The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion Read Online Free Page A

hearing me playing guitar—hearing me singing —was petrifying. I never even sang if my parents were in the house. I only practiced when I knew I was alone. I had never realized my unfinished songs would drift outside into the street and be carried to Sophie on the treasonous desert wind.
    â€œI’m not sure Princeton wants me to send them a playlist of my crappy songs,” I said.
    â€œYour songs aren’t crappy at all, but you should finish one sometime. I’ve noticed they always seem to cut off in the middle. I’d love to hear a whole one someday.”
    I didn’t know how to respond. I had used her name in my songs before. I glanced over to see if she had a look on her face that might indicate she was aware that I sang about her, but she was playing with the tape deck again, trying to get the Phantom of the Opera cassette to come out.
    â€œSo where else did you apply to college?” she said.
    It was time to feel stupid again.
    â€œPrinceton was the only place I applied,” I said.
    â€œYou’re kidding. ”
    â€œI genuinely thought they would accept me. In retrospect, it wasn’t my strongest idea.”
    â€œ Thousands and thousands of students don’t get in. Just looking at the percentages, you’re out of your mind.”
    â€œMy grades were basically perfect,” I said. “My SAT scores were at the low end of Princeton’s average, but I thought they would at least put me in the mix. I guess I figured that I wanted it so much there was no way they would say no and just leave me here.”
    Sophie whistled, a long, thin whoooooo. “Wow. I’ve never heard of anybody applying to just one college. I mean, if only one college in the world existed, it would make sense, but, y’know…there are quite a few.”
    â€œSubconsciously, I think I must want to be stranded forever in the desert,” I said. “Where are you going to school?”
    As soon as the question passed my lips, I regretted askingit. Here I was talking about how I was worried about Princeton, and I didn’t even know if she was going to college. Sophie wasn’t in any of my AP classes, I never saw her in SAT test prep, and she didn’t do any extracurricular activities, as far as I knew. On weekends, she usually just disappeared with her motorcycle—to see the ex-boyfriend, presumably, which probably isn’t something you can really highlight on a college application. In the same way she seemed to be beyond popularity, she seemed to be beyond academia.
    â€œI didn’t mean to assume you were going to college if you’re not, which is a perfectly fine choice,” I said. “Lots of people who don’t go to college become entrepreneurs or artists or captains of industry….”
    â€œI’m going to Princeton,” she said.
    â€œWhat?” I said.
    My mouth went dry.
    â€œI’m going to Princeton. I applied early action and I got in. The letter came in December, I think.”
    A cold wind blew through my car, though it was ninety degrees outside. Somewhere in the distance, I heard a chorus of hyenas laughing. The Phantom of the Opera cast recording suddenly grew louder— Past the point of no return…The final threshold… I clicked it off. We rode in silence. I saw a dead coyote on the road. It looked like the vultures had already gotten to it.
    â€œHow did I not know about that?” I croaked eventually, because I had to say something.
    â€œI didn’t tell anyone,” said Sophie. “It’s nobody else’s business.”
    â€œThat’s…a great accomplishment,” I said. I was sweating. I could feel the synapses in my brain misfiring, yelling at each other to form coherent thoughts.
    â€œThank you,” said Sophie.
    â€œYou know, I read somewhere that Princeton doesn’t typically accept two students from the same school,” I said. “Especially if