Confidence Game

5 || Acceptance

"It's here! It's here! Mom it's here!" I scream as I run happily down the hallway with my letter in hand.

"Charlotte! This is so exciting. Open it!" My mom exclaims.

I start to rip it open but suddenly slap it down on the counter. My mom looks at me in surprise and I look back at her with a terrified expression.

"Mom, what if it's not what I want to hear. What if I wasn't accepted?" I ask.

"If they didn't accept you, it would be their loss."

I smile at her before ripping the letter open and unfolding it. I clear my throat before I begin to read,

"Congratulations! On behalf of the faculty and staff of Kingston College, this with great pleasure that I inform you of your admission to Kingston College. You were selected from an extraordinarily accomplished and academically talented group who applied. You and your classmates are truly outstanding in your achievements, talents, interests and potential.

This a particularly exciting time to be a student at Kingston. You will have unparalleled opportunities to work with a faculty who are renowned both for their excellence in teaching as well as their exceptional scholarship and research.

I hope this early acceptance to Kingston will enable you to pursue the rest of your college experience without the additional demands of the college application process. Is our expectation that you will remain fully engaged in your studies and other pursuits for the rest of your college career.

Again, congratulations on your acceptance. Please let me know if we can be of any help. We look forward to welcoming you and working with you during the years ahead," I finish.

My mom and I both stare at each other in silence until she screams,"CHARLOTTE! YOU GOT ACCEPTED!"

"I got accepted YES. I GOT ACCEPTED YES! YES!"

-:-:-:-

"Mom, where am I going to stay once I move to Kingston?" I ask.

I'm once again packing up my belongings for the move and I stop to look at her.

"I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure? Aren't you going to help me out by paying for my room and board?" I ask, now concerned.

"Charlotte, you did manage to get a scholarship to Kingston but your father and I are still going to have to pay for what the scholarship didn't cover. I don't think we can afford to pay room and board for you," she explains.

"But mom, I need to stay somewhere. I won't be able to stay in an apartment. If we can't afford to pay for a dorm, we certainly won't be able to afford paying for an apartment. And I don't have enough money saved up to pay for my own room and board. What are we going to do?" I ask.

She remains silent as she continues to box up my things. I keep quiet as well knowing that she's thinking. She suddenly gasps and turns to me.

"Charlotte! You remember the Malik's right?"

"Mom of course I remember the Malik's!" I say with a smile on my face. "Zayn was my best friend throughout my whole childhood. I would never be able to forget him."

"That's good. Well, they still live in London. They're actually not too far from Kingston. I was talking to Mrs. Malik the other day on the phone and she mentioned that Zayn moved out and got his own apartment. He lives there and can pay for it because he has a decent job. I bet I can talk to her and arrange for you to stay with him!" She says excitedly.

"Wait. Me? Stay with Zayn? Mom. Zayn and I haven't seen each other in years."

It's true. We haven't seen each other since we were younger. Well before I went to middle school even. Zayn and I haven't even talked since then. How could we possibly live together?

"Zayn's a great boy. I trust him with you. Sure he's older but that means he can protect you. And you two are basically siblings since you grew up together. I trust that there will be no funny business going on," she says with a smile.

I sigh and watch as she pulls out her phone. My mom dials Mrs. Malik's number and I hear her pick up. She talks to her for a bit and works everything out. After about a half hour or so, she hangs up.

"There it's all worked out! You'll be catching a flight to London ASAP. Once you're there, Mrs. Malik will pick you up from the airport and drive you to Zayn's," she says.

Great. It's settled. I'll be living with a guy I haven't seen in years. But, we were best friends. Hopefully nothing will have changed. What could possibly go wrong?