Until The End

Jingle Bells

>>Troian's POV<<

Troian Bellisario,

We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you a full scholarship here at Steven's University NYC. We have reviewed your application, and we were impressed by your progress, but still cannot grant you a place here. If you would prefer, a day-to-day place is open for you, but it filling up pretty quickly. We hope that you understand, you just didn't have enough qualifications for a dormitory here. We have heard that your induction went well, but perhaps this college just isn't right for you.

There all lots of other colleges nearby, maybe it would fit for you to have a look for yourself. It seems there are lots of options open for you, Troian.

You have my best of luck.

Sincerely from: Katharine Thompson Head of King's College

I sealed the envelope again. I was devastated. I really had high hopes for this college.

Maybe, it's for the best. Everyone I had talked to about this wanted me to stay. And like the letter said, there are lots of options open for me. Next time, I'll try not to aim for New York.

I still couldn't believe they didn't accept me. I really thought I had gotten a place after the induction.

I walked over to the couch and sat by myself, watching my mom stir the hot pot in the kitchen.

"Was that the college?" She asked, hovering over the steamy pot of curry.

"Uh, y-yeah." I looked to the floor. "They didn't accept me."

Mom immediately dropped her wooden spoon in the pot and looked at me. "What? That's got to be a mistake."

"Well, not exactly." I sipped my freshly brewed coffee. "They said I didn't have right qualifications for a dorm, it's fine."

"Hm," She went back to stirring the curry. "It was a long shot anyway."

"You don't think I could have made it?" I raised my eyebrows and set my coffee on the table.

"Yes." She tested the curry on her spoon. "It's just really posh, that's all."

"Oh."

- - -

"Mmm, I don't know, I like this one." Ashley pointed to a huge, thick, green, fake Christmas tree.

"No," I moaned. "I has to be real. I mean, who has a fake Christmas tree?"

"Me." She pouted. "That's the way I was raised!"

I had taken Ashley out Christmas shopping to distract her for whatever had been bothering her. And she wanted to buy her mom a fake a Christmas tree. Who does that?

"Well, it's wrong." I said, putting a pack of round golden bobbles in my basket.

"The point of Christmas isn't about the tree anyway, it's Jesus' birthday!" She smiled, feeling the branches of a pink tree.

I picked up a mistletoe and looked at it, contemplating whether I should buy it or not. "If that's what we're here for, where are the birthday banners?"

Ashley snickered, smiling. "We don't even have a damn birthday cake. How rude is that?"

"Probably because we couldn't fit but that many candles to put on his cake," I put the mistletoe in my basket. "Plus, he gets his presents, now he's just being greedy, asking for all that."