I walked over.
Adrian spotted me first. He froze for a second, then curled his lip.
His eyes swept over my faded T-shirt and jeans, his tone dripping with the usual mockery.
"Well, well. The little worker bee's back? Made enough money yet? Better not fall behind on your payments."
"Mom said she's charging interest if you're late."
Mom turned at the sound of his voice and saw me. Her brow furrowed instantly, like she'd spotted something filthy. She waved me off with an impatient flick of her hand.
"Get out of the way. Don't be an eyesore! Can't you see I'm busy?"
Her voice was shrill, laced with undisguised irritation and disgust.
"Didn't I tell you to go to work?! Who said you could come to the school?!"
"Get lost! Stop standing around being useless!"
She shooed me away like she was swatting a fly.
"Can't you see we're in the middle of something?! Have some awareness!"
The moment she finished, she spun back around, her expression melting into something so tender it was almost saccharine.
She draped an arm over Adrian's shoulders, patting him gently, her voice dropping to a low, coaxing murmur:
"Don't be nervous, sweetheart. It's going to be fine."
"You definitely got in. Mom believes in you."
"My baby boy is so smart, so hardworking. God sees that kind of effort, you know..."
Adrian forced the corners of his mouth upward. He said nothing.
His gaze drifted back to the bulletin board. They'd been searching for a long time, and his name was nowhere on it.
With no other option, Adrian called Ms. Lambert.
The phone was answered immediately, and Ms. Lambert spoke first.
"Adrian's mother, I was just about to reach out to you. I have some bad news and some good news."
Mom went still.
April Lambert paused, a trace of regret in her voice.
"Adrian's academic transcript file has been compromised. None of his application batches can be processed. His admission simply cannot go through."
Mom swayed on her feet, the color draining from her face until she looked almost gray.
"The good news is that Sophie Henson has been accepted through early admission to a prestigious Ivy League university!"
