ng and stuff like that?”
“I think she’s just having a hard time letting go. And instead of being productive, like your parents are, she’s wallowing in her own self pity at night when she thinks I can’t hear her.”
“Not going to lie, sometimes it feels like they can’t wait for me to get out of the house.”
I snickered. “Because you’ve been dreaming about the day you leave for college ever since we started high school. I’m sure they’re happy for you. Proud of you. Same with Michael, especially since he’s going with you to college. The two of you are practically prodigies in your fields. I mean, a full ride, Allison? Come on now.”
“I didn’t think they’d give it to me, you know.”
“Oh, I knew from the get-go they would. They’d be stupid not to. Especially with how hard you busted your ass in high school.”
“Still, I wouldn’t go as far as to say ‘prodigies.’”
I giggled. “You’re both going to Stanford, idiot.”
She smiled. “That statement kind of seems like an oxymoron.”
When Allison approached me the day after prom and told me she was applying to Stanford, I couldn't believe it. After getting into what I thought was her dream school, she decided to take a chance for once in her life. She applied, sent in the separate application for their architecture department, and they sent her information on their scholarship programs. With her GPA and her extra curriculars, she was eligible for a slew of their financial aid packages. And after two weeks of trying to convince her to go for the gold, she applied for one of them.
She applied for one of three full-ride tickets they gave out to incoming freshman students.
“Do you regret changing colleges?” I asked.
Allison shook her head. “Not one bit. I never even set my sights on Stanford or anything like that because I figured I wouldn't make it. I mean, usually you have to be related to someone to get into that school. Or from a historical lineage. Or make a massive donation. I didn’t think I’d get in there on grades alone.”
“Are you excited?”
“I kind of feel excited and I kind of feel as if I could puke.”
I giggled. “So, normal. Got it.”
“I still can’t believe Michael applied, though.”
I furrowed my brow. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No! No, no, no. I just--well, he had his ticket secured to the University of California. I didn’t think he’d switch over to something so…”
“Prestigious?”
“I mean, yeah. Expensive. Hard. You name it.”
I shrugged. “Michael’s intelligent. And he’s head over heels for you. Of course he’d switch. He’s in love with you.”
She smiled. “I still can’t believe those words come out of his mouth sometimes.”
“And at least you won’t be stuck where I’m going.”
“Oh, come on, Rae. Cal State is an excellent school. Don’t be such a downer.”
“Says the girl with a full ride to Stanford.”
Her face fell. “I’m serious, Rae. I’m proud of you. I honestly didn’t think you’d do the college thing, you know. Community college, maybe. But four years?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t think I’d do it either. But if I want to do graphic design and things of that nature, all the research I did tells me I need a bachelor’s degree. So why not just start out in the four-year program?”
“And why not be an hour away from your mother?”
“I mean, she’s not going for that as much as I thought she would.”