The Virginity Pact

8 - path of success

"You better do well with this mixer and impress the Ivy representatives this week, Holden," he seethes threateningly. "No son of mine will be a failure."

+++++++

"Hey, sweetheart, how's it going?"

Harper almost cries hearing her mother, Elaine's, warm voice on the other end of the phone. She missed her parents so much.

"It's good. Ivy week starts tomorrow," she replies cooly though she's filled with anxiety.

"Well, then, I guess you better do well, huh? It's important, isn't it?"

Harper nods then adds a quick yes when she remembers her mom can't see her. She can hear a hint of worry in Elaine's voice.

Her whole fate relied on this week. She couldn't screw up again. This was her second chance with Yale, and she had given up everything to get it.

Lockwood was expensive. Her parents were paying a lot for it, and she was giving up a lot herself--everything from attending her senior year at home, to, essentially, her sister Cara.

She couldn't let herself down. She couldn't let her parents down. And she'd be damned if she'd let her sister's death be in vain.

+++++++

"Students of the senior class," Principle Teagan starts loudly from the auditorium stage. "By now, you should already have a choice of college in mind. And if you take advantage of this week, there's no reason you shouldn't get there."

I shift nervously in my seat between Elijah and Lydia. Holden was two seats away, Jake and Elijah thankfully between us. I've tried my best to ignore him, but from the moment I entered the auditorium I could feel his eyes on me.

"If you would all take a look at your schedules," Principal Teagan says, and I shuffle through the papers that were handed to us when we walked in.

"Today we'll start with sign ups. Only the top 15 students among class ranking and extracurriculars will be chosen to attend the mixer. The tables before me have lists titled with one of the 8 Ivy League schools. You all may sign any of the list, all, a combination or none. The transcripts and test scores of the 15 chosen will be provided to the representatives of the list you've signed for them to look over before meeting you at the mixer. For those of you chosen to attend the mixer, this will give you a chance to stand out. The rest of you...well, make sure you have a good application essay. For those of you who dream of attending an Ivy League school, this mixer is the most important event of your life."

I exhale nervously as we all stand and make our way to our separate lists. As I stand in line for the Yale list I can't help but notice Holden is the only one still sitting down, a distressed look on his face. A teacher approaches him, pulling him from his thoughts as they start a conversation.

I avert my attention from Holden as I move up in line and sign my name. Already on the list--catching my attention because it's written in big, prefect cursive--is Lydia's name.

"Yale?" Lydia asks me when I step out of line, cocking her head to the side with furrowed eyebrows and a sour smile on her face.

"Um, yeah," I nod, forcing some confidence into my voice.

Lydia laughs dryly. "Listen, Yale is a really hard school to get into. The acceptance rate is like 6%, and I'm kind of the perfect candidate."