She had been on pins and needles waiting for some answer from the scholarship committee. Every day she checked the mail and her email and every other type of correspondence that she could think of, and the time was ticking away faster than she would have liked. She hadn’t told her parents what she had done yet. She hadn’t wanted to deal with any disappointment from them if she didn’t manage to get into Crystal Academy. She had started getting all of her school supplies and it was really looking like she would be just another regular Meadowview student come the first day of school. Oh well. Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

As Colomba had said, the school was Co-Ed, so that would be a unique thing to handle. Or, maybe not so unique as much as it would be better. Knightside…the boys were just kids. Meadowview would have real…real teenage boys who were in high school. She was really going to be in high school.

Samantha gave a dreamy little sigh, brushing out her hair and staring out the window. She was pretty sure that her dream of going to Crystal had absolutely flown out the window, and it was time to just forget it and move on. School started in a few short days and…well. There was no way she’d be able to get ready for such a great school in such a short amount of time. Maybe she could try and apply again next year. Or just stick with Meadowview and do her best there. That would always work too. Either way, she was going to have a great time for the next four years. It was going to be a blast. And she was going to meet so many people and get into the best college after graduating and her life was just going to be wonderful.

The sound of a truck stopping outside of the house cause Samantha to look up and peer out the window. Yup. There was the mailman all right. Did she even want to look? Today was the absolute last day that she would hear anything from the committee, and she just didn’t want to have her hopes and dreams crushed by there not being a letter there. She took her time in braiding up her hair, eyes flickering back to her window every few moments. Finally she stood up, brushing herself off and made her way out to the mailbox taking out the large chunk of mail and beginning to flip through it.

Bill. Bill. Bill. Advertisement. Coupon. Large fancy looking letter. Bill. Bill. Postcard. Credit car—oh god. Wait. Large fancy looking letter? Samantha flipped back to it, staring down.

It was addressed to her. Oh god. It was from Crystal Academy.

Samantha went inside the house, dropping the other mail on the dining room table then all but ran to her room, closing the door with a loud clatter. She jumped onto her bed, heart pounding and began to open the letter, fingers shaking slightly. Was it a good letter or a bad one?

When she got it out of the envelope, her eyes scanned it. There were only a few words that registered. Acceptance and Full scholarship including room and board.

She had done it. She was going to Crystal Academy and she was going to get to live in the dorms, and she was. She was really going to be a Crystal girl...oh this was the best day ever. Really it was. Full of excitement, Samantha jumped up running from her room. “Moooooooom!”

She had to tell her parents sometime, after all.