Jennifer Lewis It was time for my future to be decided as I apprehensively set my alarm.

I had to keep my thoughts off of what was to come as I bombarded myself with magazines and simple-minded shows. My heart would race as my mind slowly played games. I finally convinced myself to go to sleep and I tossed and turned as I tried to make time pass. One second I would close my eyes and open them with hopes that hours had passed by. 2:01 2:042:04:30 The clock continued clicking when finally my alarm went off. I whipped my computer open, double clicked on safari, and the internet could not load any slower. Middlebury admissions come on, come on. Load! my mind was screaming as I started sweating. F5Dd2j was the username and I could not help but think, Who the hell makes the password of an admission portal so difficult to type quickly? Are they serious? I should have woken up early. It was 8:01. It was up. The page loaded. Denied. No apology? No We are sorry we are unable to offer you admission? I couldnt breathe. How embarrassing? I took a deep breath. Called my best friend. And everything was going to be okay. I wrote my mom a quick note, Got rejected for Middlebury. Off to do something destructive with Dar. Nothing was ever said and she called my later that day to ask if I was going to be home for dinner. Daria and I already planned out how we were going to spend the day, as if we were expecting this rejection. We pulled over on the side of the road and faced the radar that the entire neighborhood could see. One hundred feet separated us. We looked at each other and ran as fast we could at the sign. It was as if every care in the world were lifted off my shoulders. My hair blew through the wind and my legs have never moved so fast. It was astonishing to see that the decision I had looked forward to for months resulted in rejection, but I could not have felt more liberated. We finally got to the end and I hurled over, struggling to breath. We made eye contact and ran back toward the car. We got back in the car and raced to her house. Her little sister was on the trampoline and forced us to join her. My feet buckled out from under me when I was rudely double bounced and I fell to the ground. Looking up at the sky, I saw my future looking brighter than ever before. The clouds had never seemed so white, nor the sky so blue. Grace jumped on me and gave me the biggest hug reassuring me, Youre gonna make it. As much as I enjoyed running around and acting like a child, it was time to sit down and discuss what my future plans were going to consist of. At this point, I jumped off the trampoline as my annoying phone ringtone was blaring. I ran to see who it was and was astounded to see that it was my grandfather. Great. The only thing that could make this day worse would be a sexist conversation with him. I rudely fought with myself. Me: Hello? Buelo: Jennifer. Its Buelo. Me: Really? Thanks! As if I didnt know. Me: How are you?

Buelo: I heard about Middlebury. How unfortunate. Dont fret because no matter where you end up, you will find a man to marry. Me: Great. I really needed this right now. It was so difficult to listen to his speech about how my education was important primarily because it was going to allow me to find a husband. This mentality just did not make sense to me. Feeling degraded, tears started to roll down my eyes and I attemped to hold them back as best I could. Buelo: Your mother tells me you aspire to be a doctor. Well. Good luck with that. Me: Thanks Buelo. Have a great day. I quickly pressed end and ran to Dars room. Was he serious? It is amazing that people could still possibly think like that. Daria: Dude, you alright? Me: My grandpa. Her face immediately pouted. Daria: Its just how they were raised. My grandpa was the same way. Well, great. Now I feel like crap because she doesnt even have her favorite uncle anymore. Me: Awe! Dar, Im sorry. I just hate that he thinks I need to rely off of a man for money. It makes me second-guess myself. Why did I work so hard in high school? Just so I could get into a good school and find a husband who can support me? You know thats ridiculous. Daria: It doesnt matter what he says. At the end of the day, youre still going to go to one of the best universities in the country. Prove him wrong. We immediately got up to gather our belongings to make our way back to our house. We blasted music and little was said for the next twenty minutes. We soon arrived at my house. Me: Hey, on the off chance any other admission decisions came in, lets check if the mail is hereNope. Nada. Heading back inside, we heard the sound of the mail truck. My heart sank. Its definitely not going to be there. I dont remember how it happen, but all of the sudden I was in front of the truck. Me: Do you have a big envelope from Notre Dame? Him: No. Me: Well, do you have a small one? Great. Please. Not two rejections in one day. Him: Nope. A long pause ensued as he double-checked. Him: Actually He pulled out a big envelope and my heart stopped. I grabbed the letter and fell to the ground crying. The mailman, with an utterly confused look held out the rest of the mail. Daria: Oh sorry, Ill take the rest of the mail. The second he drove away, she tackled me to the ground. Daria: I told you.