Adam is just another college student and about the nerdiest guy you could ever meet.
All his life, he's never been able to act sociably around anyone, especially women.
But after Adam leaves one of the biggest parties of the year, he drinks a potion...
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
"Open it! Open it!" My mother belligerently yells right against my ear.
My palms and neck are caked in sweat and I can feel my heart beating a thousand beats per minute. I felt as if though it would burst right out of my frail chest at any second. In this moment, I was the most sick I've ever felt. I needed to know, did my hard work pay off? Did I get into my dream school? Am I going to Stanford?
"Hold on, mom. Just give me a second," I reply. I'm opening up the application portal. As the page emerges on my screen, I see it.
View Update --->
God, I'm so scared! Take deep breaths Adam, it's all going to be alright.
In and out . . . in and out.
As I release another breath, I let the mouse hover over the link before clicking it.
To Mr. Moore,
After careful consideration of your application, I am sorry to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in the Stanford class of 2021.
I feel my heart stop. My throat begins to constrict as I try to hold back tears. I can't believe it.
I got rejected.
"What does it say?" My mother asks excitedly from my side as she bends down to peer closer at the screen.
"I didn't get in." I could hardly believe the statement as the words left my lips. I sit sluggish in my seat, my heart completely dejected. I felt as if the first 18 years of my life just compressed itself into a bat and hit me in the face. All those AP classes, all my hard work, all that stress . . . for nothing.
"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," my mother pouts as she wraps me up in one of those motherly hugs. "You've still got Colorado State."
That didn't make me feel any better. Anybody could get accepted there. But Stanford . . . Stanford was my last hope.
"I'm going to my room," I tell my mom as I limply remove myself from her grasp and walk out of the kitchen. That night, I pictured things going differently when I opened that letter in my dream. I got accepted and I spent the next four years happy, successful. In that moment, I wished that I'd never wake up.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
