Dancing in the Dark ✓

31 | sasha

"Can you believe that we're graduating soon?" Leilani asked, bending over to stretch her back.

"Can't wait."

Leilani clutched her heart dramatically. "Can't wait to part ways? Sasha Li, you've just reached a new level of brutal."

"Sorry."

She regarded me thoughtfully. "Ah, I see. Don't be too sad, I'll always be only one phone call away. I mean, if you had applied to UCLA with Theo, we would be able to see each other even more --"

"Leilani," I chided.

She grimaced. "Sorry. Objectively, Canada is better. Less likely to get shot. Better healthcare. Et cetera, et cetera."

I laughed. "The U.S has its perks too, especially if you want to enter Hollywood."

She smiled in gratitude, then glanced over at my screen. "Stop stressing, by the way. You've got this. You've already gotten into McGill. I'm sure UofT will accept you too."

"But I got rejected by UBC," I reminded her.

I was going to hear back from the University of Toronto regarding my university application in about two hours, and my heart could just not slow down from the anxiousness. True, I had already been accepted into McGill University, which had resulted in an extravagant family celebration, but I had been rejected by The University of British Columbia, which was scary as it was of similar standing to my dream university -- The University of Toronto. It was the closest to home, after all.

"They're the ones missing out. Anyways, hang in there. You'll be free soon enough."

The time passed by rather uneventfully, the tranquility interrupted by occasional squeaks from Leilani's side of the booth, as she was dancing -- more like jerking in her seat. She kept meticulous track of the time, though, and grabbed my arm once it was six o' clock sharp. "It's time!"

I took in a deep breath, keying into the website with trembling fingers. Leilani got impatient with my typos and decided to take over the laptop.

"There's an update to your application!" She squealed.

"Shh," I hushed, heartbeat pounding in my ears.

She angled the laptop towards me. "You do the honours."

I held my breath, hoping the higher power was listening to my nervous rambling as I clicked on my application.

An offer letter opened.

Before Leilani could scream, I clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shush! We're in public!"

She practically dragged me out of the diner and jumped on me the moment we were a safe distance away from the quiet place. "See, I knew you would get in!"

I released a shaky breath. "Oh, I didn't know. All that hard work and effort spent on studying, doing endless practice questions, sacrificing my social life... it actually paid off."

"I'm proud of you," Leilani declared fiercely. 

"I'm proud of you too," I chortled.

She guffawed. "Trust me, Sasha Li. Graduating was the only thing that kept me passing my subjects. I've wanted to graduate the moment I entered school."

I couldn't help but grin. "Fair enough. Now, we better ready for the actual rollercoasters."

***

The car ride to Canada's Wonderland was mostly spent debating on which rides we would be going on. Leilani and Deandre were adrenaline junkies, and loved thrilling rides, but Theo and I preferred to keep our feet on the ground.