Gaia - Worlds Apart, Book One

Chapter 3

May, June, July, and almost all August passed in a blur. After that fatidic night where everything went wrong, I attended classes every day, gave my exams for the quarter, went on vacation to Spain with my family, and came back to an uncomfortable warm Rome.

"Would you go check the mail?" Mom asked me, first thing in the morning, after a long night driving back from Barcelona.

Asphalt melting outside, mood swinging toward the bluer tinges inside, I went downstairs to the lobby, only to find a big, unexpected surprise among postcards, bills, and unwanted advertisement.

"Sara's on the phone," Clara announced, fanning the phone before my eyes as soon as I entered our apartment, juggling the bulk of mail accumulated during our absence. "Isn't it early to chat?" she mouthed to me, covering the speaker.

"No, it isn't," I mouthed back and took the phone from her hand, thanked her, gave her the pile of scattered papers, took a swing from the iced tea she was drinking, and thanked her again. "Sara?"

"Do you remember the forms we signed, several months ago? The socio-anthropological exchange program with the University of Washington?"

"Of course I remember. People could only talk of how awesome would be to get in..." I walked to my room and sat at my desk. "What about it?"

"You won't believe it!"

My head felt heavy and I moved to my bed where I sunk in, eyes on the ceiling. The glow-in-the-dark stars I stuck there when I was twelve were slowly, but inexorably peeling away, bringing down with them chunks of white painting from the ceiling. "I won't believe what?"

"I just received it in the mail—"

I patiently waited for her to finish the sentence, but she let me hang out there and I wasn't in the mood to play. Sara's excited voice was starting to annoy me. I was too tired for her enthusiasm so early in the day.

When she finally noticed my lack of response, she finally blurted out, "Got full scholarship!"

Clara passed in front of my door, exclaimed, "Ah! There you are," and then came back, waving a big envelope under my nose. "What is it?"

I swatted the envelope away. "Not now, don't you see I'm busy?"

Sara started tapping on the receiver with her nails. I recognized the horrible sound. "Are you listening to me? Are you there?"

I hated when she made that sound. "Yes, I'm here. Give me a sec, I strangle my sister and I'm back." I switched to speakerphone.

The tapping stopped. "Take your time."

Clara yelled, "Hey! Thank you!"

Sara laughed. "Love you, too, Clara."

"Sara was telling me something important. Now, can you please wait a second? Please? My head's killing me—" I started pushing the door to have some privacy to finish the phone call and go to bed, but I didn't want to close it on her face.

My sister gave me an exasperated look, and pointed with her finger at a corner of the envelope she was still waving at me. Meanwhile, Sara had kept talking. "Just a sec," I told her and then turned to Clara. "What?"

"It says University of Washington—"

It was Sara's turn to yell. "What is it? What's that Clara just said?"

I tore the envelope from her hands and opened it. "Sara, I got mail too."

My friend emitted a sound that resembled a high squeal. "What does it say?" Another squeal. "Did you get in too?"