Short Stories

Rules Unspoken

This is a very old contest entry for the Lenovo Back To School Contest.  Safe to say, I did not win.  Alas, my piece was quite dramatic.  *cringes*  What can I say?  I was going through a rough time.  Probably shouldn't have expressed such feelings in what was supposed to be a cute and light contest. lol  I won't blame you for skipping to the next entry, that one is actually good!

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College. For most kids, it's the very first time they have to rely solely on themselves. No longer do they have a net to fall back on. They are freshwater fish thrown into an ocean. Not only do they have predators they have to avoid, food to find, and a home to locate; they have to learn how to breathe in this new salty environment. It's piling stress upon stress. Sounds like hell to me.

That's what I thought a year ago, anyway. When people asked if I was going to college, I told them no. I told them I needed time to sort things out, and I did. I traveled like I'd always wanted to (Japan, England, Russia, and France), worked various jobs (waitress at pub, veterinary assistant, and an au pair), and had some amazing life experiences (meeting Tom Hiddleston in the middle of a tiny London Tesco is kind of top of the list).

I was happy with my life. No, that's not right. I was nineteen, debt free, exploring the world, and completely self- sufficient. I wasn't just happy with my life, I was living it.

Until the day it all crumbled.

My father called me up one day and said he was done waiting. "We've given you a year off." He told me. "Your mother and I have been more than patient."

The smile at hearing my father's voice fell. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"This coming fall, you're going to take that scholarship to Princeton."

"But they said I could wait as long as I want, Dad." I said. "Why should I go now? Things are good here in Chicago and you know I was planning to be on a missions trip in Guatemala by next Christmas."

My Dad's voice took on the tone of a grizzly. "You've had a year to fool around, Brooklyn, just like you asked. Now you're going to college and that's that."

"But-"

"Brooklyn Gerard, if you don't attend fall semester this academic year, your mother and I won't pay one penny to help you with school. No money. Period."

A cold tug settled in my heart; the feeling of watching your perfect life drip down the drain. "I'll think about it." I whispered. I hung up before my father could say one more cataclysmic word.

I spent the next few days mulling everything over (aka. sulking while watching reruns of Gilmore Girls, wondering why I wasn't more college driven like Rory). But really, what choice did have? There was no way I could pay for college without my parents help. Since my folks had always been debt free, with a good sense of moral responsibility, I wouldn't be getting any financial aid. I had that scholarship money, but only enough to last me about six months at an Ivy League school. I'd saved a little myself, but traveling around keeps you living hand to mouth. In short, I needed that money if I ever wanted to get a higher education.

So two months later I quit my job as a lighting assistant in a local theater, packed up my few possessions, and kissed Chicago goodbye.

"It's only college." My mother told me on the ride up to New Jersey. "We just need you to do something productive with your life Brooklyn."

"Traveling the world, getting job experience, and trying to find where I belong isn't productive, Mom?" I asked in a sweetly sarcastic tone.

She shot me a look out of the corner of her eye. "No honey, it isn't. You're going to want to do something besides waitressing or glorified babysitting one of these days, and you need to be qualified to do it."