The Leap Of Faith

Chapter 1

It's the friday before our final exams, and then freedom. We are supposed to be studying for our finals. So, can someone please tell me why the hell we are doing everything but that?

Natalie has been talking to Thomas (her boyfriend) about God knows what for the past 45 minutes, and Jane has been telling me all about this new nail salon she 'discovered' two streets from the school's campus.

Not even Leah is trying to study or make us stop talking -and she's always the voice of reason.

At this point, I think I'm the only one trying to memorize our entire Constitution.

"... So, I showed her a picture of what I wanted and she told me that she could even add rhinestones and... Ri, are you even listening to me?" Jane put a hand over my text book to get my attention.

"Yeah, sorry Jane. I'm just a little distracted, that's all."

"Oh, it's okay. That was enough about me anyways. Nat, get here or get a room." She turned to Natalie, who stopped kissing Thomas and looked at the floor, turning red. "And Leah, what are you even doing?"

Leah was smiling while looking at her phone and at the mention of her name, she turned off her screen and looked everywhere but at us. And apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed her change in attitude, because Jane immediately turned into the inquisitor inside her.

"Okay, you got beans. Spill them."

"Its nothing, guys..." Leah turned beet red.

"Someone has got to tell her that she doesn't know how to lie." Said Natalie, taking a seat beside me.

"But it really is nothing!" At our expressions, she finally gave in. "It's just this guy I met the other day..."

"Oh my God! Leah has-" I started to say but Miriam, the school's librarian, gave me a dirty look at the volume of my voice. "Leah has a boyfriend." I said in a tiny voice.

"I just met the guy... And besides, we don't have time for this, we should be studying." She said in her 'mom voice' as Jane says.

"Oh no, you don't! We've been in this library for over an hour and not once have you opened a text book." Jane said.

Leah looked around and realized she hadn't even taken her text books out. "All the more reason to start...?"

"I should actually start heading home soon. Mom's making dinner to 'celebrate Ryan's victory' from yesterday" I said, making air quotes and shutting my books. Ryan is the 'star on the rise' of the football team, and is the youngest quarterback to make it to the school's varsity team.

"And Thomas is waiting for me outside to take me home." Said Natalie.

"Okay then, I guess the inquisition can wait until tomorrow. We meet at your place, Ri?" Leah said getting up.

"Yeah, sure. Love you guys, bye!" I said and gave them a quick hug before leaving the library and heading to my car in the parking lot. Ryan is supposed to be here by now, but lo and behold, he is not. Taking my phone out of my back pocket, I dialed my brother and he picked up on the third ring.

"What is it Riley?"

"Where are you? We should already be home." I said, getting into my car and starting it up.

"I'm coming, jeez. Just got... side tracked." He said, more to himself than to me. "Anyway, I'll be there in a sec." and then he hung up. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, he opened the door to the passenger seat and I was immediately hit with the smell of cigarrets.

"Ryan, what the hell! Mom and dad are gonna kill you!"

"Relax, I'll take a shower before dinner." He said as he got comfortable and started changing my air conditioning settings and plugging his phone to the radio. He always did this, and no matter how many times I tried telling him to stop, he never listened, so I just gave up. Soon enough, he'll have his driver's license and new car.

When we got home, he went straight to his room and I went into the kitchen to help my mom set up for dinner, and half an hour later, we were all set and waiting for Ryan to come down.

"So, Rachel, how was your last day of high school?" My dad said, looking at my sister. Rachel is a senior and is graduating in less than a month.

"Oh, daddy it was so fun! Our teachers gave us the whole day off to go around school and say our goodbyes to everyone! We even made a little awards show. I won the best hair, and the best smile!" Rachel was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, not able to contain her excitement.

"Oh, honey, remember when we did that our last day of school? It was so cool!" My mom said to my dad with a smile on her face.

"Yes, it was! And you, Riley? How was your day?" Dad asked me.

"Same old, same old. We stayed after school studying in the library. Oh by the way, remember tomorrow Leah, Jane and Natalie are coming home to study for our chemistry test." I told them just as Ryan started to come down the stairs.

"I'll bake you guys some cookies tomorrow. Hi, sweetie! That was quite a game yesterday!" My mom said, starting to serve the food.

"Ah, it was whatever. But I've got to admit, I'm really good. If it wasn't for me, they would be nothing..." Ryan said sitting and smiling cockily.

After that, I just tooned them out. I really don't care about the football team, and I certainly don't care if they loose or win.

***

When I got back to my room, I started going through my mail and saw that I got an email from Mr. Avery, Dean at St. Nicholas' boarding school, and my heart skipped a beat. I ran to my sisters room, barged in and threw myself on her bed, just as she was getting out of her bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Oh my God, Riley! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She put her hand over her heart and almost fell backwards.

"I just got the letter." I said, looking her dead in the eyes.

"What letter?" She looked at me with confusion, and then something seemed to click, and her eyes widened and she gave me a serious look "The letter?" My face was all the affirmation she needed. "What does it say?" She sat down across from me, expectant.

"I don't know, I'm too scared to look at it. I came here so you can read it and then tell me." I gave her my phone and grabbed one of her pillows and hugged it to my chest.

She took my phone and opened the email, skimming through it and then looked at me without any emotion.

"Tell me! No, wait, don't tell me! Oh, I don't wanna know." I said exasperated and threw my head against her stuffed unicorn. My big sister can be such a baby. "Tell me and get it over with."

"Ri-"

"No, wait! You-"

"Riley, you got in!" She said, getting up and jumping on her bed.

"You are so mean. If you are lying, I swear to God-"

"Read it!" Rachel threw me my phone and I looked at the screen, where the bright letters 'ACCEPTED' flashed in my face.

"Rachel, I-" I started saying, still in shock. "I got in! I'm going to St. Nicholas!" I, too started jumping on her bed.

We jumped and danced and sang until we were both panting on the floor by her closet. After what felt like forever and we regained our composure, she turned to me with a sad smile on her face.

"I'll miss you, sis." She said, hugging me and it was then that I really felt the weight of the recent events set in.

I'm going to St. Nicholas. I'm going away, leaving my family and friends and everything I know. With a whole new set of classmates and teachers, and starting a new life of my own, where no one expects me to be as pretty as Rachel, as smart as Leah, as loveable as Natalie or as outgoing as Jane. Heck, not even as successful as my parents.

And this is a good thing. I'll stop being second best, and maybe even stop comparing myself to everyone around me.

"Promise me we'll text every day, and you won't forget your awesome big sister." Rachel said, breaking my train of thought and holding me tighter before finally letting me go.

"I promise. And you promise me to not let Ryan make my room a gym while I'm gone. " I said with a smile and we both started laughing, and with that, we continued talking about everything and nothing at all until we both fell asleep on the fluffy white rug in front of her bed.