by Len Webster
He swallowed hard, the muscles in his neck strained. “Should we wait for your parents?”
She shook her head. “Mum and Dad are at a G&MC company banquet and are staying in the city. They told me to call them as soon as I get my letters. Open the letter.”
“You want me to do it here?”
AJ laughed. Then Evan closed his trunk, and she set her bag on it. She pulled out her laptop, turned it on, and let out a breath. “We’ll open them right here.”
This was what she had been waiting her entire life for.
And the thought had her heart thumping hard in her chest as nerves consumed her.
“I’ll open yours if you’re nervous?” Evan offered.
She nodded as she logged into her computer. She pressed on the bookmarks she had on her browser and opened all the portals from the colleges she expected letters from today. When she opened the portals, she released a breath of air and slid her laptop to him.
“Give me your phone,” he instructed.
Confused, AJ gave him her cell phone, unsure of what he had planned. He set it against her bag and turned on the camera. “You’re going to film us?”
Her best friend grinned. “Yeah, I don’t want your parents to miss it.” Then he gave her his phone. “I want you to open mine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I’ve opened the portals to the colleges I’m expecting letters from.”
She glanced down at his phone as excitement washed over her. She knew Evan would get into a good college. Staring at the screen, she smiled when she saw which school was first for him.
It was Claremont McKenna College.
It had been ranked the second-best college in California for the past few years—behind Stanford. AJ knew that if he didn’t get into Stanford, Claremont would be an excellent alternative.
“Is there a letter?”
She nodded as she swiped through the tabs and saw that he also had letters from three other colleges. “You have letters. It looks like letters went out early.”
“So …” Evan said as she lifted her chin. Fear swept his face. He was scared, but AJ had faith in him and knew he’d get into at least one of the colleges.
“Claremont McKenna College. University of California, Los Angeles. University of South California, and University of California, Berkley,” she said.
He nodded his head. “Okay,” he breathed out nervously. “Open them.”
“Are you sure? Don’t you want to open them?”
Evan shook his head. “No, I’d like you to open them. Rejection coming from you won’t hurt as much.”
“Okay,” AJ said as she reached over to her phone against her bag and pressed record. If he wanted to record her reactions to her letters for her parents, she was going to do the same with his.
AJ opened the portal for Claremont McKenna College, found the waiting letter, and pressed on the link to open it. Then she took a deep breath. She peeked up at Evan’s nervous expression and then began to read the letter. “Dear Mr. Gilmore, I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Claremont McKenna College … Evan, you got in!”
“Claremont McKenna wants me?”
“I told you they would.” She turned his phone over to show him. He bent down and stared at his phone in shock. “Do you want me to open the others?”
He kept his eyes on the acceptance letter. “Yeah. Just open them all up and tell me what each school decided.”
“All right,” AJ said as she brought the phone back to her. Then she went to the next tab to open his letter, she smiled at just how proud she was of him. No matter what the other colleges said, he still got accepted into one of the best colleges in California. AJ inhaled a deep breath and read the letter. Disappointment reached her voice as she said, “It’s a no from the University of South California.”
His lips pursed as he glanced at her and shrugged—indicating he wasn’t too upset by USC’s rejection. “UCLA and Berkley?”
She bit her lip to hold back her excitement.
“Well?”
She opened both tabs and read each letter before a grin consumed her lips. “It’s a yes from both of them!” she squealed and threw her arms around him. “I knew you’d get into college.”
His arms wrapped around her, and he whispered, “All because of you.”
She pressed her palms against his chest and shook her head. “Don’t sell yourself short, Evan. You wrote those essays. You have the grades. You did this. Not me. You got into Berkley. Will goes to Berkley. And you got into Claremont McKenna. You got into the top schools on the West Coast.”
He nodded as if he was telling himself this was good. “And any from Stanford?”
She shook her head. “Nothing from Stanford just yet.”
Evan exhaled, and his face went from excitement to serious as he glanced at her laptop screen, causing panic to tingle up her spine. She didn’t get letters. The article must have affected the colleges. What Ivy League school would want someone with a bad image like her at their institution?
“I didn’t get any letters?”
Evan took his phone from her and slipped it into his jeans pocket. Then he craned his neck and asked, “You have three choices. Do you want to wait for your parents to come home tomorrow? Open them now? Or go back into the city, find them, and open it with them?”
Sweat moistened her palms. She did want her parents to be there when she opened them, but she was too on edge to wait or drive back into the city.
“You’re recording, so they’ll see. We’ll open them now.”
Evan nodded. “We’ll open them now,” he agreed.
“Wait,” she blurted out once Evan set his index finger to the laptop’s trackpad. “What schools?”
She couldn’t look at the screen as he flicked through the tabs she had opened. Instead, she focused on his face, hoping to read hints of her acceptance statuses on his face.
He had let out a small puff of air before saying, “Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Columbia. All the Ivies you applied to.”
Her chest heaved as fear and excitement fought for control within her. Fear was starting to win. She didn’t know how to feel. She just wanted one. At least one college to accept her.
“Which one first?” Evan asked as his eyes found hers.
“Harvard,” she answered.
“Okay, Harvard—”
“Actually,” AJ interrupted. “Yale. Yale first.”
Evan took a deep breath as she heard him make several clicks. His eyes scanned the screen, and then he read out loud, “Dear Ms. Parker, congratulations on your acceptance to Yale University.” Evan paused, tilting his chin, and the proud gleam in his eyes left her breathless. “Alexandra, you got into Yale!”
“I got into Yale,” she said in disbelief.
I got into an Ivy League school.
Whatever happened, at least she had a backup school in Yale.
A school she was sure would make her parents proud.
“I’ll open Harvard now,” Evan stated as more clicks sounded. Then he cleared his throat. “Dear Ms. Parker, I am delighted to inform you that the Committee of Admissions has accepted you into Harvard University.”
“I … I got into Harvard?”
Evan nodded with a grin on his face. “You got into two of the Ivies.”
AJ couldn’t comprehend it. She had gotten into Harvard and Yale University—two of the most prestigious colleges in the country and the world.
More clicking caused her to blink.
“AJ?”
She heard the change in his voice. She knew rejections were imminent. “Yeah?”
“You’re five for five.”
“I’m what?”
Evan turned the screen and clicked on each portal to show her. “You go into Dartmout
h, Princeton, and Columbia.”
“I …”
“You got into five of the eight Ivy League schools,” Evan said and then wrapped his arms around her. “Congratulations, Alexandra. I knew you’d get into them. I’m so proud of you.”
Her arms wrapped around him.
Suddenly, her excitement derailed as it hit her.
AJ had been accepted to colleges on the East Coast.
All of Evan’s acceptance letters had come from the west.
They’d be miles away from each other.
“Stanford,” she whispered.
He pulled away and pressed the button on her phone, ending the recording of them. “No letter yet. We’ll have to wait. We have to call your parents and send them the video. AJ, you got into five Ivy League schools. That’s incredible.”
AJ pushed the fear of Stanford aside and let herself enjoy this moment.
She’d done it.
All the hours spent working on her college application essays had been worth it.
She had been accepted into Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Princeton, and Columbia.
And she was proud of her achievements—no matter what the outcomes were in the letters she was waiting for.
42 Mo
molybdenum
AJ
Now
Thankfully, they missed the traffic on the Jersey Turnpike and made it into New York without running into much rain. The storm that had them running from Pennsylvania hadn’t arrived—or if it had, it was a weaker storm than predicted by the meteorologists. During the drive, they had eaten their cheesesteaks as music from the radio filled the car. They had made a quick stop in the Bronx for a bathroom break and to dispose of their wrappers in the trash. Evan suggested that they stop by Scarsdale to visit her aunt and uncle, but when she called, Uncle Alex informed her that he and her aunt were both at work, and her cousins, Reese and Lori, were still in school. AJ and Evan would have waited had a storm not threatened their drive.
When Evan drove into New Haven, Connecticut, the rain picked up, and lightning and thunder filled the dark gray sky. They thought the storm had passed, but they were wrong. Evan continued along Interstate 95. Heading toward Rhode Island, he hoped to avoid the torrential rain that was making it hard to see out of the windshield. Twenty miles from the state line, her phone rang. AJ pulled it from her bag and answered the call.
“Hey, Dad,” she greeted as the sky flashed bright with lightning.
“Ale-Alexandra?”
“Dad, I can’t hear you. You’re breaking up.”
There was static, and AJ glanced over to see the concern on Evan’s face. “It’s the storm, AJ. Stay on the line. You’ll get a signal soon.”
She nodded and focused on the crackling she heard. After a few minutes, she heard her father clearly say, “Alexandra?”
“Hey, Dad. I’m here.”
Her father exhaled loudly. “This storm is relentless. Please tell me you and Evan are nowhere near Rhode Island?”
Her eyes widened, knowing that they would soon pass the Welcome to Rhode Island sign. “Dad, we’re almost into Rhode Island. What’s going on?”
“Shit,” her father cursed. “Love, the storm’s going to batter Rhode Island. There are flash floods all over the roads.”
She shook her head. “We saw the weather report. It’s going to linger in Connecticut; we headed toward Rhode Island to go around it.”
“Alexandra, the storm’s changed course. Put me on speaker so I can talk to Evan.”
“Okay,” AJ said to her father and pressed on her screen to turn on the speaker. “Evan, my dad is on speaker. He wants to talk while you drive.” AJ noticed him tighten his fingers around the steering wheel. With her free hand, she reached over and set it on his arm, reassuring him that her father would not be bitter toward him.
“Hello, Mr. Parker,” Evan greeted politely, eyes still on the road.
“Hey, Ev. How are you?” Her father sounded like his usual self when he spoke to Evan. AJ knew that he was trying for her. Her mother must have spoken to him.
Evan’s body relaxed, and AJ dropped her hand from his arm. “I’m fine, Mr. P. What were you discussing with your daughter?”
“It’s bad, Evan. The farther north you go, the worse it’ll get. We just got hit by it maybe four hours ago. The news said it was gonna idle over Rhode Island.”
“We were in Philly four hours ago, and it was heading toward Connecticut. That’s why we turned at New Haven.”
Her father hummed. “Alexandra?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Did you bring your credit card with you?”
“I did,” she confirmed. She never left her dorm room without it, as per her father’s request.
“Good. Evan, I want you to find the next hotel you see and stay the night. I don’t want you kids driving through that storm, do you hear me? I know you’re probably a couple of hours from home, but I’m not risking it. Emergency services are already stretched. So find a place to stay and call me when you’ve checked in. I don’t care if it’s the Omni or the Four Seasons.”
Evan glanced over at her, and she nodded at him. “All right, Dad. I’ll call you as soon as we find a hotel.”
“Good.” Then her father fell silent for a moment. “Evan.”
“Yes, Mr. Parker?”
“That’s my daughter in that car with you. No matter what has happened between you two, I trust you with her. Nothing reckless. I care about you, too. The nearest hotel, got it?”
“I understand, sir.”
“Good. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“Okay. Bye, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Alexandra.”
Then she hung up her phone and set it on her thigh.
“Alexandra?”
She tilted her head to see his tense facial expression. “We can go back toward the hotel we saw about twenty miles away or …?”
“Evan, you heard my dad. We can’t drive through this storm. We’re struggling to see as it is, and it’s gonna get worse.”
“Or we can take the next exit and head to Watch Hill?”
AJ glanced out the window and noticed the sign above them.
A place that meant so much to them.
But they had no other options.
Her heart had been taken on the sands of Watch Hill, and she was reclaiming it once and for all.
She inhaled through her nose and settled back into her seat. “Take the next exit, Evan,” she said, wanting to return to the very beach they had made their best memories on.
They were drenched.
There was no way to protect them from the downpour.
The storm picked up and strengthened in the twenty minutes it took to drive to the Ocean House. They only got relief from the cold rain once they climbed up the stairs and entered the chateaux. Evan checked them in but refused to use her father’s credit card. He claimed that because he was the one to demand they take a road trip, he had to pay. He used Kyle’s name to get a room since they weren’t over twenty-one. AJ ended up being too tired to fight him and let him pay. After they checked in, Evan carried their bags to the room with the ocean view. However, all she saw was gray and the dark sea. It was normally bright blue, but the storm had tainted not only the sky but the ocean, too. The sight was depressing, so AJ spun around, grabbed her things, and hopped in the shower to wash away the smell of rain on her.
As AJ towel dried her hair, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She seemed different somehow. She looked and felt a little like her old self, but she knew it was only temporary. For however long she was with Evan, she knew she could be her old self. But her old self was unsure.
Her old self gave up dreams.
And her old self could persuade her heart one more time and give up Duke for Evan
.
Setting the white towel on the marble counter, AJ picked up her hairbrush and walked out of the bathroom to find Evan on their bed, staring at his phone.
“Everything okay?” she asked as she climbed onto the bed and began to brush her wet hair.
“I’m just reading my lecture notes Milos sent me,” he said as he stretched out his legs.
“You can use my laptop if you need to catch up.”
He grinned at her. “It’s all good. They’re things I already knew. I was already a week ahead in my classes. I’m gonna text Milos back and then hop in the shower.”
AJ ran the brush through her hair. Droplets landed and seeped through her top. “Is Milos one of your friends at Stanford?”
“He’s my roommate,” Evan said, his thumbs pressing at his screen. Then he set it on the bed. “You wanna go down to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner after I shower?”
“Sure,” she said as she moved the brush to her other hand and then continued to run it through her hair.
“All right,” Evan said, getting off the bed and then heading over to pick his bag up. “I won’t be too long.”
When the bathroom door closed, AJ stretched out her legs and pressed her back to the headboard. The view of the ocean consumed by the storm was still breathtaking. She knew how clear and beautiful it was on a good day, and it was a shame that today was not that good day. Once she finished brushing her hair, she traded the brush for her phone that was on the bedside table. She unlocked it to find several missed text messages. Seeing the three from her parents had her realizing she’d forgotten to call them back.
AJ dialed her father’s number. “Hey, Dad,” she said once he’d picked up.
“Alexandra, I’ve been trying to call you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. After we checked into the Ocean House in Watch Hill, I showered. Are you and Mum okay? I didn’t even get a chance to ask how you both were.”
He let out a sigh of relief. “We’re both okay. We’ve been worried about you and Evan driving in the storm. I’m just glad you’re both safe. I heard it’s gotten worse.”
“It has,” she confirmed. “Hey, Dad.”
“Yes, Alexandra?”
