Flame

My life was normal. It was simple. Easy. It was the same routine every day. I never had to change anything. Alarm goes off at five a.m. My feet hit the cold wood floors. Grab my clothes and trudge to the bathroom. Turn the knob in the shower and go get my first cup of coffee, while the water heats up. Quickly shower and dry off. Throw on my clothes and get my second cup of coffee. Pack up my backpack, and make my bed. Refill my third cup of coffee. Then clean up the kitchen, throw some toast in the toaster. The toast would always finish just as I was starting my fourth cup of coffee. After I would finish my breakfast, I would fill up my last cup of coffee, and head out the door to work. Normal. Simple. Easy. Easy never lasts, does it...? No. Easy never lasts. College was supposed to be easy for me.  I had everything laid out for me. I had all my textbooks already paid for. I had a full ride at Stonewell Institute. Stonewell Institute. That was the top college in the country. An ivy-league school. Only the wealthiest people went there. I had worked my ass off to try and get into college, and I was planning on just going to a state college. But when I had received a personal letter from the dean himself, I was shocked. I sent in my application immediately, and received my acceptance letter two weeks later. It took me four months to realize that I was going to be going to school with billionaires. I remember the moment my mom dropped me off. I felt like I was tainting the stone driveway with my welfare and scholarship money. I had never hated myself more than that moment. And I had never felt more alive.