The Tides That Join Us Together

Chapter 74: Results Day

China

Cameron- 1500
Taj- 1350
Lauryn-1530
Ty-1350
Thomas- Perfect 1600

And then there was me. Too much of pussy to check my SAT results right now. I was nervous. They all checked before first period, eager to find out, but not me. I wanted to be away from everyone, in the safety of my own home, so that I could cry in peace. Except Cameron was coming over, so I wouldn't really be away from everyone.

"Come on, Chi." Cameron said to me at the lunch table.

"No." I said. "I won't do it. Not here. I won't let it ruin my day."

"It's already ruining your day." Lauryn said. "Look at you. You're a ball of stress."

"A content ball of stress." I said. "Lemme lone now, thank you."

"Guys." Taj said. "Just let her be. If she doesn't want to look right now, she doesn't have to."

"Shut up." Cameron said. "Trying to be like that in hopes she'll change her mind."

"Did it work though?" Taj asked me, smiling.

"Of course not." I said, smiling back.

"Ridiculous." Thomas said.

"I have no comment, really." Ty said. "When we know, we'll know."

"Thank you." I said. "Someone gets it."

"You ain't no better than the rest of us, Ty." Taj said. "Don't let him sike you out."

"All of y'all on Cameron's level right now." I said. "Meaning I can't stand none of y'all."

"Still can't stand me?" Cam asked. "Really? After all this time."

"Yep." I said. "But I promise I'll let y'all know when I check later tonight."

"You better." Lauryn said.

This whole conversation made me want to throw up out of nervousness. What if I did bad? What if it wasn't enough to get into Stanford or any of my other schools. Stanford was the most important though. For me, academics were the most important. UCLA is really just a party school when you look at it. Sports and parties. The others were just back ups if all else failed.

Doing my research, I knew exactly why I wanted to go where I wanted to go. It looks so good to have a college like Stanford on your resume. Professions dig that shit. Every class period, anxiety got the best of me. My leg was continuously bouncing up and down, ready to just go home already.

"Relax." Cameron said, putting his hand on my thigh as we sat in our last period class. "You're making the desk shake and this giant history textbook isn't easy to read with a vibrating desk."

"Nigga." I whispered. "You know you're SAT score. I don't."

"China." he said. "You are one of, if not, the smartest people in this school. You study more than the rest of us, always going to speak to the teachers about something, staying late to tutor others. You've got it."

"But what if-," I began to say.

"What if nothing, Chi." he said. "We have 15 minutes left, then we'll be on our way to your place and whatever your score is your score. Doesn't mean you're not smart. This SAT stuff is hard, but you can't let it do this to you. You've been driving yourself insane all day." I sighed, my eyes looking back down at my textbook, my leg no longer shaking. I tried to keep it together for those last 15 minutes and then it started up again at my locker.