Miss Americana

Five

Half of being a debutante was in etiquette classes. On top of having old ladies telling you to sit up straight for two hours, I had an appointment at a bridal shop to look for a dress with my sister, Mom (via FaceTime), and both of my grandmas.

My dad's mom, I called Gigi, and my mom's mom, Lainey. I loved everyone who came to support me, but I knew this would be a long day.

"Oh my gosh, you are stunning," Gigi began as I walked out in a white dress with a lace bodice.

I looked at myself in the mirror. "Gigi, I don't think lace is for me."

"Speaking of things that are for you, have you picked where you are going to college?" she asked me.

Here we go.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

"I think you should consider Columbia if you aren't already. Gigi and I loved our time in the city," Lainey brought up.

The crazy part of my life was that my parents had known each other their entire lives, and my grandparents were best friends long before I was even a thought.

I smiled at them. "I'll think about it."

"What do you want to wear, Tay?" Natalia asked me.

Then my mind flashed back to when he called me Tay. I remembered the way it made my heart race and smile all at once. It sounded so corny, but it was true.

"Something sort of dramatic and fashionable but classic at the same time. Something that screams Tatum," I described.

My sister nodded. "I can work with that. I'll help the sales associate pull some things."

This is why I loved my sister. She always saw my vision even when I didn't see it myself.

For the next hour and fifty minutes, I had to listen to people ask me where I was going to college, if there were boys in the picture, if I still planned on playing soccer, my feelings about my parents' new career, and it took everything in me not to tell them to shut the fuck up.

"Where are you going?" my sister asked me as I walked into the kitchen dressed in athleisure.

I poured some water into my Stanley cup. "It's been a long day, and I just need a break. I'm going to this coffee shop to study and get out of the house."

"Long day? It's three in the afternoon," she pointed out.

I sighed. "Exactly."

"OK, well, be safe. Don't forget to be back by five to babysit Saf. Beau and I have that charity dinner tonight," my sister reminded me.

I nodded my head as I walked out the door. "Gotcha."

I drove to the coffee shop Miles introduced me to when he helped me with my paper. They had the best lattes and pastries that I'd been craving.

I grabbed an iced white chocolate vanilla latte with oat milk and a cheesy potato Danish before I sat at a table. Once I was settled and satisfied, I got to work.

There was so much school work that I had neglected during winter formal or just because of senioritis.

Colleges were emailing me about application deadlines, and I had no idea where I wanted to go. Would USC be a good fit for me? Should I go to Georgetown and play soccer? Do I just go to a completely random school?

I needed to figure that out sooner rather than later.

I did a few Google searches, watched Day in the Life videos, and added a few colleges to my list to attempt to get an idea of where I wanted to go. I got into the zone with the whole college thing until I looked up.