Exchange

Chapter 1

© 2014 GEMMA PARSONS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED~ NO PART OF THIS NOVEL MAY BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORMS OR ANY MEANS, WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.

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Amidst my mother's nervous rambling, I attempted to withhold another sigh.

"Mom, please relax," I pleaded from the table, pushing a spoon aimlessly through my cereal. It wasn't even seven-thirty yet, and my mother was already steering herself towards an early heart attack.

She was acting as though she was the one about to receive the news.

My mother sighed, paced around the room once more for extra measure, then pulled a seat up next to me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... well you've just wanted this for so long and have worked so hard for it. I don't want to see you disappointed."

I gave her a wry smile, dropping my spoon into the now mushy cereal. "Your confidence in me is overwhelming."

My mother rolled her eyes, her lips tugging up slightly. "I have the world's confidence in you, you know that. It's just..."

I sighed and ran a hand through my still-damp locks. "I know, I know. I'm nervous too; I hardly got any sleep last night thinking about it."

Which was true. I had tossed and turned and nearly bitten my nails raw at the very thought of what today would bring.

Suddenly restless, I turned away from my mom to pick up my bag, sacking the attempt I'd made at eating breakfast.

"Are you leaving already?" she asked, eyeing my uneaten bowl with a frown.

"No need to prolong the inevitable," I muttered, feeling little knots form in my stomach.

Mom frowned. "Rose, you should eat something—"

"I'm not hungry and I still have to pick up Kate. I don't want to be late for school, especially not today."

She nodded, knowing her protests would be useless, but still placed a banana into my hands. I conceded by slipping it into my backpack.

As I stood up, my mom stepped forwards and pulled me into her soft warmth. I let her hold me for a moment, breathing in her clean-laundry smell, mixed with citrus soap and floral perfume. I knew her smell more than I knew my own. I returned the embrace and rested my chin on her shoulder, basking in the familiarity.

"I love you," she said. "No matter what happens today, I am so proud of you for getting this far and, if by some ridiculous chance they don't choose you, it's their loss."

She pulled back and gave me a small smile, showing traces of the prominent dimples she used to have. I looked into her forest green eyes, so alike my own, and tried to give her a sincere smile back.

"Thanks Mom, I love you too. I'll see you later." I grabbed my car keys from the table and walked towards the door.

Stepping outside, I gave her one last wave before I made my way down the driveway, which was slick with ice.

Climbing into my little car, I started it up and turned the heat on full blast, hoping to chase away the wintery wind. Unable to press down onto the pedal, I stared out of the windshield for a moment, my thoughts slow and preoccupied. My eyes took in the familiar setting of the neighborhood I'd lived in all my life. The same houses, with the same carefully cut lawns, alongside the same, well-kept streets. Everything was the same, as it always had been.