I looked at my cousin, Bella, singing along with the Barbie cartoon playing on the television. For a moment, I wished I were her, carefree, untouched by worries. Ten years of my life had been like that too. But eighteen felt heavier. Stress. Expectations. Anxiety.
My admission letter still hadn't arrived. I sighed, sinking deeper into the cushion, my eyes fixed on Barbie and Ken dancing on the screen.
"I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world…" Bella sang louder, her sweet voice filling the room.
Mom was at work and would be back soon. The thought of her face if I didn't get into Dale's High terrified me more than the waiting itself. That look of disappointment, silent, heavy, was something I couldn't bear. And not just Mom. My girlfriends, Uncle Josiah, even Bella in her innocent way… I didn't want to let anyone down.
Dale's High. The most prestigious school in the world. The one everyone talked about, the one that glittered in every magazine article, whispered about in blogs like it was more kingdom than school.
My mind drifted back to the exam hall. The sheer wealth of it. Marble floors that gleamed just like glass. Chandeliers that didn't belong in a school but a palace. If the exam hall screamed luxury, what would the classrooms look like? The library? I could almost picture it, rows of books bound in gold, even scented air conditioning.
Restless, I got up, pacing the living room. My group chat was quiet, they were all buried in their lessons, desperate to secure their spots in universities or academies that would shape their futures. Meanwhile, my future hung on a single email.
I picked up my phone again, opening the browser where I had spent hours reading about the Royal Dynasty Company. Not the first time, of course, but this time I was obsessed with their heirs.
The internet gave me nothing. No pictures. No details. It was as if the young men didn't exist. Blogs hinted they were handsome, ruthless, nonchalant. Some said they were every girl's dream, money, height, power. Others warned they were mean, cold-hearted, untouchable.
But the company itself? Red Dynasty ruled the world. No one came close. It was rumored they made a hundred trillion dollars in a single day. My jaw had dropped the first time I read that.
The founder himself, sixty-one, though he looked forty, was the only face that appeared in search results. Magazine covers. Interviews. Paparazzi shots. He embodied wealth and power, and I couldn't stop wondering what secrets had gotten him there.
I hadn't stopped thinking about the incident either, the day Mom's car had braked hard for that sleek, black car, when even the security bowed to its presence. Whoever sat inside wasn't just powerful. They were untouchable. And for the first time, curiosity burned in me about the heirs who would someday inherit it all.
Mom's horn blared outside, yanking me from my thoughts. My heart raced as I ran to the window. Her white car gleamed in the garage light. She was home.
I opened the door as Bella dashed to help with the bags. Mom smiled at her before glancing at me. My throat tightened. She was waiting. Hoping. Expecting.
Inside, after she'd dropped groceries in the kitchen, she turned to me. "What's going on with you? You look tense."
I hesitated. Then the words slipped out. "What if I don't make it into Dale's High?"
She went quiet for a long moment, her expression betraying what her words tried to soften. "Then you'll get into another. There are more schools in Singapore than I can count. But…" She touched my arm gently. "I hope you're one of the accepted ones."
Her hope mirrored mine. I checked my email again. Nothing. Just the same old message from a week ago about being allowed to write the entrance exam. Frustrated, I tossed the phone on the table.
Mom sighed. "You tried your best. Don't lose yourself worrying." Then she added, "Now go make dinner, Sophie. Spaghetti. Bella will help you."
In the kitchen, Bella was already rinsing the tomatoes. "Bell, let me do that. Just hand me what I ask for," I said. She nodded, and we worked side by side.
"Did you ever have a crush?" she asked suddenly.
I froze, the empty pasta wrap crinkling in my hands. Joseph's name rose in my chest like a wound reopening.
"Yes," I admitted. "And he became my boyfriend. But he messed with my feelings."
Bella's eyes widened.
I quickly added, "That doesn't mean it's the same for everyone. Some girls marry their first crush. Some get betrayed. Just… be careful."
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Do you have a crush on anyone now?"
I gave a bitter smile. "Not anymore."
We cooked. We laughed a little. But Joseph's shadow lingered in my mind, especially when Bella finally asked about him directly. I had no choice but to tell her. "He broke up with me last month. And the worst part? A few days later, he paraded with my enemy as his new girlfriend."
Bella gasped. "That's insane."
"It's boys," I muttered. "The moment they're tired, they leave. With a stupid excuse."
Dinner came and went. Mom even brought up college, as though I was ready to think that far. Dale's College. Tuition over 5 million a year. Impossible. My chest tightened. I hadn't even secured senior high yet.
Afterward, I scrolled through my group chat. Messages poured in, gossip about Joseph and Hailey, cruel stickers, laughter, petty drama.
Then came Tasha's message: "Have you received your email from Dale's High yet?"
I typed back quickly: "Nope. Still waiting."
"Don't give up. You'll get in. You have to." Tessa encouraged.
I wished I could hold onto her certainty. But every second chipped away at my hope.
I finished the last forkful of my meal and carried my plate into the kitchen. The sound of water running filled the space as I rinsed the ceramic dish, cool water sliding between my fingers.
Then…beep.
My heart skipped. I hurried to my phone resting on the counter. Bella came in behind me with her own plate and Mom's, placing them in the sink as I snatched up my phone.
It was a notification from Tessa.
"So guys, crazy ish right now. I heard that… you know… it tastes better if you kiss your partner after?"
My eyes widened, disbelief crashing over me.
What?!
I blinked hard, gagging a little in disgust. Sure, our group chats had gone into weird topics before, diet tips, gossip, even some borderline dirty jokes, but this? This was on a whole other level.
I quickly typed back, "Hell, no. Don't even try it. Ew."
Almost immediately, Mia joined in. "Who told you that?!" Tasha and Joan bombarded the chat with laughing stickers.
Tessa replied, "Relax, I was just asking. I'm not about to try it."
I shook my head, staring at the dimming sky through the kitchen window. Dark clouds had gathered, heavy with rain, and I silently wished I could unsee what I had just read.
Leaving Bella at the sink, I slipped out of the kitchen. Mom was on the couch, her laptop balanced on her legs, surrounded by scattered files and papers. She barely glanced up, too busy with work.
I tiptoed past and headed to my room.
The moment I closed the door, I collapsed onto my bed, pulling the covers over my body even though it was only 7 p.m. My phone buzzed again, my friends filling the group chat with more chatter. I laughed with them, even told them details about Dale's High that the blogs failed to capture. The grandeur of the exam hall, the silence that hung in the air even after the exams ended, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
Soon, the topic shifted.
"The college tuition is five million dollars a year," Tasha wrote.
"I'll need to crack my brain and pass like crazy to get in. I hope we all do," Tessa added.
"No luck for me," Mia typed. "My mum's a baker. She can't afford that. It's outrageously expensive."
Later, we hopped on a video call, gossiping and laughing. They asked if I'd visit America again, and I smiled faintly. "Maybe after senior high," I said.
After the call ended, I rose to close my curtains. But the pull of my inbox was too strong. I refreshed my email, again.
Loading…
Still loading.
Then—
Subject: Dale's High Admission.
My breath caught.
I clicked.
Dear Sophia Anderson,
We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted to Dale's High to begin your senior year academic journey. Kindly follow the link below to accept your admission and other necessary forms… Welcome and congratulations.
My eyes blurred as I read it twice, thrice. My body shook before the scream ripped out of me, loud and unrestrained.
"Mum!" I shouted, my voice breaking.
I had made it.
I was going to Dale's High.