𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (Completed)

1. I V Y

When people would ask me "What do you plan to do after High-School?" "Which are the colleges have you short listed?" I remember losing my ability to communicate, not knowing what answer to give that would hopefully blow their limited minds. If I told them I was taking a gap year the looks they would give me would be of disgrace or the kind that said not good enough. I admit I didn't know what I wanted to do at that time.

However, thinking about it makes my blood boil, I wish I could have insulted them with a sarcastic comment and walked away. I was envious of other students who already had their entire future planned out. I sometimes wished I was as smart as them. Society in today's world expect so much out of you, having a mind of your own is considered a sin. Albert Einstein once quoted, "if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Everybody, every child, is unique. Everyone has the potential to excel in their chosen field of what interests them. Unfortunately, in the twenty-first century, this doesn't apply.

"Mom!" I shout from my room quickly putting on a pair of earrings and running down the stairs, dragging my suitcase behind me.

"It really isn't necessary for you to crosscheck everything that is already there on the list," I sit down to sip my coffee while simultaneously slipping my feet into a pair of boots. "We had a run through last night."

"I don't want a call back telling me you forgot to carry your toothpaste especially, when you are halfway across the road," Mom narrowly raises her eyes, ticking her notepad with a pen. "Remember Paris?"

Out of all the examples she could have chosen, this has to be one of them. I roll my eyes at the memory of my parents and I leaving for the City of Love, during summer vacations, after completing twelve years of High-School. It never occurred to us we missed on something important, until we checked in at the hotel realizing neither of us were fluent in French, despite it being my second language at school.

I gag at the thought of brushing our teeth with-I kid you not- literally a shampoo bottle for three consecutive days. A sly grin spreads across mom's tired face, a lot had changed during the summer. The summer where my father announced his departure from the family. The summer when mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and the man whom I grew up with believing to be my father wasn't there.

"Are you excited?" Mom asks, placing her hands on her hips. Her bones are showing. The glow she once carried is no longer evident. Regardless of all the obstacles life had to throw at her, she can still light up an empty room with a simple dimpled smile.

"You sure you don't want me coming with you?" I can tell she is trying to keep her emotions intact, I embrace her tightly.
"I am proud of you," she says wiping her eyes, blushing with embarrassment. I laugh, taking her hands into mine.

"Don't do anything stu"-  she stops midway as a disapproving look crosses her face. "Ivy Liliana Torres. What did I tell you about borrowing my clothes?"

"Oh come on," I exaggerate playfully, twirling around. The dress I have on is a gorgeous one piece mini dress, which is a beautiful shade of magenta and red. The dress compliments my blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, highlighted with some mascara, it gives me a femme fatale
Vibe. Mom never likes it when I take her clothes without informing her. She recently purchased it but felt the dress is too sultry for her taste.

It was in my hands to see to it the money she spent, did not go waste. "Dave is outside waiting in the car. Call me all the damn time, ok?"

"I promise." I hug her one last time, getting inside the vehicle.

                                  ****

Cherry University is not just another public institution which is  :

1. Internationally accredited as one of the most leading colleges in the world and 2. Where the best of quality of education is offered. It resembles like one pf those Gothic Victorian Palaces, the types one would envision in a typical classic fantasy tale.

There is something about this behemoth like infrastructure  I can't quite explain. Something exquisite and yet so enigmatic, it almost feels as if the entire campus overall is full of hidden mysteries that are waiting to be unraveled.

My heart beats with incessant exhilaration when I get out of the car. I normally won't have any qualms when it comes to being the center of magnetism, but it is moments like these that make me not want to enjoy it. It feels really odd to have students passing scrutinizing glances at me with vague familiarity walking by.

After completing my registration process at the student services department, I get handed the schedule and key to my Dorm room. Tons of questions flood my brain, I breathe in heavily, exhaling through my gut once I reach my Dorm. My stomach starts to do a series of flip flops, jabbing my finger on the button to the first floor.

Room one zero eight, room one zero eight, room one zero eight. I chant the numbers like a mantra, with every step I take. I slide my phone from my pocket when I stop at the door of my room, the numbers one zero eight, engraved on it. I dial mom's number and press the phone to my ear.

"Hey sweetie! Finished unpacking?" I can hear some ruffling at the background as mom speaks. She must be going through some untouched documents. "Not yet," inserting my key into the doorknob, I twist to open it.

"You won't believe how bi"- I freeze, my jaw dropping. "Oh my effing god?!"