Lizzy was dragging. Mid-terms were approaching and she was in the midst of writing her second to last paper. She had spent all of Friday night and Sunday writing and studying and her only break had been to work at the restaurant on Saturday. Walking up the steps of Pfo-Ho, her home for the last year and a half, Lizzy remembered that she should probably check her mailbox. It had been days since she had last remembered to check it. Not that she ever got anything besides junk mail but you never know. Turning the combination her mailbox sprung open to reveal a single letter. She reached up into the box to pull the envelope down. Why was it that the 5'5" girl got a mailbox on the top row and the 6'3" guy got the mailbox on the bottom? As her papa often joked, if she were in charge, the world would make a lot more sense.
Pulling the letter out of the box, it felt thick. As she looked at the return address Lizzy's mouth went dry: The New York Times. She wondered, did a thick envelope mean the same thing as a college acceptance letter or did it mean they had returned her writing sample redlined and marked up? Staring at the envelope Lizzy picked up her backpack and slung it up on her right shoulder. Slowly climbing up the staircase to the "Attic", the stairs seemed steeper than they had yesterday. Reaching the top, Lizzy turned off to the left towards the triple she shared with her two best friends, Jane and Charlotte. She shrugged off her coat, placed it on a hook, and set her backpack on the floor. Lizzy stepped into the bedroom and kicked off her shoes before hopping on her bed. She took another look at the envelope, took a deep breath and carefully peeled open the back. Sliding a packet of papers out of the envelope she carefully unfolded them and began to read. The first paragraph began by thanking her for applying and submitting her materials. An ache in her stomach began to develop. As her eyes continued to scan the page she saw, buried in the second line of the second paragraph, 'We hope you will accept our offer to join us at the New York Times for a 10-week internship this coming Summer.' Lizzy stared at the page and quickly re-read the words. Way to bury the lead, she mused. And then, it sank in. She had done it. She was really going to spend the summer working at the New York Times. It had been her dream for so long. She let out a shriek of pure joy and jumped up on her bed. This was how Jane found her: jumping up and down on her bed, fists punching the air.
Hearing the shrieks from the hall, Jane burst into the room. She stopped in her tracks seeing her best friend either ecstatic or pissed. With Lizzy it could be either. "Lizzy? Are you ok?"
Lizzy jumped off her bed and hugged Jane. Releasing her, Lizzy started dancing around the room singing, "I'm going to New York," over and over again. She took the letter she had received and thrust it in Jane's hands as she collapsed on her bed.
Scanning the letter quickly, Jane looked up and squealed "Oh my God! Lizzy! Congrats." Beaming from ear to ear at her friend, Jane said, "Charlotte and I are totally taking you out for dinner tonight to celebrate. And don't give us a hard time about it."
"Charlotte doesn't even know yet. You're the first person I've told!" Lizzy said laughing at her dearest friend.
"Oh Lizzy, we've known all along that you'd get this internship. Charlotte and I have been planning this ever since your interview. Come on, get out of your sweats, and put on that cute new skirt you bought last week. We're heading out to Fire and Ice to celebrate."
Smiling from ear to ear Lizzy scooted off her bed to start getting ready for a night out with her friends. Ordinarily Lizzy would argue if her friends tried to treat her but tonight was an exception. She knew she would do the same in return if they had gotten their dream internship. Lizzy and her roomies had come a long way since freshman year. Since then, Lizzy had learned that her friends didn't care that she was a scholarship kid. Lizzy wanted to keep it that way and as a result she always paid her own way. She didn't ever want to feel she owed her friends. Working most Saturday nights helped because they might go out both nights - something she could not afford - and she wasn't left behind. She simply wasn't available. Jane and Charlotte were always sensitive to keep their expensive nights out to Saturdays too. Lizzy knew they had avoided certain restaurants downtown and going to the movies with her after a few incidents in their freshman year. (Who could afford $20 bucks just to see a movie with popcorn and a soda?!) Lizzy, Charlotte and Jane had had a heart-to-heart freshman year after Lizzy had started to pull away from them. Their differences in incomes and backgrounds had made Lizzy very defensive in their early days as friends. She had actually almost left school because she felt so out of place but her friends wouldn't let her hide away. They had pestered her until she told them her concerns. Ever since, they had helped her navigate some of the country club culture that could be overwhelming for a girl like her. Harvard was a pretty diverse place but there were still plenty of rich kids throwing their money around to make a girl like her feel like a fish out of water. But tonight was different. She'd gladly let her friends treat.
She was trying to get her curly locks into some attractive arrangement when Charlotte came barreling into the room, "Lizzy! Congrats you awesome chica!" she yelled while launching herself onto her friend in a full bear hug. "Jane texted me and I couldn't get back here fast enough. Professor James would not shut up! He just kept droning on and on and all I wanted to do was come back here and start celebrating with you."
Bubbling over with laughter Lizzy hugged her friend back, "Thank you so much Charlotte. Now that you're here the party can start! I'm almost ready. Start getting ready so the celebration can get going."
Jane and Lizzy had been described by their friends as sugar and spice. Jane was pure golden beauty and sweetness. Lizzy had a bit of a temper and her sharp wit could keep the most condescending or rude person chasing their tail in a conversation with her. That and her Latin looks made her a complete contrast to Jane. Charlotte was generally the one in the background; taking it all in with acute observations. Her ability to sit back and analyze a situation, without letting her emotions get in the way, had served her friends well as they navigated their way through Harvard. The three of them together had become even closer over the past two-and-a-half years, each helping the other to soften their extremes: occasionally dampening Jane's positive outlook on everyone and everything that happened, sometimes softening Lizzy's acerbic wit and tendency to judge everything and everyone around her, and pushing Charlotte into the spotlight so that others could appreciate her native intelligence and astute observations. The three of them made an excellent team: softening, encouraging and providing a reality check where necessary.
With the music pumping through their triple in Pforzheimer house, the three girls finished preparing for their night out and an hour later they were ready to head into the square. Fire and Ice was the perfect place for them because they could each tailor their tastes to the food. It was also close to Burdick's where they could get a very decadent hot chocolate reminiscent of the hot chocolate Lizzy's mama made using an old family recipe from Oaxaca.