Life as a Dreamer - ON HOLD

Dreaming of New York

The few weeks after I’d gotten my letter flew by in a blur. Suddenly, it was finals week, and suddenly, it was winter break. It was definitely going to be strange, starting at a new school in the middle of the year, but Spencer Academy was worth it. Or rather, it was going to be worth it.

Spencer Academy was brand new—it had just opened to students at the start of the school year—but I knew it was going to be the greatest place to graduate from, far greater than my lame public high school, Lincoln High, at the very least. Milla and I were too good for that place, in any case. Spencer Academy was where we belonged. And then Spencer University, after that. The president of Spencer University, Thomas Spencer, was a legendary man of many inspiring achievements, one of those now being the founding of Spencer Academy. The Academy was planned to be a prestigious prep school for students on the track to Spencer University or other greatness. And finally I was officially one of those students destined for greatness, proven by my acceptance to the Academy, of course. Thinking of that whole idea always brought back that awful goofy grin to my face, which my mom said made me look even younger. I hated when people teased about how I looked and acted younger than my age. On the contrary, I was a very mature young lady, on her way to turning seventeen in just a few months.

“Brieeee! Have you finished packing?” my dad called from downstairs.

“Almost!” I answered, snapping out of my reverie and scrambling down from my bed to finish organizing my suitcases. I had to pack nearly all of my belongings, since we weren’t returning home between flights. We were first heading over to Montana over my winter break to visit my grandparents. From there, we were going straight to New York, so this would be my last goodbye to the house.

“Oh, lovely house. I will be sure to fully treasure these last few minutes I have with you,” I announced to the walls of my room, nodding solemnly. As soon as all of my belongings were all zipped up and ready, I lugged my multiple suitcases down the stairs to load into the car.

“You set to go, hun?” my mom asked as soon as I entered the kitchen. She was setting the table for our last meal at home before our trip. We were having eggs and pancakes with fruit. It was actually something of an improvement, considering my mom’s cooking skills. The usual breakfast at our house went more along the lines of toast and cereal. “Call your brother down, too. We have to eat now so we can make it to the airport in time.”

“Braxton!” I shouted up the stairs. My mom winced slightly at the loudness of my voice, then rolled her eyes at me. What, had she really expected me to climb all the way back up just to fetch him? I shrugged, and yelled for him again after a few seconds of no response.

“I'm coming! God!” my annoying little brother screamed back, finally. Satisfied with the sound of his obnoxiously loud footsteps reaching the top of the stairs, I took my seat at the kitchen table.

“You excited for Montana, or what?” my dad asked from across the table, grinning widely at me.

I rolled my eyes. He knew I wasn’t particularly fond of the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. I kept telling him that Gram and Gramps should come visit us instead, but he always insisted we go, and somehow my dad always seemed to get his way in the matter. “The only reason I’m not complaining is because I get to bring Milla along.”

He laughed. “You get to bring Milla to nearly everything, and from what I remember, she doesn’t ward off the complaining for too long. Not as long as I’d like, at least.”

I gave him a half-hearted dirty look, when Braxton finally made it down the stairs and joined our lovely breakfast. My eyes widened in horror. “What are you wearing?”

“I’m going to be a ninja turtle, and surprise Gram!” Braxton took a fighting stance, punching at the air fiercely.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Aren’t you a little old for these random non-Halloween costumes? Seriously, you act like you’re still five.”