Having everything else taken care of, Bri prepared herself for the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. She took a deep breath, called the admissions office at Stanford, and declined her acceptance and scholarship. Though they tried to get her to reconsider, Bri was determined. She made sure the scholarship offered to her would be available for someone else, thanked them for the opportunity, and hung up.
Releasing a huge breath, Bri was surprised to find that she wasn’t as devastated as she thought she’d be. She had, after all, just given up her oldest, dearest dream. And she was sad, but she knew she was doing the right thing. Her heart told her so. She had a new dream now.
Monday morning, Bri and her dad flew out to North Carolina. Tuesday morning Bri marveled as she arrived on campus. The Duke campus was stunning, and she found she had no trouble picturing herself there for the next four years. The dance team tryouts were long and grueling, but after three rounds of cuts, Bri made the team. She felt a huge weight lift off her chest as things fell into place for her. She took the packet that had all the team information she needed, but she didn’t hear much of what the director was saying. Bri’s thoughts were on Cole, and how she was one step closer to him. She did hear that they were all due on campus July 7th to move into their dorms, and practices started the 9th. One month away. It couldn’t come soon enough.
When Bri and her dad returned home, she got even more confirmation that she’d made the right decision. She got a call from a very excited, very loud Carly.
“Guess what! I’m like, totally moving to California!” Carly squealed into the phone. “My dad got a job in San Jose, and since I need a break from my mom, he said I could come live with him! With you at Stanford, we’ll practically be neighbors! Just think of all the fun we’ll have! College parties and frat boys! I like, totally can’t wait!”
“Wow Carly, that’s great, but I have some bad news for you.” Bri wasn’t sorry at all. In fact, she was relieved that she’d dodged a bullet. Dealing with Carly on a daily basis was not something she could handle. “I’m not going to Stanford. I’m going to Duke.”
“What? Why? You’re supposed to be like some genius or something. What happened, you weren’t as smart as you thought you were?” Carly said snidely.
The derision in Carly’s voice set Bri off. She was done pandering to her cousin in the name of keeping the peace. It was time someone took Carly down a notch, and Bri had been dying to do it.
“Not exactly. You remember Cole, that we met at the beach last summer?”
“Mr. Douchebag-who-doesn’t-know-how-to-treat-a-lady?” Carly scoffed. “Yeah, why?”
Carly’s defamation of Cole made Bri bristle with anger.
“And remember how I told you I hadn’t seen him since then?”
“Yes. What does this have to do with anything?” Carly’s impatience was audible.
“Well, I lied. Turned out Cole went to my high school. We started dating months ago. He got a basketball scholarship to Duke, and I’m going to Duke with him.” Bri left out the fact that they’d broken up. That was beside the point. “Oh, and by the way, all your fantasizing about him didn’t even come close to the real thing.”
“You bitch!” Carly growled, and Bri was taken aback by the venom in her voice. “You lying, back stabbing, slut of a bitch! How could you do this to me? You knew how I felt about him, and you like, totally went after him anyway. I can’t believe you did that!”
“First of all, he came after me. I guess shallow, judgmental, self-absorbed snobs aren’t really his type. And secondly, I don’t care what you think. The world doesn’t revolve around you, Carly, and neither do I. Oh, and Mr. Douchebag-who-doesn’t-know-how-to-treat-a-lady, is anything but! Cole is kind, and generous, and loving, and amazing. He’s always known how to treat me right. The problem isn’t that he doesn’t know how to treat a lady. He does. The problem is that he knows a lady when he sees one. And Carly, you are no lady!”
Carly began sputtering incoherently into the phone, but Bri had no more patience for her.
“Have fun in San Jose, Carly. I for one will be extremely grateful that I’ll be three thousand miles away.” Bri hung up before her cousin could respond, feeling vindicated and satisfied.
Bri spent her last month in California spending as much time with her family, friends, and the ocean as she could. She spent her last Saturday with Layla, shopping and hanging out. When it was time for her to leave, Layla walked her to the door.
“You and Devon take care of each other.” Bri hugged Layla tightly. “And if you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”