Dreams: A Collection Of Romance One-Shots

Hope

 "I am Clarissa Gray. I believe that I would excel here and achieve what my father had done before me and what his father had done before him. I was the valedictorian of East High and a striding member of the foundation that helped build the park, library, and a second elementary school," I said quietly, reciting the speech for a third time and watched the hopeful light in my father's eyes diminish. "What was that? Are you talking to an eight year old? If you wish to get accepted into the college that only accepts the elites, you must speak louder like a grown woman," He grumbled. "I'll do better next time," I replied and felt my lungs contract as guilt seeped into my thoughts. I watched as father turned his back and started limping back into his study, his knee and downward had been blown off due to a mine back in the war and left him with a shattered spirit and a prosthetic leg.

"Father, please! I'll get in, I know it! And I'll make mother proud," I whispered and was shocked when he turned, his old face startled at the mention of his late wife. "You've already made her proud, dandelion. Now, keep practicing, with a louder voice, and you'll have a shot. If not, you know where you'll end up." On the battlefield.

Many students who graduated in my class were excited to fight for their country and hopped and skipped their way into the trenches, where I suspected they were now in the ground with a hurried funeral service. I had seen what the war did to people or rather I had seen an after effect. At night mostly, I see my father wandering the halls of our manor, his eyes haunted with the images of the war and staring down at his leg as he stumbled through the halls, wishing for another chance.

I looked down at my notecards, determined to have the speech perfect by tomorrow and adjusted my overalls. I sighed and recited the speech again and this time, everything was perfect.

"Clarissa, you're gonna get in. You were the top of the class and all of the teachers liked you. I'm sure they put in a word for you," Margret, my best friend, said gleefully until something sad sank into her blue eyes. "I know I won't be. But, you've definitely got a shot!"

"Margie, I'm going up against hundred other schools and only fifty students get selected in each year." Back in elementary school, the first bomb hit the U.S. and radiation spread throughout half of the country, leaving only the eastern side. Because of how little students there were now, they closed down lots of schools, leaving only a few in the states that survived and left 4 colleges total, and only the smartest students could get into. If not, you were thrown into factories or out onto the frontlines, where everyone and everything was struggling for power.
"I know I know. But, you'll do it. I know it," She said before standing and started coughing. When she stopped, tears stung her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her before she could open her mouth. Her mother had been pregnant with her when the bomb hit and her mother had been in one of the radiated states and rushed out to one that was clean. "It'll be okay. Maybe it was just from all of the pollen," I said quickly before pulling back to see her face. It was paler than usual, her fair skin usually made her seem as white as a ghost but, she almost seemed transparent as blood dripped from her nose. "We both know it's not," She whispered before collapsing in my arms. I set her down slowly in the grass and lay beside her. She collapsed after a bloody nose, sleeping only for a little while before waking...it was only a matter of time before she slipped away in a dreamless sleep forever.

"This is why you are the generation to make a difference in the war and in our country," Professor Gilman said cheerfully. Optimism was always his comfort. "Some of you will make it into one of our colleges and others will go and fight for our country," He continued. "That's not a reason why we'll make a difference. We all just die of radiation eventually so why should we go out and die quicker in the war?" A boy whom I didn't recognize spoke up. "Because maybe we'll learn how to destroy the radiation or live with it," Professor Gilman replied, his voice straining. "That's impossible. Don't you think the scientists would've done that by now? What's been? Twelves years?"

"Jared, settle down now," The professor said, his eyes scanning the rest of the class uneasily. "You know what? I've always wondered what Colorado looked like. How about someone join me and we can go see it together?" Jared asked and turned back to look at the rest of the class. I was almost stunned by how good he looked compared to the rest of the kids in the class still coming out of the awkward phase of high school. His dark hair was almost as dark as mine but, perhaps a shade lighter and hie dark brown eyes were the color of chocolate. "Jared, do you wish to get kicked out of this program?" Professor Gilman said, his voice stricter than I've ever heard it. "You know what? Consider me kicked out. I'm done with this bullshit and pretending like there's hope for all of us." A hush fell over the class as Jared jumped off his chair and waltzed towards the door, looked back and gleamed a bright smile at Professor Gilman. "Have fun rotting in radiation," He said before exiting, leaving the class stunned and Gilman bewildered.