Hey There, Delilah

Hey There, Delilah (2)

"Did you just say an all-boys school?" I repeated, my eyes as wide as saucers. It felt like I was going to faint...

My mother continued to smile sheepishly, clutching the paper in her hand a little tighter now. "Yes, I did. I'm sorry, Delilah, but... it's the only choice we have. It's the cheapest private school in the country and it's really far away..." my mother explained, trying to keep the smile on her face.

"But how can I get into a school that's only for boys?" I asked her. Wasn't it impossible? Who would let a girl in an all-boys school?

"Lieutenant Shrew said that he'd make some calls. He's sure the headmaster will make an exception if he's heard your story..." She then thrust the piece of paper into my hands. "Look it up. The website's on the piece of paper."

I nodded, taking the paper from her hands and walking out of the foyer and into the family room, hopping on the family computer. I looked at the website that was written on the paper with my mother's handwriting and typed it in as quickly as I possibly could. It popped up in only a matter of seconds.

"Bentwood Institute for Boys," I read, staring at the screen flatly. "Humph."

"Why are you looking at an all-boys school?" a voice suddenly said behind me, causing me to jump highly in my seat. I whipped around quickly to see Jake smirking at me, causing me to glare at him. Why did he always have to scare me?

"Nice reaction," he told me simply before staring back at the screen. "But seriously, why are you looking at this school's website?"

I sighed, glancing back at the screen for a moment. "This just might be my new school."

"New school?" Jake asked, his eyes widening. I nodded, shrugging slightly, as if I didn't care. But I did. I cared a lot. It was an all-boys school! I was a lot more nervous than I was excited, mostly because I really wasn't excited at all.

"I got another note from him today," I explained, turning fully back toward the screen.

Jake's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't look very happy. "How does that have anything to do with sending you here? Mom's actually sending my baby sister off to a school filled with boys?" he demanded, almost pushing me out of the way as he sat down in the chair. He began scrolling down and reading what the website had to say. It took all I had not to roll my eyes at him. He acted so stupid sometimes.

"It's far away, and my stalker would never expect that I was going to a school for boys," I told him, trying to look over his shoulder at the computer screen. He suddenly stopped as he was reading, jumping up from the seat, knocking it over behind him. He almost knocked into me as he stormed out of the room, and I followed him quickly, hopping over the fallen chair and not even looking at the website.

Stupid protective older brother. He always got in the way.

"Mom!" he called, entering the kitchen with me following close behind him. "Are you seriously thinking about sending Delilah to that school?"

My mother sighed, looking up from the can of soup she was trying to open. "She probably is going there, Jake. Is there something the matter with that?"

"What's the matter with it?" Jake sputtered. "You're sending a sixteen-year-old girl to a place filled with teenage boys! Do you really think that's a good idea? Have you even heard or read anything about this school?"

My mother's grip on the can tightened as she continued to try and open it, barely looking up at my brother. "I know that it doesn't sound that great, Jake, but I trust Delilah—"

"I trust Delilah, too," Jake cut her off. "But I don't trust those boys she'd be going to school with! Go read the website, Mom. Go read what it says! I don't trust those boys!"