Courting Trouble: Adventures with a College Wildcard

A toast to Miss Tessa Thompson, the youngest and first millionaire in City Y!" said Mr. Gephardt, raising his glass of wine toward Tessa. Clink, clink, clink! The sound of glasses echoed through the grand hall. "Cough, cough," Tessa cleared her throat and began, "Thank you, Mr. Gephardt, and thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my birthday banquet," she said, raising her glass to the audience. "Wouldn’t miss it for anything," said one guest. "It's an honor to be here," said another. "We’re grateful for your invitation," added a third. "Now, it’s time for you to cut the cake and make your wish or, how do you young adults say it?" Mr. Gephardt chuckled. "Hehehe," Tessa smiled lightly as she stood to cut the cake. Just as she was about to take a bite, a voice called out from the window: "Tessa?.. Tessa, wake up… TESSAAA!!!!!!!" ........... "I'm awake! I'm awake!" she bolted upright. "Damn… was I dreaming???" She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her older brother, Brent. "Why did you wake me up???!!! I was having the BEST dream ever! Whyyyy!!!" Brent caught the pillow with a smirk. "Hehehe… let me guess, you dreamt you were the richest person in the city and about to eat something fancy?" "Ah!" Tessa gasped. "That was sooo accurate! Were you actually in my dream??? How did you" "Oh, shut up, dumbass. I’ve known you all my life. Of course I know exactly what you dreamt about," Brent replied, nearly yelling. "Now get your freaking ass up and go take a shower! You’re late for lectures!" "Ahhh no!!! Not Mr. Gephardt’s class! I can’t miss that for anything!" Tessa screamed as she rushed to the bathroom, almost tripping over the dirty laundry scattered across the floor. "Look at this mess! You should’ve fallen and broken your head maybe that would’ve snapped you back to reality!" Brent yelled after her. Tessa Thompson, a young adult in her twenties, led what she called a “pretty boring life.” She was a girl with dreams .....big dreams of making mad cash. Once, in high school, she had been asked to write an essay on "My Dream Career." When called to read it aloud, she shouted: "I have no specific career in mind! All I want is to make mad money! Anything that gives me the most cash!!! that’s my career!" Needless to say… she got detention that day.