Excitement and nervousness coursed through her veins as her fingers fumble with the keys. Finding the right one after a moment, she takes hold of the cold metal and places it in the slot. With a deep breathe she turns the key and hears its ominous click. The pile of random advertisements and mail is pulled out of the cold mail box by her shaking hands. She flips through the assorted junk mail before a plain white envelope catches her eye. An average envelope except for the return address. Her heart skips a beat as she rereads it. Its finally here. After months of waiting. Placing the other mail under her arm, she flips the envelop over to open it. Her fingers skim the gleaming seal gently.

“Excuse me, miss.” a red head man says as he brushes past her. A family begins to walk down the stairs as well, so she walks up the green carpeted stairs to her apartment and privacy. She tremble with excitement as she walks the short, familiar hall which seems so long now. As she reaches her door, she juggles her purse and mail clumsily in an effort to reach her keys. As she drops her mail a curse escapes her lips. She drops to her knees and gathers the papers before standing up and unlocking the door. Dumping her purse and the rest of the mail on the kitchen table, she takes off her coat and lays it across the back of the chair. She leans against the counter and slides down to the tiled floor.


She tears the envelope with eagerly, while she bites her lip nearly drawing blood. She lets the envelope fall to the ground as she unfolds the single sheet inside. Her eyes close as she takes a breath before beginning to read. Tears fall silently, sliding down her cheeks gently as her eyes skim the words. Quivering on her chin, they sparkle in the fading light. Her hands clutch the pale paper as it screams words of rejection at her. A single tear blots the hastily scribbled signature. Her eyes scan the words again, glazing over as it sinks in. She’d put all her hopes into this. They’d rejected her without a second glance. Her hands shake as she rips the paper violently into pieces. She pushes her hair out of her eyes and looks up as a shadow falls upon her. Its quivering form sighs gently and sits on the cold tile next to her. His arm wraps around her and pulls her close. Tears fall as he places a kiss upon her temple. His eyes glance over the torn fragments in front of them.

“Did you hear about that guy who couldn’t afford to pay his exorcist?” he asks looking down at her. She looks up at him confused.

“His house got repossessed.” He says with a sigh. She stares at him incredulously.

“Its kind of depressing really.” He sighed, laying his head against the wall, “I feel horrible for the dude.” He looked over at his girlfriend, his smile barely concealed. The girl’s face twitched and a smile spread across her face. A snort came bubbling up and laughter emerged. Her laughter fills the small room as the tears disappear. Her hand covers the grin spreading across her face. The letter becomes forgotten in pieces.

“It’ll be okay, besides Harvard isn’t worth it anyways.” he says, resting his chin atop her head. Her eyes rest on the strips of paper on the tile. Her dreams had been dashed by a single impersonal letter. Everything she’d hoped for since she was a child had been tossed to the wind. Every night she’d stayed up late to study, working herself to the bone with clubs and jobs, all of it felt useless. For a moment she wondered why she had even tried. He sighs and gets up. He stands before her and holds his hand out.

“Come on, no more moping.” he says, pulling her to her feet. Interlocking their fingers he picks up a forgotten manila envelope from the table.

“Besides, you forgot this one.” he says with a smile, handing her a chance to take a new path. An opportunity to fulfill a new set of dreams.