Belief

5.5

"You are under the age of 18 you need to have a legal guardian."

"I know, I still live with my parents," I lie quickly. "They just want me to pay for college on my own."

She studies me silently for a moment before sighing, closing her folder. "Very well then, here is the application for the local community college." She slides a packet across the desk to me. "But Ms. Morrison please rethink your options before it is too late." She casually hands me a pile of other applications, making me take them with me just in case. Glancing at the names I see Stanford, Berkley, USC, and UCLA.

"Okay, thank you," I stuff the packets in my bag, leaving her office as fast as I could. The bell rings just as I walk out of the guidance room, giving me a needed escape. Opening my locker I almost screamed as a pair of arms gave me a hug from behind, long blonde hair falling in my face. "Grace you almost gave me a heart attack," I laugh, pushing her off and shutting my locker.

"You looked like you needed a hug," she looks at me worriedly, making our way to my car. "Let me drive home, you look emotionally unstable," Grace pushes me over to the passenger side. "Pretend I'm Oprah, tell me everything."

"If you are Oprah then you need to give me free things," I rest my head back against the seat.

"I will buy you cookies," she pats my head.

"You always know the way to my heart," I laugh, telling her about my fear for the future and the acceptance that my life is not going to be what I dreamed it to be for so long.

Grace listens intently, turning into the drive way of Luke and Mikey's house, or I guess I could call it my house now, and shutting off the engine. "Are you really ready to give up your dream of Stanford?"

"But the thing is, I don't even know if it was my dream, or if it was my mother's dream and she just brainwashed me enough into believing it was mine," I sigh. "That is what scares me the most, is that I don't even know what I want."

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Stanford is five hours away from here?"

"Well, sort of," I frown. "If you go to UCLA you will still be right in this area, and then I would be somewhere off in Narnia away from you all."

Grace looks down, playing with the braid in her hair. She pauses, looking up at me with excitement, "What about USC?"

"University of Southern California?"

"Yeah, listen, it isn't as high up there as Stanford, but it is still one of the most prestigious school in California. They give out way more financial aid, and it is only 20 minutes from UCLA and LA. They have a really big technology program." Grace sits back, proud of herself.

"I've never thought of that," I remember my guidance counselor giving me an application for that one. "But it is a private school, it is probably expensive."

"Maddie," Grace pleads, "Just apply and see what they give you. It wouldn't hurt."

"I don't know," I shrug, getting out of the car. In all honesty I was just overwhelmed. I had finally figured out the present and all of the sudden I had to figure out my future. This was all just too much for me.

"Maddie I'm sorry, I was just trying to help," Grace runs up behind me.

"I know, thank you," I give her a small smile.

Opening the front door, we hear bickering coming from somewhere down the hall, Mikey and Luke's voices having a heated debate, echoing down the hall.

"Two months is a long time!" Luke huffs, frustrated.

"We have to stay focused on what is important here!" Michael shouts back. Their voices were beginning to near us.