Chapter Thirty Two – Take A Chance On Me
On Monday the various universities were coming to the school to give speeches and entice students to apply. All the year twelves filed into the auditorium and I managed to get a seat in the fourth row next to Jenny. We'd just come from lit so Ella and the others were nowhere in sight.
"As you all know, today the different universities will be coming in to talk about the different courses on offer. There are also many exciting scholarship opportunities so make sure you're listening carefully. Apply for all the ones you're eligible for; you never know what could happen," Principal Ryan said.
Jenny looked at me. "Are you applying for any?"
"I thought about the academic one, but I'm not sure. There are thousands of applicants; I doubt I'd be selected. What about you?" I replied.
Some of the scholarships covered the entire degree, others covered boarding costs. Some were partial scholarships of a few thousand dollars, which would be a huge benefit anyway.
"Nah," she answered.
The first two university representatives came through and gave their speeches, handing out different pamphlets and booklets giving course details. The courses were becoming increasingly competitive with entry requirements becoming harder and harder to meet.
The final university, the one I was intending on applying to, began its presentation. It had the leading medicine and law school, and I had every intention of applying. This wasn't what caught my eye; it was the scholarships.
"This year, we are proud to be offering five Akadavis Scholarships, sponsored by the Akadavis family in honour of the late professor. These are being awarded to five applicants who are dedicated to self improvement in reaching their goals, in particular, those who are facing financial difficulty," the woman said, pacing back and forth while talking.
Self improvement. Financial difficulty. If there was one thing that Ace needed to make it to university, it was this scholarship. I knew he had the potential, and I knew he could make the change needed to impress the university.
"More information on this scholarship can be found in a pamphlet which I'll leave on the table by the door. Feel free to grab one as you leave. Application forms are also next to it, but there are only a few, so if there are no more, you can download and print one off from our website," she added.
The presentations had taken up the first two periods and we were released to break one. We were dismissed row by row and filed out. I grabbed a pamphlet and one of the forms and headed out of the auditorium, waiting for Jenny to catch up.
"You're thinking of applying?" She asked.
"No," I replied. "I grabbed a form just in case one of the guys wanted to apply, but couldn't get to one in time," I added quickly, being careful to avoid specifications.
I caught sight of Archer leaving the double doors of the auditorium, and he saw me as well. He walked over. "Hi," I said.
"Hey," he replied. "Which one are you applying for?" He asked, noticing the paper I had in my hand.
"None. I just got it in case one of the others needed it." I answered the same question for the second time in a frame of less than five minutes. I was careful to avoid mentioning the other guys and suggesting any particular inclinations towards them. "What about you?" I asked in return.
"Nope. I'm not smart enough to apply for the academics, and I don't fulfil the criteria for the others."
"You mean you're not poor enough?" I grinned.
He only chuckled in reply. "You know what? I'm getting hungry. See you later," he said, walking off.
Our mock exams were looming over us, and the universities would be basing any interviews and initial offers for medicine and law from these, which meant they were extremely important. It was also important for the scholarship applicants, and I was determined to get Ace to apply, and to win that scholarship.
"I've got to go do something, so I'll catch up with you later, okay?" I said to Jenny.
"Okay, bye," she replied.
I cut through the grass square, past the bricked up walls surrounding trees and onto the basketball court. Ace's locker was in the opposite building, and hopefully, I'd catch him when the other guys weren't around, especially Hunter, because that would be awkward.
I spotted Ace heading off in that direction. I picked up the pace and my fast walking turned into a pathetic looking jog, but luckily, I caught up to Ace.
"Ace!" I exclaimed, getting his attention. He turned around.
"What's up nerd-bird?"
"This is the answer to your problems!" I said triumphantly, perhaps a little too overdramatically, waving the papers around in front of his face.
"Woah, slow down. What is the answer? What exactly are my problems?"
I handed him the papers and waited eagerly, watching for his reaction after reading them. His eyes finished scanning and he looked up. No reaction.
"What is this?"
"Didn't you read it?" I snapped. "It's a scholarship for financial difficulty. They pay for the entire course. This is how you'll get into uni."
"Are you crazy? Have you seen my record?"
"They're looking for change and improvement. It's all about potential. You meet everything they're looking for!"
"I'm flattered nerd-bird, but I really think this is a waste of time."
"All you need to do is improve your scores in the upcoming mocks! Then your future is set! So fill out the forms."
"Nah. It'll be a waste of time."
"Then I'll fill it out."
"Do you even know when my birthday is?"
"No."
"Exactly."
"So you fill out the form."
"No."
"Fill in the form. I'll see you in the library this afternoon for chemistry," I commanded.
---
I set my bag down beside the table for four in the back corner. It'd been fifteen minutes since the end of school day, but I had a gut feeling that he would turn up. I picked up a magazine from the stand to flick through while waiting for him. There was an article on the Downtown Ninety Seven release party. As expected, there were photos of Archer and the other new models that would be leading the campaign. What I didn't expect was the photo of me and Archer. I skimmed the article below it.
Downtown Ninety Seven catered for its models in styles, sponsoring outfits from the spring collection ranging from classic suits to timeless gowns. However, the price tags on Downtown Ninety Seven's pieces didn't stop partners were looking equally stunning; in particular, the exclusive red gown by guest designer Teresa Cordova.
So that gown was not sponsored like Archer had said; I knew it, he'd bought it. He knew I wouldn't have accepted it if I knew he'd had to pay for it. It definitely wasn't cheap, considering that it was an exclusive gown.
"I'm disappointed nerd-bird. Not studying?" Ace remarked, dragging a chair out and sitting down.
I shut the magazine and put it back on the shelf.
"I thought you weren't going to show," I said.
"Well, you waited, and here I am."
"What do you want to start with? We should pick something that we did a while ago and is a little more difficult."
"Organic chemistry," he replied, flipping open the textbook. "I've read the revision pages, so I'm up to the alcohols."
"Alright. I'll sum it up." I started scrawling down what I was saying onto a sheet of lined paper. "So there are primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols." I drew out some examples. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Alcohols are the organic compounds with hydroxide as the functional group. Primary alcohols can be oxidised to become an aldehyde and then oxidised again to form a carboxylic acid. Secondary alcohols can be oxidised to become a ketone. Tertiary alcohols don't undergo oxidation."
I flipped the textbook open and pointed to diagrams. Ace unzipped his bag and pulled out a black case. He opened it up and pulled out his glasses, putting them on. He never wore glasses during school; I'd nearly forgotten he even had them.
"So usually they'll give you questions about identifying unknowns, and usually you add an oxidising agent or sodium and watch for vigorous reaction or colour change. There are some review questions after this chapter," I said, pointing to the few pages after.
He nodded and pulled the chair back, stretching and yawning. He took his glasses off and set them down on the table, rubbing his eyes. "Here," he said. "Since you seem to enjoy this stuff, it's all for you." He pulled out the forms from his bag and handed them to me.
I skimmed them quickly; the scholarship application. "I'll post it then," I said.
"Postage is expensive these days," he remarked.
"Well, it's my loss then. I'll get these in this afternoon."
I glanced at the watch on my wrist; it was already five. We'd spent around an hour and a half on it, and it was time to head home.
"Well, Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays after school," I announced.
"No can do Fridays," he said. I waited for an explanation. "Parties are usually Friday," he explained.
"Then how about Saturday?"
"Saturday parties are not uncommon."
"Fine Mr Partyhard. Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays."
"Alright."
For the first time in all the exam seasons, I was studying ahead. I had to make sure that everything I was explaining to Ace was one hundred percent correct; this whole gig wasn't just benefitting him, because it was helping me out.
We spent the next few weeks studying at full speed, and Ace's image in my mind was fast becoming the boy with dark messy hair and dark brown eyes covered by glasses.
Ace let me know he'd received a confirmation email about his application, and I was just waiting to submit his results and then find out whether he was going to win one of the scholarships.
I believed he had a good chance. I knew he did. I was going to make sure we both did well, and I was going to make sure he wouldn't give up.
On the Thursday of the second last week before exams, we walked out of the library half an hour later than usual at five thirty.
"Really gearing up aren't you, nerd-bird?" He laughed, knocking me gently on the head with the textbook.
"That's right. Chemistry knowledge flow into my brain," I grinned. "Also, you're calling me nerd-bird an awful lot now, aren't you?"
"You're very chirpy about studying," he smirked.
"Well whatever, we're going to ace these exams," I grinned, nudging him with my elbow, lamely trying to wiggle my eyebrows.
"That was terrible."
"But you love it."
"I do."
"What?"
"I like you," he said quickly. There was a moment of silence when my mind registered the entire three words. "See you later," he said, taking off. "I meant tomorrow," he added quickly.
Three confessions. Three guys. No answers. This was one hell of a situation.
~*~
I'm digging this erratic pacing, but once this is complete, I'll undergo major editing.
Once again, if you enjoyed, please vote and comment! :D