ELOISE
My fingers flew across the screen as I brought up Mike's chat, my heart hammering a chaotic, joyful rhythm against my ribs. The adrenaline from the Vanguard Scholarship email was still making my hands shake, and since my mom’s phone was locked away for her shift, Mike was the only person in the world I wanted to share this with.
Instead of typing, I tapped the microphone icon, holding it down as I stepped toward the back corner of the boutique, away from the brass counter.
"Mike! Oh my god, you won't believe it," I whispered into the phone, my voice cracking with a mixture of disbelief and pure, unadulterated excitement. "I just got the official email from the board. The Vanguard Scholarship... it got approved! I’m officially admitted, Mike! We’re going to college together. W
