Backwards GPA | Grayson Dolan

1

"Honey! Grayson! Please come downstairs! I have something to show you," says my mother, Lisa. 

I scrape the remainder of my shaving cream off my face and put on my socks. My mother has the best surprises, so my pace is faster than normal as I go down the stairs. Simultaneously, my twin brother Ethan comes out of his room. 

He has internally decided that what is my surprise, is his surprise as well. 

My stride is slower once I reach the kitchen, my brother following closely behind. 

My mother hands me 10 letters with a grin on her face, "I've been waiting to give them to you for a while. These are all from the universities you applied to. The final one arrived today."

She places them in my shaky hands as I begin to open them. All of my hard work from the past four years has come down to this moment. I've put hundreds and hundreds of hours into school just to get and maintain my 4.0 GPA. Missing out on plans with friends for extracurriculars took a huge toll on my mental health but at this very moment, I don't regret it. 

I was chosen to be valedictorian out of 1000 seniors in my school, and valedictorians wouldn't get rejected from their dream university right? 

The Schools That I Applied To:

1. Stanford University

2. Princeton University

3. Cornell University

4. Harvard University

5. Columbia University

6. New York University

7. Brown University

8. Johns Hopkins University

9. University of Washington

10. University of Chicago

Some of these are reach schools, and others are safety schools. 

The first letter I tear open is from Johns Hopkins University. Whether or not I get in isn't very important to me, considering it is only number eight on my list. When I visited the University it didn't look very appealing, and the program isn't as good as the others. As I scan through the letter I quickly realize that I was rejected. 

The second letter is from Columbia University. It is closer to the top of my list which is why it is nerve wrecking to open. Rejected. 

"It's okay honey. There are still 8 more universities!" my mom says. 

My brother Ethan is sulking on the couch, overhearing our conversation. 

I opened the University of Chicago and University of Washington letters faster, in hopes of getting accepted. Those were both at the bottom of my list, and by statistics I should've gotten in with no problem. 

The rest of the letters are no better. 

More and more rejection. 

At this point I am in utter shock, and so are my mother and brother. 

There is literally no way that this is happening. 

"I think there is some sort of mistake," I begin, "I need to talk to these universities. I'm taking a road trip." 

My mom is caught off guard with my decision but doesn't argue with it. 

Ethan says, "I'll come Gray," with a slight smile while I continue to frown. 

"Pack your bags," I grunt. 

We're in for the road trip of our lifetime. 

A/N 

Hello! If you've read up to here it would literally mean the world to me if you left a like and comment. This book is primarily being written to focus on my language skills, although I hope it grows on Wattpad. Any audience is a good audience :p