Lesson by Her [Book 1]

Chapter 20

Four Months Later

Dusty wearily rubbed her eyes as the digital alarm clock next to her continued to scream that it was six AM. The harsh monotonous chirp went through her head like daggers. Mustering all the energy she could, Dusty leaned across and silenced the alarm. Above her, Dust moaned groggily.

"Time to get up," Dusty declared, her voice hoarse as she punched the bunk above her to wake her sleeping brother. Her mind still clouded by the fog of sleep, Dusty pulled on some jeans and a hooded top before slinking into the kitchen area, where her mom was already making breakfast.

"Morning, Mom." Dusty coughed.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Kayla greeted her with an uncharacteristic lightness in her voice. The sort of pleasant greeting had been retired after Dusty's father had died. It surprised Dusty to find her mother in such a good mood so early in the day.

As Dusty slumped down behind the counter where they ate, she registered a more shocking contribution to the morning routine; her mother was making pancakes. Dusty actually couldn't remember the last time she'd had pancakes for breakfast.

It certainly hadn't occurred since they had lived in the trailer. "Pancakes?" Dusty mumbled in confusion. "They're your favorite aren't they?" Kayla smiled sweetly.

"Uh huh." Dusty nodded, still too tired to focus her thoughts into any sort of cohesion. Her head ached from all the information she had been cramming into it recently. She had learned more over the past four months than she had over the previous four years, and she felt mentally exhausted.

Historic dates, mathematical formulas, scientific theories, and the work of Shakespeare all continually swirled around her head in an academic maelstrom. Dusty found it hard to think straight lately, to see past the endless parade of papers she had to write, or tests she had to sit through.

She felt like she never had a spare moment to herself. As soon as she got back to the trailer, she worked on assignments until her eyes ached and she had to go to sleep. Then she awoke, went to school, studied hard all day, engaging in extra tutoring classes over lunch and after school. It was relentless, and Dusty had been too tired and too busy to even miss cheerleading.

"Are you tired, honey?" Kayla asked, concerned. "I'm always tired." Dusty sighed. Normally her mother would be quick to joke about how Dusty didn't know what tired was, how she should try working two jobs and supporting a family on minimum wage, but for once, she seemed only concerned with her daughter's well-being.

"You've been working so hard." Kayla nodded.

"Mom, what's going on?" Dusty asked, finally waking up and realizing how strange it was for her mother to pass up an opportunity to lament about how hard she herself worked.

"What do you mean?" Kayla asked with faux innocence.

"Well, for one you're in a good mood. You're never in a good mood."

"Can't your mother wake up and be happy and not be interrogated about it?"

"Most mothers, sure, but not you." Dusty raised an eyebrow at her mother. "So what's going on? Did we win the lottery?"

"Whoa, did we win the lottery?" Dust asked excitedly as he joined them for breakfast, his blond hair still disheveled from sleep. He registered the pancakes and his mother's sunny disposition, and his eyes widened in anticipation.

"No, we didn't win the lottery." Kayla smiled as she flipped a pancake. Dust sighed and settled in next to his sister. He glanced across at Dusty before scrunching his face up in disapproval.

"You're wearing my sweater." he declared, his tone accusatory. "Huh?" Dusty glanced down at the hooded top she'd pulled on moments earlier and noticed that it did indeed belong to her brother. "Oh, sorry, I must have pulled it from the wrong drawer," she admitted.

"Well, take it off," Dust demanded. "I'm not having you wearing my stuff."

"Get lost. It's nice and warm." Dusty objected. "And snuggly," she added, teasing him by rubbing herself within the top. "Now it's going to smell all nice and girly."

"Mom, tell Dusty to go wear her own clothes," Dust moaned across at his mother.

"Can you two stop bickering?" Kayla pleaded, plating up the now completed pancakes and handing them across to her children. "We might not have won the lottery," Kayla continued, glancing between her two offspring. "But Dusty-Rose has."

Dusty looked up in shock, both at what her mother was saying and on hearing her call her by her full name. "Dusty won the lottery?" Dust echoed, too shocked to put down the forkful of pancake he'd greedily snatched up.

"In a way." Kayla smiled. She turned and opened a nearby drawer, producing a large, white envelope. "Apparently, when they send a big package, it means something good." She handed the envelope across to Dusty, and when Dusty spotted the Princeton logo in the top left-hand corner, her heart almost stopped.

"Did you get in?" Dust asked, intrigued. "I don't know," Dusty admitted, holding the envelope in her hands. It was heavy; clearly, there were a considerable number of documents inside.

"Well, open it up and find out!" Kayla urged. Dusty held the envelope, unsure whether she wanted to find out if all her hard work had actually paid off. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle the crushing sense of rejection if she'd failed.

Dust and her mother watched her with wide, interested eyes. Since she'd told them of her plans to apply to Princeton, they'd been nothing but supportive. Dusty had feared that they'd tell her she was simply chasing rainbows and needed to accept the reality of their situation, but Kayla had told her daughter that she'd never been more proud of her.

And whether or not she got in, that wouldn't change the fact that she was attempting to reach her dreams. It was more than enough to fill her with a lifetime's worth of pride.

"Open it," Dust demanded.

"I'm scared," Dusty admitted. "You do it," She hastily handed the envelope to her younger brother, who wasted no time in ripping it open and reading from the first page.

"Dear Miss Black," he began as his mother and sister listened with bated breath. "We thank you for your recent application and interest in attending Princeton this fall. After careful consideration, it is with great pleasure that we offer you a place to attend and study mathematics with us on our scholarship program."

Kayla dropped the spatula she was holding and leaned against the counter for support, her chest heaving with panicked breath. Dusty sat stoically on the bench, unsure what to do or say. It all felt so surreal.

"You did it!" Kayla finally found her voice, coming over to hold Dusty's face in her hands as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I knew you would, my clever little girl! You did it!" She kissed Dusty's cheeks over and over.

"So you're leaving?" Dust asked, sounding a little hurt. "I'm so proud of you," Kayla declared, wrapping her arms around Dusty. And Dust momentarily forgot that he was a mood-addled teenager and entered into the embrace.

The family remained locked in each other's arms for a number of minutes. It was the first time they had really held one another since their father had died. As Kayla eventually began to pull away, her sobs intensified.

"If only your father could have been here to see this," she declared. "He'd have been so proud of you." Dusty felt the tears streaming down her cheeks at the thought of her father's beaming face. At how overjoyed he would have been to be sharing this joyous news with them.

"Let's go tell him," Dusty suggested as she wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeve.