I turned my head and glanced out the window of Braylen’s office.
“He hasn’t accepted yet.”
“What?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“He’s waiting to hear from USC regarding his admission application.”
Braylen tilted his head to the side.
“Atlas, are you certain you can get him on board?”
I pictured Ryder’s gray eyes. In the depths of his gaze, I could see his frustration over his current situation. I could see how much he hungered for emotional support and security. Those pieces were crucial for a student to succeed here. Omnia Academy could easily supply Ryder with those things. As his mentor,Icould easily give him those things.
“I’m certain.”
Braylen nodded as he said, “Then let’s get it done.”
6
Ryder
August
Ipulled my phone out of my pocket and typed out a text to Pam.
I’m getting ready to leave work. Do you need anything from the grocery store?
I clocked out and hung my apron on the wall hook near the computer we use to clock in and out. I looked at the phone as I walked out of the breakroom and stopped in my tracks when I saw her response was a picture of a beige envelope with the USC logo in the upper left-hand corner. It finally came!
Hurry home! You have mail!
I jogged most of the way home but slowed to a brisk walk as I neared our street. As I hurried the rest of the way, my thoughts drifted to USC. There were a few things that had occupied my mind pretty much nonstop since Atlas’ visit and the fight I hadwith Roger. Number one, of course, was USC and what the fuck I was going to do if they rejected me. Closely behind that were Omnia Academy and Atlas himself.
But right now, all I could think about was USC because I was minutes away from finding out the school’s decision. The start of the fall semester wasn’t very far away, and I had a sick feeling that not hearing anything until now was probably a sign of bad news. Still, I remained hopeful.
When I rounded the corner and turned onto our street, I saw Roger’s truck parked in front of the house. I groaned and rolled my eyes. I hoped that whatever the news was that he wasn’t a dick about it. We hadn’t been on great terms since the blow-up the other night.
I opened the door and hurried toward the noisy kitchen. Roger was sitting at the head of the kitchen table with the remote control in his hand while Ben and Troy set the table for dinner. As Zack, Robbie, and Kenton carried food to the table, Roger sighed and stretched his head around them so he could see the TV. Pam was feeding the babies, but as soon as she saw me, she smiled big.
“Here he is!” Pam exclaimed as she put the bright plastic spoon back in the bowl of mush and raced to the counter. She picked up the envelope and handed it to me.
“Yay!” Troy exclaimed. He and Ben came over to stand in front of me and jumped up and down.
Robbie and Kenton chanted in unison, “Open it! Open it!”
“The USC rejection letter is here,” Zack snidely added.
I ignored him and carefully sliced open the envelope while Roger turned the volume to the TV up.Asshole. I pulled out the piece of paper, unfolded it, and quickly skimmed it.
Dear Mr. Ryder Smith… Thank you for applying… Blah, blah, blah… We regret to inform you that USC will not be able to offer you a spot with our student body.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“What’s it say, Ryder?” Kenton asked.
“I didn’t get in.”
With shaky hands, I folded the letter while the kitchen was filled with noises of disappointment. Except for Zack’s laughter, however, that came to an abrupt halt when Roger grabbed his arm and slapped him across the face. The laughter was replaced by tears and Roger’s raised voice as he yelled at Zack.
