Me, Myself and I

42 - Aftermath

When we left the following day, nothing felt quite the same. Patty and I had become friends with another girl and Adam and I had finally reached the end part of a crazy roller-coaster. We hadn't quite reached the end just yet, but the biggest loops and falls were gone. Plus Patty, who had once started this trip hopeful, was now in a state of mind she often refers to as "book hangover x10".

So you know, not much had changed but comparing the before to the after, you could quickly spot the differences.

The rest of the week went by smoothly. We didn't meet up, but Patty was quick to create a group on WhatsApp. Which was both a good and a terribly bad decision. If I could use a few words to describe it, they would be 2012 memes, writing in all caps, and cat stickers. A lot of cat stickers...

I did study as much as I could during the few days I had left. Not as much as I once had hoped for but enough for me to feel a little better about myself. But, I would check my email every day after waking up and before going to bed in the hope of something from MIT. Needless to say, nothing came.

My mom and Joseph convinced me not to completely lose hope, but not to only count on that. So, by Saturday I had accepted a place at Berkeley. It wasn't the dream that MIT always was, but it was good. And I had the plus of having Adam and Ben at Stanford so I wouldn't be all by myself eating ramen and having an existential crisis when the first exam season comes. The three of us could do it together! But there was also the fact that Patty would literally be all the way across the country and not having her around would be something that I would never get used to. After all, we have known each other since we were 5. You can't just simply rebrand 13 years of friendship.

By the time Monday came around, we were back in school again. And it was a wreck. The Student's Assembly was a train wreck for one huge ass reason: senior Prom.

That's right since spending our parents' money on a trip to the middle of nowhere wasn't enough, now we'd spend even more for one single night. How fun...

And because St. James here is so full of school spirit, there were flyers in every hallway promoting everything Prom related. And most of those weren't even good! The only decent ones were from the Photography club asking for more people to join to help with Prom, but the posters were so small they got obscured by the others.

Also in two weeks' time, the Prom court would be announced but we all know what it's gonna be like: cheerleaders and jocks would take the lead and become prom court and then later make all of us feel like it was always about them and not everyone having a good time.

These are the main reasons why I'm probably not going to Prom. And also, the fact that I'd have to wear a dress or some type of pant-suit that wasn't denim plus shoes that weren't boots or trainers. Which is never fun.

But of course, when I told Patty that... let's just say she didn't take it lightly.

"EXCUSE ME?!" She screamed at me when we were already on the bleachers with Miranda waiting for the boys. "So, first you tell me that you and Adam know you like each other but decide to just wait and let the time fly by as you let me suffer and lose all hope I had had for the past 6 months, and now you fucking dare to tell me you're "probably not going to Prom"? Do you even care for my mental stability as a fangirl?!"

"Well, maybe I have the right to use my free will and make my own decisions!"

"Not in this case you don't! "

"Excuse me?!"

And naturally, Miranda was caught in the middle of this wildfire.

A really funny fact about Miranda was that the house her parents and she were staying in was basically less than a two-minute walk away from mine. So by Thursday after the senior trip, Patty and I had mutually agreed that Miranda would start coming with us to school at 8 am. Which apparently was the time she was used to start waking up, so today she was definitely more sleepy than usual.