All women in this chapter are 18 years old and seniors in high school.
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Sarah drove to school with big news for everyone. She had been waiting for a letter in the mail and it finally arrived. She could not wait to show all her classmates and teachers what was inside the envelope. It had big news that was going to affect her future, and she could not wait to share it with everyone at school.
It was the first period of the day. Sarah decided that would be the perfect class to let everyone know her big news. It that it was the perfect venue and it was her favorite class, Economics. Her best friends Elizabeth and Samantha were also in the class.
The teacher, Mr. Holloway, stepped to the front to begin his lecture when Sarah suddenly called for his attention.
"Mr. Holloway!" she called. "I have something to give you."
"Oh Sarah! What is it?" he asked.
She walked up and handed him the envelope that she brought from home. "I just wanted you to see this."
The teacher opened the envelope with a bit of confusion. "What do we have here?" he asked, as he pulled a letter out. He quickly realized that it was from the in-state university. "Is this an acceptance letter to the university?!" he asked.
"You'll see," said Sarah, with a smirk.
"Dear Sarah, Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you are the recipient of the Youth Education in Leadership Scholarship! Because of your excellent performance in academics, sports, volunteering, and other extracurricular activities, you have achieved our most prestigious award."
Mr. Holloway put the paper down and was ecstatic with joy. "Sarah! Congratulations! Oh my God!"
The entire class started to cheer and clap, acknowledging Sarah for all her hard work.
"So, is this a full ride scholarship?" Mr. Holloway asked.
"No, it covers about half the tuition, as long as I keep my GPA up," answered Sarah. "But with my other grants and scholarships, my tuition is almost free!"
The class once again gave her a standing ovation. "Great job Sarah!" someone yelled. "You deserve it!" another one yelled.
"So, is this where you've decided to attend college?" asked Mr. Holloway.
"As of now, yes," said Sarah. "I thought about a few smaller schools so I could play volleyball. I even thought about a few schools closer to where I'm from. But I think the best thing is for me to get my education here. It's a great school with a lot of opportunities. And it's only a two-hour drive away, so I can drive home to see my parents whenever I need."
"That's so amazing!" exclaimed the teacher. "I'm so proud of you!"
Word began spreading around the school. Everyone was excited for Sarah's accomplishments.
"Did you hear about Sarah?"
"Sarah got a scholarship!"
"She's so smart!"
"Sarah's going to college on scholarship!"
She was the talk of the school. Every teacher was proud and almost every student was happy for her. There was only one particular girl that was discontent with the news. One particular girl in the cheerleading locker room.
"So what!? She's going to college. What's the big deal?"
"She's going on an academic scholarship," Courtney pointed out. "That's so amazing!"
"I don't think it's a big deal," said Brit, not wanting to give her rival any credit.
"That's a hard school to get accepted to," responded Courtney. "To get a scholarship there, that's even more awesome!"
"Whatever, I wouldn't know," said Britney. But she was lying. She did know that it was a hard school to get into. She applied but got rejected. "College is stupid anyways!"
"Don't say that!" said Courtney. "You need to go to college to get a good job."
"That's a lie," said Britney, rolling her eyes.
"Are you not planning on going to college?" asked Courtney.
"College isn't for me," said Britney. Unfortunately, it was too late for her to take her academics seriously. Seeing three and a half years go by of minimal effort left her with little to no options for college. "I don't need to go to school to be successful."
"You're making a terrible mistake!" said Courtney. "You better figure something out before school ends. It's our senior year for goodness sake!"
"Who are you to talk down to me like that?" asked Britney.
"I'm just trying to help," said Courtney. "Besides, Sarah told you not to speak like that to me anymore. Remember?" She chuckled, as she poked fun at Britney.
Britney was still supposed to be nice and submissive to Courtney. She was also supposed to be submissive to Sarah's teammates, but she violated that rule by fighting with Elizabeth. Sarah found out and she paid the price. Despite what happened, the only reason she even challenged Elizabeth was because she knew the tall soccer star would keep it a secret from Sarah.
The blonde cheer captain was getting fed up with Courtney's attitude towards her. She was frustrated that the smaller blonde was constantly trying to tell her what to do and would threaten to tell Sarah if she didn't listen. She wished that she could stand up to her but was too afraid of being tattled on to Sarah.
She swallowed her pride, once again. "Thanks for trying to help. I'll figure something out."
"That's the right attitude!" Courtney said, with a smile. "Maybe you can start studying with me. Mariah and I are studying for a test together tonight. Want to join?"
Britney rolled her eyes. "Studying on a Friday night? Sounds really fun." As Courtney made a face, Britney tried to give a nicer answer. "I'll let you know, okay? I have a lot on my mind right now."
The cheerleading captain went home that night, frustrated at the world. She was not sure why she was so upset. Was it because she felt stupid compared to the other girls? Maybe she was tired of getting bossed around. Or maybe it was that she knew she only had a finite amount of time before Sarah leaves for college and forgets her.
She grabbed her phone and texted Sarah. "Hi."
"Hey!"
"You're going to college soon."
"Yeah! You heard about my scholarship?"
"Yeah."
Sarah could sense something was wrong. "Are you okay?"
"Yes."
