Chain Reaction 2.13: Everton

Emily

     I'm tutoring Drake again today. When he goes to the restroom, Mommy comes in with a huge smile on her face.
     "Guess what?!" She looks excited.
     "What?" I ask so that she doesn't explode.
     "We didn't want to tell you until we knew for sure, but we sent in your transcript and your writeup of your latest science fair project." She beams at me, looking like she has more to say, but I have to interrupt her.

    "You did what?!" Even though I won, I still wasn't happy with the results I got on my project. I was trying to invent a formula for a lasting food preserverative that didn't have any negative side effects. It irritated me that I couldn't test it properly with my limited resources. Still, I had no idea my parents were sending anything ANYWHERE without my go-ahead.
     "You've been accepted into Everton!" She couldn't hold it in any longer.
     Drake had walked in just before Mommy made her announcement. "You're leaving?" His mouth droops, and his eyes widen.

     I look at him without answering. Mommy does for me.
     "No! That's the best part! Since she'll only be a teen, they're letting her study at home for the first few years. And even then, the main campus is close by. Isn't this wonderful, Emily?!"
     I don't know what to say. Everton is a very prestigious university, what they call Ivy League. My heart starts racing. I'm having trouble getting a good breath.
     Drake surprises me with his astuteness when he asks, "Is this what you want, Emily?"
     Mommy looks at him in a shocked way. "What? Of course it is! She's graduating high school at the same time as Ethan. She'll need something to do."
     Ethan is going to the police academy.
     Drake still waits for my answer, watching me.

     "You could have at least asked," I tell my mother, trying my best not to glare at her outrageously happy smile.
     My private (well, if you don't count the science fair) ideas have been not only put on local display but sent to the deans at Everton. I took enough of a risk submitting my research for the fair, but I told myself that it wouldn't matter, that odds were good that most people would dismiss them as childish. That was fine with me. But now, my own parents have submitted them for scrutiny to people in powerful positions!
     Her smile finally falters. "We... we wanted to surprise you. We weren't sure if you'd even get accepted, and we didn't want to have to deliver bad news if you didn't."
     "Do you want me to go home?" Drake asks quietly. "I can call you tomorrow if you want."
     These past few months, Drake's gotten so much better than he used to be--around me at least. I've noticed a few times that he'll revert back to his old, childishly-mean ways when he's around his other friends, but when it's only the two of us, he's a different sim.
     I nod my head silently to answer Drake's question. He gets up and leaves without saying another word.
     "I'm going to my room now," I say in an emotionless way.
     "Emily," Mommy calls out, "it was supposed to be a surprise."
     "I'm surprised," I reply back over my shoulder on my way to the stairs.

     Graduation looms before my brother and me, and he has to study hard for his exams. Mommy helps him. I can hear them talking well into the night.

     I can't help but feel that she's transferred all her excitement over to him, that my lackluster response to their "surprise" wasn't what she wanted. I can't help it. Am I excited to start the challenge that Everton classes will be? Yes. Of course I am.
     Her feelings hurt, Mommy avoids me.

     My brother scratches his way through our exams, and we both graduate. To celebrate, we take a vacation.

     Daddy really stinks at horseshoes. From what he tells me, this is nothing new.

     Ethan ages up first.

     The other sim in the pictures is his friend Justin, who came along for the day.

     At last, it's my turn!

     I'm about to embark on a new chapter in my life, and I feel it's going to be an incredible ride.

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Now, I can really kick this story back in high gear! (sorry for the cliches hehe)

And here are some fun pics!

By the way, Ethan is still the official heir unless I change my mind (which could happen), but the storyline will more closely follow Emily for a while.

Click here to go to 2.14