He Erased My Dream School For Her, I Alraedy Had A Better One Chapter 01
Seconds before the final college-decision deadline. I
discovered that my childhood friend Grant Mercer had gone
into my admissions portals and declined every U.S. college
offer I was holding.
When I confronted him, he just laughed.
Nora Bell also left Summit Tech as her only remaining
option. You two had the top two SAT scores among Bayview’s
graduating STEM students.”
This year, Summit Tech’s Bayview Scholars track has only
one spot for a female student from Bayview. Let Nora have it
this time. You can take a gap year and reapply next cycle.”
I said nothing for a long moment.
Grant’s expression hardened.
I already checked. The nearest gap-year college-prep
program to Summit Tech is only about half a mile away.”
“Nora and I can help you prep on weekends. Isn’t that enough?”
Grant and I had grown up together, and over the years I’d let
him make plenty of trivial decisions for me.
He was certain I always would.
This time, he was going to be disappointed.
I had already secured early admission through a special
merit pathway.
Soon, the distance between us wouldn’t be just over half a
mile. It would be more than five thousand miles.
lowered my gaze and confirmed my place at Imperial
College London by email.
Grant snatched my phone from my hand and threw it to the
floor. “It’s already settled. What are you trying to pull now?”
Nora carefully picked up my phone and handed it back to
me. “Clementine, this is all my fault. I was too stupid to
understand the college-decision process, so I turned down my
other offers and left myself with only Summit Tech…”
But my parents are in poor health. My family really can’t
afford for me to take a gap year and reapply next cycle…”
She cried as she spoke, her whole body shaking.
Grant got to his feet and stepped between us, “Clementine
Avery, if you’re angry, take it out on me! Do you really have to
force Nora to grovel just so you can feel superior?”
The classmates watching us immediately chimed in.
Exactly. Just because you’re the one funding Nora’s education
doesn’t mean you get to bully her.”
Worst case, we’ll crowdfund every dollar you spent on her
tuition and living expenses these past two years and pay you back!”
Nora wiped her tears. “If it weren’t for Clementine, I never
would’ve made it out of the isolated mountain community
where I grew up, much less had the chance to go to school
with all of you.”
The others rushed to comfort her, outraged on her behalf.
“Nora, you’ve done amazingly well. Clementine comes from
money and has every advantage. Her family hired one of the
country’s top college-admissions firms to handle her
applications! Regular people like us can’t compete with that
kind of money.”
My parents had hired a professional firm for me. But I’d been
dead set on Summit Tech at the time, so instead of asking for
a refund, I had the firm help everyone in our class with their
college applications for free.
Looking back, no good deed goes unpunished.
Grant tried to smooth things over. “I promise I won’t go
anywhere all summer. I’ll stay here and help you prep. Isn’t
that enough? Stop giving Nora a hard time.”
Every word made it sound as though he were doing me some enormous favor.
I scoffed.
Grant had only secured early admission to Summit Tech
through a special merit pathway because, when we
submitted the invention we had created together for a
competition, I’d put his name on it and left mine off.
was done arguing. I gave a calm nod. “Okay.”
Just then, a huge graduation cake was wheeled in.
Everyone rushed over and started smearing frosting on one another.
I edged away from the crowd.
I had barely taken a few steps when someone gave my
shoulder a hard shove from behind
I pitched straight into the seven-tier cake.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of satisfaction in Nora’s eyes.
The next second, thick buttercream covered my eyes, nose, and mouth.
couldn’t breathe.
I rushed toward the restroom, but Nora blocked my way and
shouted at the others, “Watch it! Clementine has a dairy allergy!”
Everyone froze, looking at me and then at one another.
A few of them grumbled.
“She always has to make everything a problem. If she can’t
handle a little fun, she should stay out of it!”
She’s just mad Nora made the cake herself for everyone to
share. She’s looking for an excuse to start something!”
The corner of Nora’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
“Clementine, everyone was just excited. Don’t be mad at them, okay?”
Fine.
wiped the sticky frosting from my eyes, grabbed the top tier
of the cake, and flung it straight at Nora.
“Exactly. If we’re going to have fun, we might as well go all in!”
Grant rushed over and stepped in front of her. The cake
clipped his shoulder before crashing to the floor.
He caught Nora as she stumbled, then angrily tossed me a
bottle of loratadine tablets. “Clementine, just take an allergy
pill. Do you really have to be this vindictive?”
Everyone immediately gathered around Nora, concerned for her.
The burning on my skin was getting too intense for me to
care about anything else.
ran into the restroom, but I had already inhaled some of
the buttercream.
Washing it off and taking the antihistamine did nothing.
As the paramedics loaded me into the ambulance, my phone
screen lit up with an enrollment confirmation email from
Imperial College London.