Housemates

Harsh Truth

Arianne

I sit on the edge of Lana's bed. Tessa, Amy, and Lana are besides me eagerly waiting for me to open an email from the university I applied to, Duke University. I received the email two days ago but couldn't bring myself to open it. High expectations always lead to disappointment and I've been having very high expectations about how this application was going to go.

I got rejected by my backup schools. If I get rejected by this I am going to kill myself. The reason I applied to this university was because even when my exchange program ends I could still be close to everyone I know here. Especially Aaron. He actually got a full scholarship at Duke last month.

I never told him that I applied to his university so It'll be a surprise and so if I do get rejected I won't have to tell him.
"Just click on it!" Amy urges.

The anticipation builds up as I click on the email, my heart pounding in my chest. I take my time reading the application and a smile erupts on my face by the time I finished the first paragraph.

"Ahhh! I got in!" I exclaim, unable to contain my excitement. The girls erupt into cheers, and I get attacked as they all hug me showing me their excitement of the fact that I'll still be here after my program ends. I consider telling Aaron right away, but I decide to keep it as a surprise for after prom night.

I want to see his reaction. Oh he's going to be so happy I can just imagine the look on his face.

The girls and I start getting ready, because its prom night! The day has finally come. Tessa works her magic on Amy's hair while I assist Lana with her makeup. As I reach for the concealer, I notice that it's finished.

"Hey, Tessa, do you mind if I borrow your concealer? Your shades are closer," I ask, flashing a playful smile.

Tessa chuckles and hands me her concealer. "Sure thing, also we gotta like deep clean this room once we finish."

We all laugh, looking around at the mess we made in this room as we're getting ready. There are so many clothes thrown around, makeup products, and a bunch of Lana's stuffed animals. I accidentally knock over an empty vase and it shatters. "Oh my god I am so sorry! I'll pay for it- Oh my god." My cheeks heat up.

"Relax its fine it was my moms," Lana tries to reassure me.

"Your moms? She's going to kill me" I stress.

Lana reassures me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Don't worry, Aria. My mom loves you too much to be mad. Besides, you're like my mom's favorite out of all my friends. Even my dads and he barley remembers anyones name. Right, Mom?" she says, looking at her mom, who has just entered the room.

Lana's mom laughs. "What flew into this room?" She changes the subject.

We all chuckled. Tessa and Amy pretend to be offended. Once we finish getting ready, we head downstairs to show off our final looks to Lana's parents, who are immediately amazed. We gather in the living room, eagerly waiting for our dates to pick us up.

Amy is the first one to get picked up, and Lana's mom insists on capturing the moment with a picture before she leaves so she could send it to her mom.

It's not long before Lana and Tessa's dates arrive. They both contemplate on waiting with me for Aaron but I insisted on them going. I didn't want to ruin their night.

As I patiently wait in the living room, Haze stands beside me insisting on waiting with me while Mrs DeLaurentis went to cook some dinner for her boyfriend. I can't help but express my concern to him, my voice laced with worry. "He's been distant lately, Aaron. I don't know what's up with him."