I stared at the email on my phone for what felt like the millionth time.

*Waitlisted.*

The word blinked back at me like a taunt. Like it knew how hard I worked for that scholarship. Like it didn’t care that I stayed up too many nights writing that personal statement, or that I poured my soul into the application.

“Still nothing?” Talia asked, glancing over her mug of burnt office coffee like she already knew the answer.

“Waitlisted,” I said, exhaling as I tossed my phone on the breakroom table. “Again.”

“Okay, but that’s not a no,” she said with a shrug. “That’s a maybe.”

“I hate maybes. Maybes are worse than no. At least ‘no’ gives you closure.”

Talia rolled her eyes. “You sound dramatic. Did you even refresh the portal?”

“I’ve refreshed it about seventy times.”

She grabbed my phone like it offended her and tapped her long nails across the screen. A few moments passed before she suddenly froze.

“What?” I asked.

She tilted the screen toward me with a grin. “You got in.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Congratulations, Miss Aria Carter. Looks like someone updated their portal,” she teased.

I snatched the phone and re-read the words—*“Accepted. Fall semester. Welcome to Sterling University.”*

My stomach did a weird flip. “Oh my god.”

“You’re welcome,” Talia said smugly. “You can thank me with alcohol and greasy fries.”

***

We left work early, thanks to the slow Thursday afternoon, and hit up a small bar in Midtown that never checked IDs too hard. Our fake IDs had seen us through some questionable nights, and tonight was no exception.

“Two whiskeys,” Talia told the bartender. “And keep them coming.”

I didn’t even argue. The adrenaline from earlier was still coursing through me, mixing with the disbelief that I was actually going. Sterling University. Abroad. Far from this little life of routine and normal.

“Can you believe it?” I said after a few sips. “I’m really leaving.”

Talia raised her glass. “To international adventures, foreign boys, and freedom from this hellhole job.”

We clinked glasses. I laughed. The whiskey burned but in a good way.

For the first time in a long time, everything felt...possible.

***

By the time we got home, the buzz had turned into a giggle-filled stumble. We kicked off our shoes and collapsed on the couch, still talking about the next chapter of my life like it was a Netflix series we couldn’t wait to binge.

But somewhere between the laughter and leftover pizza, a strange chill ran down my spine. Just for a second. Like someone—or something—was watching.

I turned toward the window. Nothing was there.

“Probably the whiskey,” I muttered to myself.

“Is something wrong?” Talia asked, eyeing me with that big-sister tone even though she was barely older.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I replied, forcing a smile and taking another sip of the sugary cocktail we probably shouldn’t have been drinking with our fake IDs.

But something *was* wrong. Or maybe not wrong—just heavy. Excitement, nerves, fear... all of it tangled together like a knot in my chest. I'd finally gotten into college. *Sterling College*. A place I’d only dreamt about. And yet, there was a strange hollowness I couldn’t quite shake.

“You need to go to the school tomorrow to fill in some documents,” Talia said, stretching her arms as we left the bar. “School’s officially resuming next week.”

“I really wish my mom was here,” I whispered as we walked side by side down the quiet street. “You know, to at least watch her baby get into college.”

Talia looped her arm through mine. “It’s fine, Aria. You’re not alone. I’m gonna be with you.”

“I know, but—”

“No buts. Aria, you’ll be fine. I mean, look at you! You're smart, you're gorgeous, and now you’re a college girl.” She winked. “It’s your time.”

I smiled softly. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was the fresh start I needed.

Back at the apartment, we both collapsed into bed without much conversation. Tomorrow was a big day.

***

The next morning, I stood in front of the sleek iron gates of *Sterling College*, backpack slung over my shoulder, heart racing in my chest. The campus was even more breathtaking than the photos—tall stone buildings, archways dripping with ivy, and the scent of fresh-cut grass in the air. It didn’t feel like real life.

I made my way to the administration building, where I filled out form after form: student ID registration, health clearance, dorm assignment (though I’d be staying off-campus with Talia), and class schedule confirmation.

After an hour of signing documents and talking with a smiling but robotic woman at the desk, I finally stepped outside into the cool afternoon sun.

And promptly crashed into someone.

“Oh my god—I’m so sorry!” I gasped, backing up as a pair of thick glasses stared back at me.

“No worries!” the guy laughed, adjusting the stack of books in his arms. “Hi, I’m Moses. I’m new here too. Total nerd, clearly.”

I smiled, grateful for the warm energy. “I’m Aria. Also new, but not as book-loaded.”

“Well, Aria, welcome to Sterling. Looks like we’re in the same confused-freshman boat.”

We laughed, and before I knew it, we’d exchanged numbers.

It was a small moment, but something about it grounded me. Maybe—just maybe—this new chapter wouldn't be so bad after all.

The wind was rustling gently through the trees, brushing against the leaves like a soft lullaby. The late afternoon sun filtered through the branches, casting golden streaks across the grass. The air smelled of wildflowers and earth, sweet and fresh, untouched by the chaos of the city. It was the kind of peace that wrapped itself around you—warm, familiar, grounding.

Aria closed her eyes and let it take her.

In her mind, she was no longer in the car. She was barefoot in a wide open field, the grass cool beneath her feet, her laughter mixing with that of her twin brother, Michael. They were racing each other across the hilltops, hearts light, arms stretched wide like they were flying. Talia trailed behind them, trying to keep up, cheeks flushed, her braid bouncing with every step.

She could hear Michael teasing Talia. “You run like a baby deer!”  

“And you smell like one!” Talia shot back, laughing breathlessly.

Everything had felt whole then. Simple. Safe.

Her thoughts wandered to their first pet—a scruffy little mutt with fur the color of rain-soaked mud and eyes too big for its head. She had found it near the old bookstore, shivering under a bench during a storm. But when she tried to approach, it had growled and bolted. It only came out when Michael knelt and offered his sandwich, and it had taken to following him around like a shadow ever since.

Talia named him “Buttons.” Aria had sulked for days because the dog didn’t like her at first. It took weeks before it stopped flinching when she reached for it. One day, she had curled up outside on the porch, crying after a nightmare, and the little mutt had crept up beside her, laying its head on her lap.

That night, she'd felt seen—like even if the world didn’t understand her, *something* did.

Her mother had never liked the dog. “Animals carry diseases,” she’d say. “They make things complicated.” But she never truly made them give Buttons away. Maybe, deep down, she saw how much they needed him.

Aria smiled at the memory. The field, the laughter, the dog licking her cheek when she cried.

.......