The bus sighed to a stop in front of the Chicago Civic Academy, its reflection gliding across the glass facade. The sun hung low, staining the skyline bronze. Students spilled out in uneven clusters, their chatter low and restless after the field trip.
Kalani stepped off last, feeling the static in the air — the kind that lingered after seeing something they weren't supposed to question. The courtroom. The screams. The quiet authority of her mother's voice.
Oliver trailed behind the group, his gray armband visible against the cuff of his uniform jacket. Travis Wynn walked a few paces ahead, already talking too loudly for the mood.
"Well," Travis said, clapping his hands once. "Now that we've seen the nation's justice system at work, time for something cheerful — our futures."
Kalani gave him a look and rolled her eyes.
The academy's main hall glowed with the light of a dozen large monitors suspended from the ceiling. The headline scrolled across them in crisp white letters:
CHICAGO CIVIC ACADEMY — CLASS OF 2130 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RESULTS
CONGRATULATIONS SENIORS
The hallway erupted in motion. Students crowded together, faces upturned, the reflections of their names flickering across their cheeks.
The first results flashed:
TRAVIS WYNN — MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY — ACCEPTED
Travis grinned wide, shooting Kalani a quick look. "Told you. MIT never misses."
NORA PARK — HARVARD UNIVERSITY — ACCEPTED
EMMA LI — PRINCETON UNIVERSITY — ACCEPTED
DANIEL HERRERA — NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY — ACCEPTED
RAHUL SINGH — UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO — ACCEPTED HONORS
LENA VASQUEZ — YALE UNIVERSITY — ACCEPTED
MARIA JORDAN — UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN — ACCEPTED HONORS
ISAAC LEBLANC — STANFORD UNIVERSITY — ACCEPTED
Each new name was met with cheers, claps, a blur of excitement. It felt rehearsed — like the future was simply playing out on cue.
Then Kalani's name appeared near the center of the list:
KALANI ARMSTRONG — COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY — ACCEPTED WITH SCHOLARSHIP HONORS
Travis let out a low whistle. "Columbia. Fancy. Your mom must be thrilled."
Kalani's jaw tightened. "She doesn't get a say in everything."
He smirked. "Doesn't need to. The universe just rearranges itself for her daughter."
She turned away from him. "Not everything that looks perfect is."
The screen flickered again as more names scrolled. The air hummed with joy — pure, unblemished, easy. Until the last name appeared.
OLIVER ROWE — APPLICATIONS: HARVARD — REJECTED | NORTHWESTERN — REJECTED | UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS — PENDING ZONE REVIEW
The chatter faltered. Some students shifted uncomfortably. Others looked down at their screens, pretending not to notice.
Travis broke the silence. "Guess the admissions offices got nervous about the address. Zone One isn't exactly Ivy League material."
Kalani's voice came sharp. "That's enough."
He raised his hands. "Hey, I'm just being realistic. You can't apply to Harvard when your mail gets screened at the border."
Oliver didn't respond at first. His eyes stayed on the screen, calm but distant. Finally, he said, "At least the rejections came fast. Saves me the trouble of waiting for hope to expire."
Kalani's heart pinched at his tone — not bitter, just tired.
"You know that's not fair," she tells him. But Oliver doesn't care he walks down the hall leaving the celebration behind. Kalani looked to him hoping there was hope for him.
Travis chuckled under his breath. "Maybe next year, man."
Kalani turned sharply toward him. "You sound like someone who thinks rules make the world right."
Travis's grin faltered just a little. "Maybe they do. At least for people who follow them."
Oliver's eyes flicked toward him — steady, sharp. But he still continues on his walk, even if he did have something to say it wouldn't change the world he was born into.
---
Kalani tried everything to cheer Oliver up while they study after school together at the library. But he was so preoccupied and studies that he just ignored her he kept to himself. Even as she tries to grab his leg under the table he doesn't move, nor react even trying kissing him on the cheek did nothing.
Outside, the air had cooled to a faint chill. The city glowed in shades of gold and steel, the traffic drones overhead tracing orderly paths through the fading light.
Kalani and Oliver walked side by side, the hum of the world filling the silence between them. Every billboard, every lighted banner spoke the same message — Security. Progress. Order.
Kalani kicked at a fallen leaf on the sidewalk. "You applied to Harvard?"
He smiled faintly. "Figured I'd start with the impossible."
"You shouldn't have to call it that."
He looked at her, his voice softer now. "I don't. They do."
They crossed an empty intersection where the cameras followed every movement with quiet precision. The red lights blinked like slow heartbeats.
"You could still get in somewhere," she said. "The pending review—"
"Means nothing," he cut in gently. "It means they saw my address and decided to think about it. That's just another word for no."
Kalani looked down at her shoes. "You're the number one student in the senior class. You had the highest placement test scores out of everyone."
He laughed once, quiet and sharp. "Smarts don't change where I sleep at night."
She didn't respond. The silence between them felt heavier than the city's hum.
When they reached the Zone gate, the checkpoint lights painted the street in red. The security arch hummed low, scanning the sidewalk. Above them, a digital clock blinked:
CURFEW IN EFFECT — 00:05:28 UNTIL LOCKDOWN
Oliver stopped just short of the threshold. The gray glow from his armband pulsed faintly, syncing with the gate's rhythm.
"Guess this is the part where I pretend I'm not already used to this," he said.he says holding Kalani hands. She grabbed them tighter,.not wanting to let go
Kalani stepped closer. "You don't have to pretend anything, especially with me."
He smiled, tired but kind. "You'd be surprised how pretending keeps you alive on the other side of that wall."
The loudspeaker crackled. FIVE MINUTES UNTIL ZONE SEAL. RETURN TO DISTRICTS.
Oliver adjusted the strap on his bag. "See you tomorrow?"
Kalani nodded. "Yeah."
He leaned forward and kissed her, gentle but deliberate. The city noise seemed to fade — only the hum of the gate and the faint buzz of his armband filled the space. The count down was buzzing on his arm band. Every second he was out side of the gate was being recorded.
"For luck," he said softly when he placed his forehead on hers.
She swallowed hard. "You'll need more than that."
"Then I'll borrow some of yours." he gave her one more quick kiss on the forehead.
He stepped backward through the scanner. The light turned green, then red as the gate locked behind him.
Kalani stood alone, watching the glow fade from his jacket as he disappeared into the Zone.
Above her, the city drones cut perfect lines through the air, and the billboard across the street repeated its silent creed:
ORDER. PROGRESS. PURITY.
Kalani whispered, "And everything it costs to keep it that way."
Then she turned toward home, the light from the gate flickering once before it went dark.