[SOLO] #1
566 words

To say that Harley was looking at her acceptance letter with dismay was an understatement. Romano's Constitutional Haven. A military school. With uniforms. The young woman had absolutely zero interest in joining the military, and the thought of being forced to wear the same thing every day was utterly revolting. A physically based school... so she was going to be expected to run around like an idiot more often than not. She wasn't an unhealthy person by any means, but Harley also wouldn't go so far as to say she was in shape. The strict schedule also meant her time for crafts would be extremely limited, and the thought made her groan.

No, she hadn't wanted to attend school at Romano's... but the school had reached out to her with an offer she couldn't refuse. If she could maintain her grades and prove herself academically? They would grant her a scholarship to DCU for all four years.

With money being so tight as it was around her household, how could she turn it down? She hadn't mentioned anything to her parents--if they knew she was making decisions based on money, they'd only beat themselves up, and the last thing she wanted to do was make them think that they'd failed her. Because they hadn't! Far from it! Still, that's just how they were. But if she came to them with a smile on her face about this fantastic opportunity that she'd been given? Well, they'd be absolutely over the moon.

Sighing quietly to herself, Harley set the letter down momentarily to pull her hair back and out of her face, lost in thought. So, her schedule was going to be severely limited. Like she was going to let that stop her from making new things from her Etsy shop. She had to wear a uniform? Fine! She'd find ways to spice it up while still maintaining the rules of the school. She'd never let things stop her before if she didn't want them to, and she sure as hell wasn't going to start now. A satisfied smile tugged at her lips, and, filled with new resolve, she stood from her desk and deftly plucked the letter into her hand.

"Mom? Dad?" She called, slipping out of her bedroom into the small living space of their apartment. Her parents had some sort of cooking show on, but her dad reached over to mute the TV once she came into the room. Taking a deep breath, Harley allowed a grin to crawl over her face as she held out the letter and explained herself, allowing a little bit of pride to seep into her tone. Why shouldn't she be proud? A full ride to college was nothing to sneeze at! If she managed to excell, she reminded herself, but there was no doubt in her mind that she'd give it her all.

As expected, her father immediately got teary and hugged her tight, while her mother looked on with pride. They were naturally surprised at her choice of a military-based school, but Harley merely shrugged it off and said she thought she could benefit from learning how to operate under a strict schedule.

Honestly, she thought to herself, seeing how excited her parents were for her was worth it. So be it. Bring it on, Romano's. She'd go toe to toe with you and come out on top.