Dreamchasers

Chapter 18 (2)

Today will be sunny with a 25 Celsius degree of temperature.

You have 50 unread messages from 'Laurel Prep Class of 2019'.

You have 10 unread messages from 'Dear Dreamchasers'. LISETTE RESULT COMES OUT TODAY!

The usual morning alarm clock was renamed by Beth before the morning of her early admission due date. 6:30 AM. Its springy ringtone was just about to knock Beth out of her half-conscious dream. Usually, upon hearing the ringtone, Beth would move her body unwittingly under layers of her quilts like an earthworm, while groping her phone to stop the continuous noise around her.

Last night was different. The dark walls in the room suddenly felt much wider, and the floating moonlight slowly crept around from the window panes to the floor. Throughout the whole night, Beth wrapped herself in the blanket and stared towards the direction of her desk. All of her Lisette University merch was there. The giant banner she took with her that hung right on top of the mirror. The cute teddy bear with a Lisette Art ribbon. The ball point pen with a mini scroll of a smiley student photo. The ceramic cups and earrings made by student artists, bought from the museum shop. The vinyl stickers that sat on the back of her laptop screen.

Beth didn't remember clearly how long she stayed awake. However, she remembered that she was in thought with her eyes open after the lights were off. The night was quiet, with specks of dust floating in the air under the dim lights from the window. She thought intermittently about the sunny Lisette campus she saw from the window of her school bus, the city lights she saw the first day at Laurel, the weekends spent at Laurel space with her friends, the buzzing student activity fair, the ugly cry after her last performance of Dreamchasers, and at last, her lost magic. The path from school to her home was quite long. However, with her friends by her side, she felt that there were still infinite jokes and stories to tell and that the path seemed too short for her never-ending chats. Her thoughts went on and off until her eyes suddenly opened at the sound of the alarm. The scene from her window doesn't feel dark anymore. The sky was dark blue from the top, but on the bottom, a splash of golden was emerging.

Things will be different after today.

Beth had decided that she will go to school on her own today, without Nora and Owen driving her. She planned to have breakfast on the go, head to school, sit down at her usual place, and open up the decision page. People have been doing acceptance videos about their decision, surrounded by friends who either laughed with them or cried with them afterward. Beth thought differently. Though she enjoyed Julianna and Simone, she still hoped that they wouldn't surround her when the time to open up the page came, so she could have time to process it internally first. The Lisette hoodie, hat, and uniform set bought from the museum center all hang around in the closet, washed carefully. Beth imagined that she would wear one of them when this day comes, yet she hesitated when opening up the closet. What if I was wearing those and didn't get accepted? Would I feel embarrassed looking at them again? Would I cry thinking about them again?

At last, she didn't pick any of the Lisette outfits. Instead, she took a Lisette pin from her desk and silently stuffed it into her pocket.

It was early December, so the morning felt chilly. With every breath came white steam dissipating in the air. Hopping onto the subway and leaning against the subway door, Beth watched the sky lighten up while faraway buildings became fast passing lines in front of her eyes.

She had been mentally preparing herself if Lisette didn't work out. Her grades and test scores were a little low in comparison to other Lisette admits. Her family—although they would try their best to support her college tuition—might not afford Lisette without scholarships. Pine Hill Polytechnic Institute, a match school for her, was more cost-efficient and closer to home. It seemed like a more rational choice for her, apart from the fact that it was also in the suburban area.