Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 153

Journey to College
Hong Kong International School (HKIS), Won, Elizabeth -13
A
lthough it was Saturday morning, I was at the school library, along with three other girls. As our
principal lectured us, I could only think of one thing: my college application. It was impossible to
pay the tuition, which meant I had to get a scholarship. I knew it would be difficult, but I was
determined to try. Now, as I sat in the library, I went over my plan to drive to Chicago. It would be hard to
do without a crew…
I looked around the room, identifying the three other girls. I knew of them, but I’ve never talked
to them before. I barely recognized Jay, the captain of the rugby team. Her broad shoulders and long legs
made the chair she was sitting on look puny. Even though she was sitting still, she looked intimidating. My
gaze drifted to Helen. She was the bookworm, the classic A-student. When she caught me staring, she
smiled.
The sound of the heavy door closing derailed my train of thoughts and I realized it was now or
never. I stood up and felt the girls’ stares burned holes in me. Just before I reached the door, someone seized
my arm.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I turned around to see Jay with amusement in her eyes.
“If you must know, I’m going to Chicago to submit my application and do my interview. They
said that I have to go to the campus to do this,” I held up my papers. “Anybody interested in coming with
me?” Immediately, Helen stood up.
“I’ll go with you! The only reason I’m here is because I didn’t have anything better to do. I got
into Penn early.”
“I’ll go too. I don’t want to be stuck with a princess like her,” Jay said, eyeing Sara. “We can take
my car. It’s probably the biggest.”
“Hey! I’ll go, just because I have nothing better to do,” Sara glared at Jay, and flipped her glossy
blonde hair. Jay seemed unaffected, and just rolled her eyes. I smiled. This was going to be a fun trip.
In Jay’s matte black Jeep, Jay and Sara sat in the backseat, while Helen sat shotgun, next to me. I
had memorized the way to Chicago the week before, but I was still nervous. Helen seemed to notice my
uneasiness.
“Hey, relax. It’s just a road trip. We’re here to have fun. How long would you say is the ride and
back?”
“It’s around eleven hours to Chicago with traffic, and I’ll take an hour for my interview. Stopping
for food and gas will take around ten minutes, so I think we can get back home in 24 hours.”
“Well, in that case, we should take turns driving, no?”
“Yes! I haven’t thought of that,” it was a good idea. I was glad I had decided to bring the girls.
“Guys, so here’s our game plan. We take turns driving for around two and a quarter hours, with
gas and food breaks whenever we switch. It will take eleven hours to Chicago, and the same back. The
order of driving will be Gisele, me, Sara, then Jay. Just follow the route on Gisele’s phone, alright?” I could
hear the arguing die down as Helen explained, but as soon as she was done, it resumed. “This means you
should both sleep!” Helen said, which muted the voices.
When Helen was driving, Sara and I both slept. I could use some time to rest. But when Jay started
to drive, I was woken up because of how much the car was moving.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Sara said, taking a pill and gulping down water.
“Don’t throw up in my car,” Jay said from the front.
“Stop driving so badly then.” Sara replied. She was interrupted by a snore. It seemed as though
Helen wasn’t bothered at all with Jay’s driving.
Suddenly, Sara turned to face me. “Darling, how are you going to an interview like this? Your
clothes are fine, but your face…” I stared at her mirror. My hair was the true definition of bed head, and I
had bag under my eyes, even though I had napped for three hours. “Don’t worry. Thankfully, I’m here. I’m
basically a professional at this.” Sara reached into her bag, and set brushes, lipstick, and palettes in her lap.
Without warning, she grabbed my face and got to work. She put on concealer… eyeshadow…lip balm… it
was a flurry of movements, and I just followed her orders to look up, down, and to face right and left. She
used much more products than I thought was necessary, but when I looked in the mirror once more, I was
blown by her work. Sara quickly moved on to my hair. My black hair was brushed, then put into a bun
with bobby pins that made me wince every time I turned my head.