Anchor

One

The silence filed the air as the instructor began the time. I knew right away I was going to get a perfect score. I had taken the ACT now 3 times and had scored in the upper 30's and was bound for perfection. All the late nights studying would come to this. The scratching of pencils and flipping of pages made the time fly.

"Time," the heavy set instructor called signally the end of the multiple choice questions.

"You will have 30 minutes to complete the written essay. If you finish early you must wait to leave so sit quietly. And absolutely no talking."

Once time began again I knew my question was super easy and I killed it. All I could think was if this round I had worked hard enough for that perfect score. I wanted it so bad. Growing up I was the kid that had to get the top score. I was the over achiever. If there was more to be done, I had done that and more. My parents never pushed me in anything. They wanted me happy and whatever that took, that's what they wanted me to do. They were big liberals and have always been the first to fight for democratic causes. My dad, the politician, was always traveling to big conferences or meetings. Living in Greensboro, North Carolina the Capitol was only about a 5 hour drive from my house, so if they needed my father for a week it wasn't a big deal to pack a suit case and go. My mother, the district attorney, always had her head in a book trying to figure out cases and understand why people had to do the things they did.

"Time. You are all free to go. Scores will be posted within 6 to 8 weeks. If your scores aren't posted by then call this number on the board," the instructor stated rapidly before the majority of us trampled each other getting out of the classroom. Who wanted to spend their Saturday morning at school? Well I did but I am always an exception.

Later at dinner, after reprimanding my younger brother for the hurricane that had traveled through his room, her eyes wandered to me, filled with curiosity.

"How'd things go honey? I know you've worked tremendously hard and have spent far too long studying for things to have gone poorly today," she questioned.

I was teetering between telling her the standard answer of fine or being confident and saying I crushed it.

"It went okay, I think."

"You think?! Honey you have put so much time into this. I doubt they just went okay. I bet you did great."

"We will see in a few weeks how good I really did."

Laying in bed that night I could only think about the test. If I could get a perfect then valedictorian was sealed. All through grade school it was pretty much understood I was going to be top of my class, graduate with honors, and go to any college in the entire world. If I applied, I'd get in. And if I didn't, that college was foolish.

I was a nerdy girl but I was loved by almost all. I could light up any room at any given moment. I wasn't just a study robot that had no social life and devoted herself to her studies. For the most part my life was held to minimal drama and things always went pretty smooth. Then I started my senior year of high school. Before I can get into detail of my eventful senior year, I must take things back to where they all began, in Boston, Massachusetts.