Leap Year (✔)

October 9

~143 Days till Leap Day~

October. Finally, Rosie felt like she had settled into a routine. Everyday, she did homework all through lunch, then started again after dinner, and continued into the middle of the night. Her bed sat neatly made in the corner of her room, as it was becoming common for Rosie to fall asleep across her desk, her elbows resting on essay outlines and SAT study guides.

With the quantity Darliss Prep teachers were assigning, all Rosie's friends had resorted to doing homework during lunch. The homecoming dance was that Saturday and they wanted all of their work out of the way. They had planned, like every year, to go as a group. But then Hailey announced she was bringing her "friend" from Dunkin. She'd kept her promise and set up Pablo with her "friend's" gay brother, so now both Hailey and Pablo had dates. Rosie and Brie had never mentioned their kiss or discussed it with anyone else, but somehow it was assumed that they were going "together". Tessa and Beojun were also going "as a couple" so going together didn't mean anything. That didn't mean Rosie wasn't losing sleep over it.

One particularly stressful Wednesday before homecoming, while Pablo and Hailey were whining their way through college apps, Pablo broke down.

"They should be applying to me! How am I supposed to know where I want to go next fall?" he cried, letting himself crumple onto the table. His eyes were bloodshot from working on AP Bio homework until three in the morning.

Tessa bit into her sandwich. "You know, with a little time management, you could get to bed at a reasonable hour."

Pablo glared at her.

At least Pablo knew he wanted a school with a nursing program. Hailey had no idea what field she wanted to go into, but her parents were pressuring her to apply to more and more schools. They read every draft of every application essay she wrote and critiqued it. Hailey's makeup routine had been condensed and condensed until she woefully exclaimed to Rosie one morning: "I'm a mess!" Rosie pointed out that she was still wearing mascara, foundation, concealer, lip gloss and eyeliner.

Darliss Prep, being a college preparatory school, was ruthless about shunting their students from high school into the college system. And many parents of Darliss students were the same. The more students from Darliss that attended college, the more grant money the school received.

The only senior not stressing over applications was Brie.

"Where are you applying, Brie?" Hailey asked, not even looking up from her laptop screen.

Brie closed her copy of Crime and Punishment and shrugged. "I don't think I'm going to apply."

Hailey's eyes shot up from her screen. Rosie knew she had to act quickly, before Hailey started yelling. The thought of someone who hadn't been deeply conditioned into thinking college was the only acceptable next step was mind-boggling to someone like Hailey.

"It's fine," Rosie said before Hailey could open her mouth. "There are plenty of other paths after high school."

Brie nodded and returned to her book.

"Unless..." Rosie paused. "Do you want to go to college?"

Brie shut her book again. "I don't know, okay! That's the problem. Back in Florida, I probably would have graduated, started working full-time at the restaurant, and taken classes at community college if I had the time. But here, everybody's going crazy over SAT scores and extracurricular resumes, telling me if I turn in one homework assignment late, I won't get into Harvard or whatever. I don't know if the hassle is worth it for me."

"It is," Hailey said. "College is always a good idea if you have the choice. You should go."

Brie picked at her fake nail. "I don't want to go just because I should. I want to know if it's the right decision for me."

"Did your parents go to college?" Pablo asked. "My mom took night school until she got registered to become a nurse."

"My dad did, but he dropped out to start our restaurant."

"Is that why you don't want to go?" Rosie asked. Rosie had never seen Brie in class, but she knew Brie always did her homework and paid attention to her teachers. Her grades were lower than the typical Darliss senior, but Rosie thought her writing was terrific. She had imagined Brie as an English teacher one day, if Brie ever got over her fear of presentations. Rosie wanted the best for Brie. "Darliss has a college admissions counselor. She'll help you with your applications if you're feeling overwhelmed."

"You know what?" Brie snapped. "I'll figure it out later." She shoved her books in her backpack and stood up. "I'm gonna finish my homework in the library."

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