Eliseo's heart thudded hard against his ribs. He suddenly remembered Calixta had said almost the exact same thing ages ago, right when he first started thinking about signing up for cram classes.
Did she want him to get into Northbridge University?
Was she waiting for him there?
Eliseo brought the singed, tattered diary home with him.
He threw himself into his studies harder than ever before.
In just six months, he clawed his way from the very bottom of the grade rankings straight into the top 100. He even landed in the top 50 in the final mock exam.
His blistering pace of progress left all his teachers and classmates stunned.
Even Isadora had switched up her attitude toward him, ditching her usual cold, dismissive act entirely.
She even went out of her way to stop him right after
