***Lauren's POV***
"Lauren!" Luke snapped his fingers in my face to get my attention.
"What?" I asked startled from being lost in thought.
"Who is the current Prime Minister and what year was he elected?" Luke asked me as he was the only one of the guys who could help me study.
"Oh um..." I started flipping through my notes I had laid out on my bed. "Tony Abbott and in 2013."
"Correct" he said and I sighed with exasperation with the stress of last minute studying for my citizenship test tomorrow. As much as I want to take this test so I can qualify for tryouts, I'm dreading taking it because I have to take it on my birthday, December 24th, and on that very same day I found out my mom died. I know great birthday present right? So little enough said I hate that day even if it is my birthday and Christmas Eve.
"You okay?" Luke asked me.
"Yeah" I unbelievably lied.
"Liar." He chuckled lightly hitting me with my note book, causing us both to laugh. "Come on, what's wrong?"
"It's Nothing." I sighed.
"Is it Michael?" He asked nervously, worried that something might have happened.
"What no." I denied the question immediately. Next to Michael, Luke I one of my closest guy friends I can tell him everything, and I mean everything, he can practically read me like a book, so it was a little hard to keep what Michael and I did a secret from Luke.
Ever since the other day, in the rain, Michael and I have officially become a couple. We have managed spent every waking moment together as possible, because his leaving at the end of the week to go to London and tour with One Direction. I'm so excited for him and the guys and even though I'm going to miss him and the rest of them I know they have to go in order to follow their dreams.
Yet at the same time Dominique is here for the rest of this week as well; so I can't just ignore her so I'm going to spend as much time with her as possible too because we live in two different countries and I miss her like crazy too.
"The what's wrong?" Luke asked, putting down the notes.
"It's just . . ." I tried to find the words to explain how I'm feeling. "I have to take the test on my birthday."
"So what's wrong with that?" Luke asked.
"Three years ago I also found out my mom died on my birthday." I confessed.
"Well that's an awful birthday present."
"I know." I sighed. "So needless to say I hate that day even if it is my birthday and Christmas Eve and that day could get even worse depending on my test results."
"Lauren it's going to be fine. Relax." Luke reassured me. "You can do this."
***
Waiting in the lobby of the building where I will be taking my citizenship test, Uncle Tom and I sat in seats waiting to be called along with the other aspiring citizens to take the exam. This is it; my future depends on what happens in the next two hours.
"You ready?" Uncle Tom asked me.
"Yeah sure." I lied.
"Lauren it's okay to be nervous, just calm down." He chuckled rubbing my back to try and calm me down.
"This test is going to determine my future of being an Olympic athlete, how can I be calm?" I asked rubbing my hands together and slightly rocking back and forth.
"It's going to be alright Lauren, no matter what happens your aunt and I are very proud of you."
"Hi can everyone taking the citizenship test please follow me?" a woman dressed in a nice business suit entered the lobby calling everyone taking the exam to follow her. I gave my uncle a look before getting up.
"I'll be right here when you're done." He told me as I got up to follow the rest of the group down the hall. She led us into a room filled with desks, directing us to take a seat.
"Good day everyone." She greeted us. "I'm Alice, I am the director of the nationality examination and I'll be giving you your exam today." She said as she started to hand out the test to the crowded room.
"You will have two hours to take the exam, no talking and when you're done place it up on the front desk. Good luck!" she said and everyone quickly opened the test booklet to the first page to start.
You can do this Lauren I thought to myself; keep calm, you can do this, believe in yourself.
***Two hours later***
"Time." Alice said indicating for us to hand in the test. "You can hand in your exam up here. We'll let you know your results by the end of the week."
What? I thought it was two days, I need to know right now what I got, I have to finish filling out my application for tryouts. Walking up to hand my test I waited to talk to Alice.
"What can I do for you honey?" she asked me as everyone left.
"I need to know what I got on this exam as soon as possible." I said.
"Yes just like you and everybody else." She commented.
"I have Olympic trials to make the Australian Olympic gymnastics team in a few weeks, is there any way I can know sooner? I'll do anything." I begged.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Lauren Marie Jacobs." I answered and she looked through the stake of files on her desk.
"Oh yes you're from America and you came here because-" she stopped reading my file from the background check I had to do a month or two back.
"Yeah." I commented shrugging off her reaction like it was nothing because I've been getting it my whole life.
"Look I just need to know if there is any way possible to know my score sooner." I asked her.
"Look Lauren I'm very sorry to what happened to you, but it's just not that simple, your test has to be grated and then you have to be approved."
My hopes of getting my test back sooner sank to the pit of my stomach. She could see my disappointment and looked back between me, my file, and my test, harshly thinking about what she was going to do and say. After a good minute or so she spoke again.
"I can't make any promises Lauren, the fastest I could let you know is tomorrow."
"Really!" I asked excitedly.
"Yes and I'll be the one to call you tomorrow." She reassured me.
"But I need a letter saying that I'm approved. I was lucky they gave me an extension on my application for trials, but they need physical evidence that I became a citizen by Thursday to let me participate." I explained to her. (I have two days to meet this deadline)
Alice thought real long and hard about what she was going to do, she was already bending her back to let me know tomorrow, I was probably pushing boundaries by asking if she could do any better.
"I'm technically not supposed to do this but I'll personally grade your test right now and fill out your paper work, if you're willing to wait."
"I am!" I said practically yelling, overjoyed that she was going to do this for me.
"Then follow me." She said and I followed her back into her office.
Patiently sitting in her office, I watched her grade my test. My phone kept going off from my uncle asking where I was but I ignored them. I just need an 85 or higher. I just need an 85 or higher. I continually repeated to myself. After a good half hour to maybe forty-five minutes later she finished.
"Congratulations Lauren, you got a 93." She smiled.
"A 93!" I repeated.
"Yep and by the looks of your file, you were passed; you're now officially an Australian citizen."
"But I thought we weren't passed yet?" I asked.
"Not everyone was, they started looking over people's files, you just happened to be one of the ones who were passed." Alice explained to me. "Now wait right here and I can give you a copy of your paper work." She said leaving the room.
I quickly pulled out my phone and texted Uncle Tom that I was going to be out in a few minutes. Within 10 minutes Alice came back in carrying papers.
"These are copies of your citizenship that you can use to send in for your application. Now in two weeks is the ceremony where you'll be sworn in as a citizen, you have to be there."
"I'll be an hour early." I explained looking at the papers. "Thank you so much, I don't know how I can ever repay you." I said giving her a hug I was so happy that I became a citizen.
"Just bring Australia back a gold medal in the Olympics and we'll be even." She said smiling. "Congratulations."
"I will and thank you." I said again and started to head for the door.
"Oh and Lauren." She said calling after me and I stopped in her door way. "Happy Birthday." She smiled, knowing that today was my birthday since it was in my file.
"Thanks." I said for the third time and made my way down the hall to meet back up with my uncle.