Thena picked me up that afternoon. I had pushed my luck and offered Jonathan a ride home—knowing he often hitched a ride with Gareth, who wasn't there that day—but he declined before I could even finish my sentence.
Once I got home, I headed straight to my room and finished my college applications for both Anchorville University and Kors, but right before I hit send, I hesitated. As Junior students, we had to submit our application paperwork through Carden Academy, which meant that the moment I hit that button, my mother—who was “best friends” with our principal—would definitely be made aware of my decision.
It took me a few minutes of staring at the send button, thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen?” I could list down a lot of unfavorable scenarios, but in the end, I pressed i
