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"I'm never gonna pass!" Candace shrieked, dramatically closing and kicking her study book.
Madison's head snapped up from her own SAT prep book, and she smiled. Candace would never admit it, but grades meant more to her than she let on. Sure she had dreams of attending the same fashion school her mom attended, but she still needed the grades to get there.
Candace's mom, Jacqueline, was a strange lady. Madison had only met her twice and on both occasions it was either her just leaving or just coming home. She owned one of the biggest local fashion lines, their entire mall full of her stuff; she was hoping one day to branch out to New York. Candace's dad, Robert, didn't want to move to New York, as he was very comfortable in Philly. This was a point of contention for the Little family.
"Don't freak out Can-Can," Jess soothed, "Mr. Feeny's prep course will really help."
Jess seemed to be the most relaxed of the bunch, as she was instead preparing herself for the various athletic bootcamps and training seminars for a competitive cross country team. She had gotten an almost full scholarship to the team, surprising for one only in grade 11, that was waiting for her after she graduated (as long as she kept up her training). Jess was expected to get a decent mark on the SATs by her parents, but it wasn't a huge determining factor for her future.
"What did you get for number 6 Mads?" Candace inquired, pulling her book back to her.
"78," Madison responded, continuing to scribble in the book.
Madison wasn't as stressed as Candace, but wasn't as chill as Jess. Oxford still required at least a score of 1470 on the SATs for admission, so it wasn't like she could just not take them (as if she ever would). Her long history of academic achievement and aptitude seemed to be aiding her in her journey, and she was flying through the prep book. Madison wasn't even sure if she needed Feeny's course.
"Oh my god, I actually got it right!" Candace squealed, putting a red checkmark beside the question.
"Do you girls need anything? I'm sure I can find some of Anna's old books," Corinne, Madison's mother, inquired as she poked her head in to the room.
It was tradition to meet at Madison's house for any study sessions, as her room was basically filled with all the materials they would need. Her mom had her doctorate in psychology, and was a great psychologist within the town, so she always had an answer to any science questions. Her father, Pete Chirley, was an engineer, and therefore had the answers to any math questions. Anna Chirley, Madison's older sister of two years, who was currently at Pennbrook, was working towards a Bachelor of Science but was much more interested in taking various different liberal arts courses - and therefore was around for any English or Art questions. Not that Madison needed constant help from her family, she was doing fine on her own.
"I think we're doing good, thanks mom," Madison said brightly, "When's dinner?"
"Should be ready in about 15," Corinne mused, slowly closing Madison's bedroom door once again, "Good luck with studying!"
