Ellie Sandberg would love to reinvent herself. When she earns a spot at an elite boarding school for young inventors, it seems like the perfect opportunity: A summer away from home, away from her overprotective parents, and away from the hopeless cr...
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E L L I E
I stand at the campus gate, leaning my weight against my suitcase, with my back to the ivy-covered sign:
WINTHROP ACADEMY Founded 1813
Why did I come here again? I've been coveting a spot in this program since eighth grade, counting down the years until I was old enough to apply. Then counting down the days until my parents dropped me off, with hugs and kisses and orders to call home nightly.
Now here I am, waving at the red glow of their brake lights as they exit the U-shaped driveway and disappear over a rise in the twisting mountain road. The fact that I'm standing here is the most monumental thing I've ever done, but I don't feel accomplished—or even excited. Right at this moment, I feel like a little kid on my first day of kindergarten, trying desperately to hold it together before the other kids see what a crybaby I am.
I straighten up my shoulders. Get it together, Ellie. I'm not a baby. I'm 16 years old, and I worked my butt off to earn a scholarship to attend this summer program. It's not like I'm moving here for life. The Winthrop Academy Summer Maker Program runs for one month, and then my parents will be back to pick me up.
I'm here. I'm doing this... and it's going to be amazing.
With a deep, shuddering breath, I turn my back to the road and make my way through the tall wrought-iron gates. Maybe it's the grandeur of this place that's throwing me off. I knew it would be fancy—one of the oldest and most prestigious boarding schools in the New England—but I didn't expect it to be so huge. There must be twenty different buildings within the campus walls, interconnected by a web of gravel pathways.
I recognize the largest building straight ahead, with its brick façade and graceful clock tower. That was the image pictured on all the online application materials. It looked so warm and welcoming on the website, pictured against a backdrop of clear blue sunny skies. But the reality before me feels forbidding and austere... Or maybe that's just the blanket of dark gray clouds gathering overhead.
I better figure out where I'm going before the rain starts. I grab my suitcase handle and march forward, choosing one of the angled paths at random. A pair of girls stand at the far end, and my spirits lift at the sight of them. Most of the Winthrop students have left for the summer, but at least the place isn't completely abandoned. I expect the girls to react to the sound of crunching gravel as I approach. They turn, but I can't seem to make eye contact. It's weird. Do they even see me? Both of them have their eyes covered by bulky sunglasses, in spite of the overcast skies.
A confident person would go up to them... introduce herself... smile... get directions... ask if they're part of the same program... That seems like the confident approach. Definitely.
If you know any confident people like that, please let me know because I'd love to meet them. As for me, I turn down a different path and pull out my phone to look busy.
