AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t want Thayer to get her hopes up that we’re going to be able to change our lives this way, only for both of us to be bitterly disappointed when we get passed over. I have to be both feet firmly planted on the ground at all times, laser focused on achievable goals.
So I don’t let myself even entertain it. Because I know from experience that hope is a bitter mistress.
“I’m late for work.”
Case in point, ‘work’ for me includes waiting on people and wiping down tables at my local cafe for five percent tips, if I’m lucky.
Thayer doesn’t say anything as I leave my house, just watches me depart with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
In retrospect, I should have known she was up to something. That’s the look she gets when she’s concocting an evil plan that we’ll both be roped into.
A couple months went by and I’d forgotten about our conversation and RCA. Or at least I’d told myself I had, but life had moved on anyway. Until one day, when a thick envelope arrived in the mail for me. Thayer was at my house — a regular occurrence for her as she tried to avoid her mother’s new boyfriend — and her eyes widened as she saw what I was holding in my hand.
“What?”
“No, nothing.” She’d said looking down quickly. But I knew my friend better than I knew myself, courtesy of meeting when we were in diapers.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. Or potentially something, depending on what’s in the envelope you’re holding in your hand. And how disappointed you’ll be if it’s not good news.”
Flipping the envelope over in my hand, I tore open the glued flap and pulled out a thin pile of documents. On top was a single sheet of thick, expensive paper with a beautiful red crest at the top.
Something niggled at my memory as I ran my fingers over it. I felt like I’d seen it before.
“Dear Bellamy,” I read. “Congratulations! It is with great enthusiasm that I write to let you know you’ve made the shortlist of ten candidates we’re considering for the Royal Crown Academy academic scholarship.”
Before I can continue reading, Thayer lets out a shrill scream and wraps her arms around me.
“Oh my god, B! Congratulations!” She jumps up and down, clapping her hands together.
I stand there in disbelief, holding the letter in my hand.
“Did you…did you only submit an application for me?” I asked, overwhelmed.
“No, I applied for the both of us. And I’m shortlisted for the sports scholarship! Please don’t be mad, I just thought what was the harm in applying? We may never get another opportunity like this again.” She explained, looking at me expectantly.
“No, I’m just…” I said as I hugged her. “Overwhelmed, I think.”
“Overwhelmed is better than angry, I’ll take it.” She replied with levity. She looked at my surprised face, her eyes boring into mine knowingly. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
I don’t know how to process the emotion I’m feeling for the first time in a long time.
Hope.
“Well now that we’ve come this far, we need to see this through. I’m down to apply.”
I’m met with more cheering and dancing from Thayer.
“Now that you’ve gotten me into this, let’s do it right. We should strategize how we tackle the next stage of the application process.”
And strategize we did.
We quickly realized that our friendship was our differentiator, what would make us stand out amongst the other applicants. That we were strong as individuals, but we were stronger together. So we’d combined our applications into one, describing Thayer’s heroics on the soccer field and my leadership on the debate team. The 10k races Thayer organized to raise funds for immigrants who were petitioning for citizenship. The afternoons I’d spent volunteering at soup kitchens.
We finished our application with a video montage of our friendship, including clips where we’d argued that together we’d have a better chance of assimilating to a different school, country, and culture.
