Miley didn’t. " I sit down next to him on the couch, my hands still in my pockets. "And now she probably hates me, and I am not going anyway, and this whole thing is my fault…”
I tell them about what happened. In the meantime, my mom sits next to me, wrapping her arm around me when, eventually, Brandon says.
“I think you should go.”
“I think so too. “
My mom nods at him and I shake my head.
“You know I can’t. “
“And why not?”
“We can’t afford it?”
Brandon laughs.
“But you said they offer you a full scholarship. How many ever get the chance for a scholarship, even? One? ”
“I will still need money."
“Yeah, for what? If they offer the boarding and taxes are covered, food provided there, I don’t see…’
“Clothes?”
“Clothes?”
He repeats. Then he laughs. ‘That’s small stuff, Kaya. You know that. Your arguments are weak, just as always. “
“But I never wanted to go there, I only applied because of Miley. “
“Is it still so?”
My mother asks, her voice even.
“Still so what?”
“Do you still not want to go?”
They are both looking at me, expecting. I feel a very strange flutter inside me at the thought of going there.
“I… I don’t know. “
I admit eventually.
“And I think you should.’
Brandn gets up. “If you miss this opportunity you’re more stupid than I thought. “
“Brandon…”
“I’m going out. “
He says and he looks kind of … disappointed. He looks disappointed that I don’t want to go to the Lunar Crest.
I look back at Mom, who’s watching me concerned.
“What?”
“I agree with him,” she says. “But only if you want to.”
The truth is, I don’t know what I want to do. And as if reading my mind, my mother says.
“And if Miley is your true friend, she will understand and support you, no matter what you decide. We get chances like those only once in our lives. Don't let yours go. “
***
At four am I am still lying awake in my bed, phone in my hand. I tried typing a message to Miley, then I deleted it.
This sucks too bad. It sucks worse than I thought it ever would. I lock my phone and leave it aside, so I wouldn’t glance at it every two minutes.
This went on for almost a week.
I receive a response from Miley on Saturday.
The message says.
“Hey. I forgot- congratulations. “
I dial her number the moment I read the message.
She picks up straight away.
“
Hey Kaya, what's up? “
“Hey. I just… how are you?”
“Fine. Good. Sorry about the other day, I just…”
“Why don’t you come over?”
I interrupt her, “Or I can come somewhere.”
I expect her to close, or find an excuse not to meet me, but she agrees.
“Okay. I’ll see you at Jake’s in…let’s say an hour?”
I exhale, relieved. This is the old Miley and I nod, although she can’t see me.
“Okay. Sounds good. ‘
***
“I’m sorry.” she says as soon as I go to the cafeteria and take the seat opposite hers. She must have arrived earlier, because her drink is almost finished.
“I’m sorry I left like that. I shouldn’t have. I just… I don’t know.”
Then she looks up at me and meets my eyes.
“Do you hate me?”
“Hate you?”
I ask, incredulous. “I would never hate you. Why would I?”
What is she saying, I have no idea.
“I thought you were the one who didn’t want to see me. “
“I didn’t. And if I were you, I’d be very pissed off. “
“Oh, come on, Miley, you know I’d never…”
“There’s something else.”
she says, and I sit down carefully.
I have a bad feeling about this.
"Okay?"
“I was surprised you got in. “
"Uh, yeah. No kidding. And ?”
She’s looking at me.
“And? I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d get in. What kind of friend am I?”
I don’t know whether to laugh or hug her.
“Really? Is this what you’ve been thinking about? “
“Of course!”
“So you’re not mad at me?”
I exclaim.
“Not anymore.” then she says, seriously “ Promise me you’ll go.”
“No.”
I say right away. “I mean… No. I thought this over and over, I'm not doing this. ”
“Kaya, look. “ she places both her elbows on the table and bends slightly over.
“You will be the stupidest person ever if you miss that chance."
“What’s the deal with everyone calling me stupid?”
I protest and she laughs.
“Brandon?”
“Hell yes, Brandon. And …"
“But he’s right. Just think of it- you’ll be the first Ever from such a small town like ours to ever even make it there. “
“So?”
“So? It’s huge. Not just for you. It’s for all of us. You’ll have the chance to do things many of us can’t, and who knows, maybe it will matter for the whole place one day. “
- Writer
