Believe Me ✔️

[35] I Love You

Three Weeks Later

I spend lunch period with Mrs. Jenson. We're in her classroom finishing the final touches of my college application. Thanks to Mrs. Jenson's help, all my makeup work is complete, and I have my 4.0 GPA again. I've sent out two applications so far; one to New York University (my second choice), a Florida community college (safety backup), and a third to the California Institute of The Arts, my absolute dream school. Aunt Stella went there and the way she describes her experience sounds magical. It's been my dream school ever since I was thirteen. This last application has questions I didn't understand, stuff about my father's income, tax information, bank statements, etc..., so I've been on and off the phone with Uncle Frank.

"How did I know it was you calling again?" My uncle chimes with a laugh.

"So, this part of the application is asking for my mother and father's income," I tell him as I move the mouse around the screen. "As far as I know, Mom doesn't work, and what Dad makes I can't count high enough."

"I don't think there's enough zeros on your computer," He jokes.

"So, what should I put?"

"Uh..." Uncle Frank pauses before saying, "Well, you won't get any financial aid, that's for sure, but fortunately you don't have to worry about that. Just put down nine-hundred thousand with the plus sign."

I roll my eyes. "I'm pretty sure Dad makes more than that."

"Just put that down, Addy."

"Okay," I whisper, typing in the number. "Thank you. I'll try not to call again. Bye." I set my phone aside with a sad sigh. "My parents should be helping me with this, right?" I ask Mrs. Jenson, but she doesn't say anything, and I rest my elbow on the table, leaning my head against my arm. "At least I don't have to worry about any scholarships. My dad can just send a check to the college. He doesn't need to bother checking in with me."

Mrs. Jenson rests a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry your father is distant, Addy, but I will do everything I can to make sure you get where you're supposed to go."

I look over and smile. "Thank you for everything, Mrs. J."

"Let's fill out the rest of the application so we can send in your application."

Sighing, I straighten up in the chair and click on the 'Next Page' tab. I answer more questions and attach my ACT/SAT scores, essay, and school transcript. "All done. These stupid things take forever."

"You ready?" Mrs. Jenson asks with a smile.

Not really. I move the mouse and watch the little arrow blink over the 'Submit Application' button. I hold my breath, click, and smile. "Wow. It's finally done. I've been so stressed about this. I cried four times last week."

She laughs and says, "Well, hopefully your next crying session with my tears of joy when you get your acceptance letter."

"When will I hear back from them?"

"A couple months at most," Mrs. Jenson tells me as she starts sorting through papers on her desk. "But if your application stands out from the rest, they might accept your for early admission. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Great," I mutter. "I hate waiting."

"That's how I feel about my packages. Every day after school, I have to race my husband home and hide them before he sees them."

"I didn't know you had a husband."

She blinks at me. "Where do you think the 'Mrs.' in my name came from, Addy?"