"Mom! mom!" Reyanne ran down the stairs as fast as she could, to the kitchen where her mom was making breakfast.
"What is it, Reyanne?" her mom asked.
"I got in!" she shouted excitedly while holding a paper in her hand.
"Got into what?" her mom asked puzzled. Then as she saw the paper in Reyanne's hand she asked, "The university... you got into the university?"
"Yeah! I just opened the letter this morning. Do you want to see?"
"Of course I do" her mom said excitedly.
Reyanne walked over to her mom and placed the letter in front of her face so she could read it. "Dear Miss Reyanne, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Kennington State University" Reyanne's mom read this out loud with a big smile on her face.
She signalled for Reyanne to move the paper and then she said "Oh, I'm so happy for you. I knew you could do it. Congratulations!" Afterwards, Reyanne's mom put down the knife she was holding, wiped her hands on a towel and gave her daughter a big tight hug.
"Thanks mom! I'm going to go call dad."
Reyanne ran out of kitchen and up the stairs. She would've slipped and fell, had she not kept her balance. Her mother who was still watching her, warned "Be careful Rey, you can't go if you're dead."
"I know, I know." Reyanne shouted out as she neared her bedroom.
Once Reyanne got into her room, she sat on her bed and immediately called her father. "Dad!" she started. "Great news. I got into KSU!"
"That's amazing honey!" he responded, the excitement evident in his voice. "Although I must say that I'm not surprised. I always knew you'd get in."
"I know dad. You believed in me more than I did."
"What can I say... I know my kids and their capabilities." He paused for a moment and continued. "Reyanne just remember if you put your mind to it and you work hard, all your goals will be within reach."
"Dad" She laughed, "You say this like all the time. What's with the motivational speech suddenly?"
Reyanne's dad laughed in return. "I guess I'm just happy. By the way, I was the one who brought the mail in this morning. I think I deserve some credit for this good news."
"Of course dad," she said. "I owe you a big hug."
"The biggest one yet" her father added, and they both laughed again. "We need to celebrate. When I get home from work today, we're going out to eat. Let your mom know."
"I will. Thanks dad."
"You're welcome sweetie. I'm proud of you and I love you. Don't ever forget that okay?"
"I won't. I love you too dad." She said as she hung up the phone.
Reyanne just had one more person to call and that was her best friend Aubrey. She dialled her friend's number on the phone and when Aubrey picked up, she practically screamed through the phone "I got in!"
"You did?" Aubrey asked, immediately knowing what Reyanne was talking about. "That's amazing Rey!" she continued, the excitement audible in her voice. "Let's meet at our usual place and have pizza to celebrate later." She suggested.
"Sure. Two sound good?" She asked.
"That's okay with me." Aubrey let out a satisfied sigh. "I'm just so happy we both got into our top choice school."
"Me too. We have so much to talk about when we meet. I can't wait!" Reyanne added.
"Me neither." Aubrey paused for a second and there was a bit of silence over the phone. " Oh Rey, my mom's calling, I think breakfast is ready. I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah later." Reyanne responded as they hung up the phone.
Reyanne got up from the bed where she sat and went back to the kitchen, just in time to see her mother setting the table.
"Do you need help mom?" she asked.
"No honey. It's fine." Her mom responded. "Just go get your little brother and come back down to eat."
"Sure thing mom" she said and went to get her little brother.
***
That afternoon, Reyanne started getting ready around 1 pm and could not hide her happiness. She played music while she styled her long curly black hair and did her make up. She decided that she'd wear her hair down and stick to a more natural make up look that day. Lips wise, she opted in for lip gloss instead of lipstick. When she was done she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. Reyanne was very pretty. She had light brown skin and a round face. Her eyes were almond shaped and light brown in colour, and she had a small button nose and plump lips. She stood at about 5 feet 5 and was the average weight for young females her age.
After looking at herself once more in the mirror, she placed her phone and purse in her bag and took one last glance at the room to ensure she wasn't forgetting anything. Reyanne's room much like most rooms, provided insights to her as a person. The room was painted a cool light blue that matched her disposition. The posters on the wall that offered sarcastic quotes from anonymous sources like "My silence doesn't mean I agree with you. It's just that your level of ignorance has rendered me speechless," complimented her personality. The book shelf on the right side of the room showcased her hobby. The shelf was filled with books of fiction from a few categories: Romance, Mystery, Fantasy.
Once Reyanne had verified that she hadn't forgotten anything she turned off the lights and headed downstairs. Reyanne arrived at the front door pretty quickly and as she grabbed the door knob she yelled "Mom! I'm leaving. I won't be out too long."
"Ok sweetie" Reyanne's mother yelled back from her room.
Reyanne opened the door and left her house. Reyanne arrived at Brick Oven Dreams 10 minutes later. Once she entered the door she saw that Aubrey was already there and waving at her. Reyanne smiled and walked towards her friend. When she arrived at the table, she gave her friend a hug before sitting down on the seat opposite her.
Brick Oven Dreams was the neighbourhood's pizzeria. The pizzeria stood at the busiest corner of the street with a rustic red brick facade, tucked beneath a striped green and white awning. The front windows stretched from floor to ceiling giving you a quick view of the honey coloured wooden tables and the chalk board that showed the menu and daily specials on the inside. As you walked through the door, you would be greeted by the scent of bubbly cheese and the laughter and chatter of the patrons. This was Reyanne's and Aubrey's favourite place to eat. The dough was hand tossed, the ingredients were freshly grown at a local farm and the wood-fired oven made pizzas that tasted like home.
Reyanne and Aubrey talked for a few minutes before they placed their order. They both had similar tastes, so they ordered a medium sized pepperoni pizza and decided to split it. While they had their meal they talked about how excited they were about the new adventures to come. They were both really happy until Aubrey mentioned the one thing that Reyanne did not want to think or talk about.
"Rey, I'm really happy for you, but I am going to miss you a lot. I completely forgot about the fact that we would be living in different states and won't be able to see each other as much. What should I do without my best friend?" Tears began to well up in Aubrey's eyes as she said this.
This made Reyanne sad. She went over to where Aubrey sat and hugged her. "Don't cry Bree. We can always text, call and video chat. Also, we can hang out all the time when we're home for the holidays. You can't get rid of me that easily."
Aubrey wiped her tears and smiled a bit as she heard this. "Same goes for you" she said in response. "You couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to." In response Reyanne gave her another tight hug.
***
After spending some more time with Aubrey, Reyanne went home. She got there with just enough time to get ready for their family outing. Reyanne wore her hair down again and stuck to the natural make up look with lip gloss. She wore a mid length black dress with straps and kitten heel stilettos.
Once everyone was ready, they headed for the restaurant. La Tavola Verdet was a family style Italian restaurant in down town Indianapolis. The building was two stories high, with a creamy lime stone front and a forest green trim. The restaurant featured wide arched windows and glass double doors in green. Over the double door hung a green sign with gold leaf lettering that read La Tavola Verdet in elegant font. On the sidewalk there are two planters on either side of the building made with rosemary, lavender and small white flowers. Inside the polished mahogany tables are spread out evenly and gleaming beneath the soft amber pendant lights.
The restaurant was usually packed on weekends but as Reyanne's dad was friends with the owner a table was reserved just for them. Reyanne and her family took their seats at their table and 5 minutes later, a waiter came to take their order. While waiting for their order they talked and laughed together. Reyanne's parents told her once more how proud they were. Her little brother Ryan looked happy as well, but Reyanne wasn't sure if this was because he was happy for her: her, because he got to eat out; or because he'd be having his parents all to himself soon.
Dinner came, and they ate. Reyanne and her mom had the Carbonara and Chicken Alfredo respectively. Her father had a steak well done and her brother copied her and got what she ordered as well. At dessert they made a toast to Reyanne. "To Reyanne and all the new adventures that await her!" her dad started.
"To Reyanne. May she have a successful future!" her mother continued.
"To Reyanne. The best big sister ever!" Her little brother joined in. At that they all laughed and clinked their glasses. Since Reyanne and Ryan could not drink alcohol and their dad had to drive, they decided it would be best if they all toasted with orange juice. After their dad paid the bill, they all went home.
When they got home, Reyanne ran up the stairs and into her room. She dropped herself on the bed and thought about what a great day she had. She couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. After a couple of minutes passed, she took a shower, brushed her teeth and went to bed.