When he gets the letter it's just an ego boost that, to be honest, James Abraham does not need. But he takes it – he grins and, hey, he barely fucking remembers entering, but he'd be physically and mentally fit to participate in the Long Walk.
Even though he's fairly certain he bombed the essay question.
Either that or they like sarcastic pricks who want to try out for the hell of it. There's no way he'll be selected; after all, there are thousands of kids that pass. Two hundred that get chosen. One hundred that actually walk the damn thing. Abraham knows he has absolutely no chance of being picked and revels in his immunity.
He decides to show Elizabeth. Show her that her boyfriend's actually got something; is more than the skinny, ginger bastard that she agreed to go to the movies with.
When he knocks on the door and she answers, she's in her pajamas. Abraham's grin widens. Elizabeth doesn't generally wear much for pajamas and today is no exception. He has to focus on what he came here for.
"Hey," Abraham says, dangling the paper in front of her face. She snatches it from him and skims it once… twice… three times.
"This is a joke, isn't it?" she asks. She's halfway grinning and Abe can tell he's going to have a hell of the time to convince her that, no, this is the real fucking thing. "Oh my god, I am making a t-shirt out of this."
"Actually, it's real," Abraham says. He leans against the doorframe and looks down at her. "Believe me, I was surprised, too?"
She takes a good, long look at him and bursts out laughing. Abraham is insulted.
"What? Don't think I can do it?" Abraham asks. "Look-"
"James – you're… I mean, you're just not… you're too skinny! And you're funny, but…"
"You think I'm too skinny and too stupid. That's it, right?"
Elizabeth doesn't answer, and Abraham just takes the letter back and stalks off. Fuck her, then. Samuel and Nicholas would understand.
Just like Leah, they burst out laughing at the mere sight of the piece of paper.
"Assholes," Abraham says, cuffing Nicholas on the back of the head because he's closer. "That thing gave me a huge self-confidence boost."
"Like you need it," Samuel points out. His normally fair face is red from laughing. He takes the paper from Abraham and reads it through. "It does look legitimate."
"Elizabeth didn't believe it," Abraham says, more than a little dejected. He can see Nicholas and Samuel roll their eyes at each other. The three boys may have been close, but both Nicholas and Samuel think that Elizabeth is annoying. Or a bitch. Sometimes she's an annoying bitch.
That's all about Abraham can take before he starts hitting people.
The days passed and everyone takes it as a joke. Hey, Abe, you really tweaked the Majors balls, din'tchoo? Soon, Abe begins to take it as a joke, too. He's not going to be picked, anyway.
And then is name is drawn sixteenth out of the drum and he nearly dies. Elizabeth and him have made up by then and she clutches him, burying her face in his shoulder.
"It's a fifty-fifty chance," Abraham says, stroking her hair and letting her shake and cry into his shoulder. This is the first time he's seen her cry and it scares him. Besides, it's not like he'll be a Prime.
Then April 31st comes and he's a Prime.
These will probably all be quite short.
Also, I've been thinking about putting all of the Long Walk fanfiction I've written and put on Tumblr on here. Thoughts?