In a Heartbeat

Chapter Two

 Every acceptance letter I got was a miracle. The farther away the college was, the better. The need to get away from this house, my parents, and my current life altogether is stronger than any need for a truly good education. The majority of the colleges accepted me mostly for my athleticism, anyway. I had to be tutored and study every day for my 3.0 GPA. It's not that I'm not smart, I've just never learned well the way school teaches. I can hardly sit still and pay attention for the first fifteen minutes of class.

"Lena!" my dad screams. "Get your college papers before I throw them in the trash!" His slurred words seem to go through every wall in the house. The only time he isn't drinking is when he's in public, which isn't very often.

"I'm coming!" I shout back. Please let it be an acceptance letter to somewhere far, far away.
I walk downstairs to find my dad in front of the T.V. with a beer bottle in his hand. His alcoholism is just as repulsive as his personality. 

"Where are they?" I ask him.

"Where's what?" His eyes don't leave the television screen. 

"The college papers. The ones you were just throwing a fit about."

He belches. "Said I was throwing 'em away." 

I close my eyes and take a deep breath before leaving the living room. In the kitchen, I open the garbage can. Sure enough, letters from colleges are right on top. I turn them over and inspect them one by one to make sure they aren't covered in anything gross. Once I'm satisfied with their cleanliness, I head back up to my room.

Of the four letters, two of them are acceptance letter, one is a rejection letter, and one has information about tuition and scholarships. One of the colleges is local, so I hardly look at it. The other one, however, doesn't sound familiar, so it must be a ways away. Woodside University. I applied for nearly all of the colleges I had a chance of getting into, so I can't remember applying for this one. 

I pull out my phone and search for "Woodside University". It's a private school, about an hour and a half away. The campus looks pretty, and there are a lot of good reviews. It seems too good to be true, and it is. The tuition is higher than I'd like it to be, especially since I'll be paying it myself. I fold the letter back up, put it in the envelope, and toss it to the floor. If I can't afford it, why waste time thinking about going there?

I lie back on my bed and let out a sigh. For each day that passes, it seems like there's less of a chance of me finding a college I like. They're all either too close to home, too expensive, or they don't have majors I'm interested in. And, of course, there are good colleges that rejected me. Maybe I should take a gap year. Find a job hundreds of miles away, and just start a new life. I could save up more money for college, or I could not go to college at all. There are plenty of jobs that don't require a degree, right?

My phone buzzes and I assume the notification is from my best friend Lindsey. For a second, I consider not reading it or replying. Lately, the only thing she's been talking about is how she got accepted into her dream college. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for her, but it kind of annoys me that she's being a bit insensitive to my situation. 

As I roll over to grab my phone from my nightstand, something pokes my arm. It's the other letter, the one about tuition. I hadn't looked at it very closely, only enough to know what it was. I decide to use it as an excuse to ignore the message a little bit longer. It's another letter from Woodside. I almost don't want to look at how much it costs again, but for some reason, I open it anyway. I read it. My mind spins. That can't be right. I read it a second time, and after that, once more.

I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive an athletic scholarship.

I sit upright and stare at the paper in disbelief. The scholarship is just enough to bring the tuition down into my price range. I scramble out of my bed and grab the acceptance letter off of my floor. I hold it protectively to my stomach and stand there, unmoving. I don't know what to do now. My mind is still spinning, and my heart is thumping wildly.

The sound of shattering glass draws me out of my daze. A long stream of cursing comes from downstairs. Fantastic. I glance at my clock and decide to go for a drive. I stick the letters in the top drawer of my dresser, grab my phone, then sneak out of the house.

My car sits at the end of the driveway in all of its beaten up glory. I bought it two years ago for around two thousand dollars. It had plenty of miles and some issues, but nothing so bad that I couldn't fix it. A broken headlight, no AC or heat, bad brakes, and a few other things. My car has always been more of a home than my house. I've had countless late night adventures and road trips that I'll never forget.

The moment I turn the keys, the radio starts blaring music. In my pocket, my phone rings. I turn the radio off and answer the call from Lindsey.

"Hey."

"Lena! Did you get my message?" she asks quickly.

"Uh, no. What's up?" Lying is one of my worst habits. I lie about the smallest things, words spilling out of my mouth before I even know what I'm saying.

"Can you come to pick me up? I just wanna get away from my brother and talk to you." Lindsey's twelve-year-old brother is, without competition, the most annoying person ever.

"Yeah, no problem. I was just going to ask if you wanted to drive around or go get something to eat with me." Another lie. "I have exciting news, by the way." Not a lie.

I hear muffled yelling and something that sounds like a death threat. "Sounds great. I'm seriously going to murder Charlie if he doesn't stop going through my stuff."

"See you in a bit," I tell her. "Bye."

"Bye." There's a bit more yelling before she hangs up.

Although I was planning on just spending time alone, it would be nice to have some company. I leave the radio off for the three-minute drive to her mom's apartment. Lindsey can talk for hours, and I do enjoy silence every once in a while.

Lindsey is waiting for me outside when I get there, she wastes no time jumping in my car.

"I'm actually going to kill him," is the first thing she says. "I'm going to kill him," she repeats, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her bag. She holds one out to me, but I shake my head. Sure, I smoke once in a while, but not very often. Maybe a couple of times a week, whereas Lindsey smokes about a pack a day. She's the reason my car has the faint smell of smoke no matter how many air fresheners I put in it.

"Just remember that there are no fancy colleges that want someone who had been to prison. Don't get caught," I reply. I pull out of her driveway and start driving aimlessly.

She laughs as she lights her cigarette, takes a drag, and blows the smoke out the window. "So what was your exciting news?"

"Ever heard of Woodside University?" She shakes her head. "It's a private college. They accepted me."

Instead of being excited, she frowns. "A private college? That's expensive, Lena, and I know your parents won't help you pay for the tuition."

My mouth pulls into a grin. "Well, they also must have thought that I had skills because I got a scholarship. And it's not too far from your college, so we'll still get to hang out."

"That's awesome." Now she's smiling as well, but her smile has a hint of sadness. "It's crazy that we're going to be in college soon, isn't it? It feels like senior year just started last week." She pauses. "I'm gonna miss you, Lena."

I take my eyes off the road for a few seconds to look at her. I hold out my hand, and she passes me her cigarette. I let the smoke fill my lungs and hold it for a while before replying.

"You're the only one I'll miss, Lindsey, but I'll miss you like hell."