the atmosphere was gentle and soft. He’d made a mistake by letting her evaporate. Obviously he’d never take the advice from a stoned guy again.
“Sorry. You look like someone I know,” he said, awkwardly taking a seat next to her.
“Well, I don’t know you.”
Her eyes were the same though, and so was her hair, her shape. It dawned on him.
“You’re Lily, Marigold’s sister,” he said sitting next to her.
“Um. Yes. We share the same DNA. That’s basically it.”
“I see that.” Abel tried to hide his smile, these sisters were nothing a like, that was clear.
“You know her or something?”
“Ja, we’re friends.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Professor Trape walked in the room, but instead of describing the syllabus or highlighting the “importance of a program” such as this like last week, he explained how study groups were an integral part of the Business Intensive. The groups were important, as the final test of the course would be given as a group, and the group with the highest grade would earn a handwritten letter of recommendation. A letter that had never once, in all the fourteen years Trape taught this course, resulted in anything less than acceptance into the School of Business at Jamestown University.
The classroom of twenty students went quiet, everyone hanging on each word from Trape’s mouth. This was the reason Abel was here, the part he hadn’t told his parents. The secret possibility of attending the most prestigious University in the country.
And you know, disappoint his entire community.
“I suggest you take the next week analyzing your assets and those of your classmates. In one week, come to class prepared to pick your groups. As a cohort, you will be spending countless hours together, you’re in the same seminars and lectures for this Intensive.”
Lacey raised his hand, “What is the final test on exactly?” Abel knew that while he liked to get high, he was also smart. Smart enough to get accepted here, and smart enough to be in a group with.
“That will be revealed over the course, though you already have the syllabus and course reading material. Anything is fair game.”
“But once we pick our group, it’s final?” a girl with thick black glasses asked.
“Exactly.” Without any more discussion, Trape moved onto a lecture titled, Crucial Skills for Tomorrow’s Leaders.
Abel pulled out his notebook and began taking copious notes, silently observing the classmates around him. Everyone sat bent over their tablets and computers. He didn’t necessarily intend to go to Jamestown for college, but he did intend to win. He didn’t come all this way for nothing.
***
Later that night Abel and Lacey sat at a table in the dining hall discussing the study groups. Abel ate a plate of penne pasta and wilted greens, wishing for a tuna casserole in his mom’s kitchen. Lacey sat with a tray of desserts. He had the munchies. Again.
“So do you know any of the other students, who you’d like to partner up with?” Abel asked, spearing a tomato.
“You know that one girl who wear’s Zelda costumes to class?” Lacey pointed across the dining hall to a girl wearing a small gold crown on her head. She sat alone. “I want to be in a group with her. What about you?”
“I don’t know. No one’s really talked to me. Sure, I dress different from them, but it’s like they think I’m from another planet.”
“Well, then we should totally be in a group with her,” he said pointing again. “I mean, she’s dressed as a Nintendo character, she’s not gonna judge you.” Lacey laughed to himself, and then said, “I bet she’s into role playing.”
“Ha.” Abel said, not missing a beat. “Honestly, I hate this, proving myself to a bunch of people I don’t know.”
“Welcome to the real world, Abel. It’ll only get harder.” Lacey set down his pudding cup, elbows on the table. “Joking aside, you earned a spot here, and that’s without the
“Sorry. You look like someone I know,” he said, awkwardly taking a seat next to her.
“Well, I don’t know you.”
Her eyes were the same though, and so was her hair, her shape. It dawned on him.
“You’re Lily, Marigold’s sister,” he said sitting next to her.
“Um. Yes. We share the same DNA. That’s basically it.”
“I see that.” Abel tried to hide his smile, these sisters were nothing a like, that was clear.
“You know her or something?”
“Ja, we’re friends.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Professor Trape walked in the room, but instead of describing the syllabus or highlighting the “importance of a program” such as this like last week, he explained how study groups were an integral part of the Business Intensive. The groups were important, as the final test of the course would be given as a group, and the group with the highest grade would earn a handwritten letter of recommendation. A letter that had never once, in all the fourteen years Trape taught this course, resulted in anything less than acceptance into the School of Business at Jamestown University.
The classroom of twenty students went quiet, everyone hanging on each word from Trape’s mouth. This was the reason Abel was here, the part he hadn’t told his parents. The secret possibility of attending the most prestigious University in the country.
And you know, disappoint his entire community.
“I suggest you take the next week analyzing your assets and those of your classmates. In one week, come to class prepared to pick your groups. As a cohort, you will be spending countless hours together, you’re in the same seminars and lectures for this Intensive.”
Lacey raised his hand, “What is the final test on exactly?” Abel knew that while he liked to get high, he was also smart. Smart enough to get accepted here, and smart enough to be in a group with.
“That will be revealed over the course, though you already have the syllabus and course reading material. Anything is fair game.”
“But once we pick our group, it’s final?” a girl with thick black glasses asked.
“Exactly.” Without any more discussion, Trape moved onto a lecture titled, Crucial Skills for Tomorrow’s Leaders.
Abel pulled out his notebook and began taking copious notes, silently observing the classmates around him. Everyone sat bent over their tablets and computers. He didn’t necessarily intend to go to Jamestown for college, but he did intend to win. He didn’t come all this way for nothing.
***
Later that night Abel and Lacey sat at a table in the dining hall discussing the study groups. Abel ate a plate of penne pasta and wilted greens, wishing for a tuna casserole in his mom’s kitchen. Lacey sat with a tray of desserts. He had the munchies. Again.
“So do you know any of the other students, who you’d like to partner up with?” Abel asked, spearing a tomato.
“You know that one girl who wear’s Zelda costumes to class?” Lacey pointed across the dining hall to a girl wearing a small gold crown on her head. She sat alone. “I want to be in a group with her. What about you?”
“I don’t know. No one’s really talked to me. Sure, I dress different from them, but it’s like they think I’m from another planet.”
“Well, then we should totally be in a group with her,” he said pointing again. “I mean, she’s dressed as a Nintendo character, she’s not gonna judge you.” Lacey laughed to himself, and then said, “I bet she’s into role playing.”
“Ha.” Abel said, not missing a beat. “Honestly, I hate this, proving myself to a bunch of people I don’t know.”
“Welcome to the real world, Abel. It’ll only get harder.” Lacey set down his pudding cup, elbows on the table. “Joking aside, you earned a spot here, and that’s without the
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