RUN!

2. Sparks

Lee and Damien nearly choke on their orange juice at my mimicry but Yara tilts her head.

"But will you?"

"It's never gonna happen so there won't be anything for me to attend."

"And if they do approve it?" She continues.

"I've got other important things to do, honestly I think a beach party should be the last thing on the mind of every senior right now-"

"Yes, I totally agree. I think Avery Chan would too," Lee says, completely destroying my line of thought. All three of us give him the same confused look. Avery Chan has never popped up in any of our conversations before so why would he so rudely interrupt me to bring her up? He must see the way we're looking at him because he leans back and adjusts his grey rimmed glasses.

"Just saying, I heard she got an early ad into Browns," she shrugs.

"You're kidding," Yara's jaw drops. She's only ever wanted to go to Browns and she's only ever wanted to study Statistics. Crazy, I know. But she isn't the only crazy one because rumor has it that that's exactly what Avery Chan wants to study too. This would be chill and none of our concern if Avery wasn't the top student in every subject she offered except History. (That's me). She's already squashed Yara's dream of being valedictorian with her G.P.A nearing 4.5 and we haven't even kicked off this term yet. She's leading every senior with at least 0.5 points and it doesn't seem like anyone will pass her now.

"I don't think Avery wants to go to Brown. I sit behind her in English and she mentioned Stanford to Miss Emma," Damien says, relieving Yara even if it's for a bit.

"Her getting into Brown doesn't stop you from getting into it," Lee points out, visibly irritated by her reaction.

"Yes it does, do you know how hard it is to get into Brown? Only three students from our school get in every year..."

Lee says something in reply but I don't hear it, I'm distracted by the figure breezing by. Said Avery Chan passes our table under a second, her hand clasped tightly over her textbooks and her long black hair a wavy mess. From this angle I can't see much of her face but she looks anxious and eager to get the hell out of here. I inwardly chuckle, I can relate to that.

"Up for a game of PES later today?" Lee is asking me now. I look away from where Avery was standing a second ago and nod twice.

"Aren't I always up for a game?"

*****

Mum and dad keep exchanging glances at dinner. Not the flirtatious ones where you know they can't wait to get over with it and lock themselves in their room, it's the ones where you know they've got shit to talk about. And that shit's about you.

After what feels like hours of me trying hard to ignore their silent exchange and focus on my spaghetti dad finally coughs, a loud way of getting my attention.

"So A.D, have you given a thought to where you want to go?" He asks, looking at me squarely. I try extremely hard to not roll my eyes. For most people my age, the issue is that they don't want to be what their parents want them to be. That's not me. I want to be a humans right lawyer, I've wanted to be one since the first episode of Judge Judy and Law and Order. My parents want this for me as well, however, they want me to study in England.

We live in California.

Why should I cross borders when I've got tons of choices here- Harvard, Stanford and even Columbia.

"I'm not applying to any school in England dad," I say flatly. Perhaps it's the finality in my tone that ticks him because I see the way his eyes twitch before he speaks.

"In the end the decision lies on us too you know. After all we're paying the bill." Right, the ransom.

"I could get a scholarship, my grades and records at school will definitely help me," I point out to him.

"Adonis!" Mum hisses a warning. She never calls me A.D

"I don't mean to piss anybody off but I'm seriously only considering Harvard and Stanford. I don't see why I should go to England because you guys went there."

"It's the perfect place for you to harness your skills," dad says.

"You don't know that for sure. It's been what? Twenty or twenty five years since you graduated from there. Things have changed."

"Adonis-"

"I want so bad to do this mum but if you guys make me leave my friends and my home then I'm not sure I'd want to anymore."

My speech leaves them silent for the rest of dinner. I just want to get up and go to my room but I never walk out on my parents, not even for dramatic effect. It's something my brother taught me, and he was their favorite so I'm trying hard to keep up the pace.