Chapter 1: The News (Written by me.)

Rae's chest tightened as her Mum tread carefully into the kitchen, holding an A4 sized white envelope in her hand. It constricted further still when she noticed the emblem printed on it as her Mum passed it to her. Forever in the habit of keeping her expectations at below-ground level, she prepared herself for an inevitable rejection, trying to ignore her Mum who sat opposite her in obvious and eager anticipation. Rae moved to tear open the envelope, but her Mum quickly grabbed her hand, startling Rae. "Bloody hell Mum! What is it?"

"Look Rae, I just wanted to say…if it's not the answer you want, there are other options, other places, other courses, and Karim and I will be here to support you no matter what."

"I know, Mum." Rae replied, slightly irritated at this repeated declaration. She softened a little when her Mum's good intentions dawned on her. "Thanks." She smiled a small smile, trying to stop her hands from shaking with nerves. Linda nodded, slowly releasing Rae's hand as if she'd just balanced a china teapot on a thin rod.

Rae couldn't stand it any longer. Ripping the envelope open with gusto, she pulled out the letter and began to read, wanting it all over and done with. Her heart pounded as she read the first few lines, her eyes blurring under the stress. She'd read it right, though…

'Miss Rachel Earl,

I am pleased to inform you on behalf of University of Hull that you have been offered a place for admission in September 1998 to study BA (Hons) English, a 3 year course…'

"Well?" Linda asked impatiently.

Rae's heart continued to pound hard in happiness, excitement and disbelief. She'd got in! She has actually managed to obtain a place on the course she'd been dreaming about for the previous year.

"Rae?!" Linda continued as Rae only looked at the paper wide eyed, breathing hard. Her impatience got the better of her, and she suddenly snapped the paper from Rae's quivering hands before turning it and scanning the page.

A flash of sadness appeared in her expression before she swiftly covered it with a pleased smile.

"That's brilliant love, well done. Knew you'd do it if you worked hard enough." Linda said, pressing her hand on Rae's wrist and rocking it, before wiping a stray year from her eye and getting up to go to the garden to show Karim.

Rae sat there, listening to the muffled sounds of Karim's coo of congratulations, his voice and her Mum's voice getting nearer. Rae looked up from her daze as Karim came through, beaming and wiping his hands on his jeans. Rae stood, and Karim took two steps forward and enveloped her into a hug.

"Congratulations Rachel!" he beamed excitedly as he pulled back, Linda smiling at them from in front of the fridge.

"Thanks Karim. Don't go changing my room into a gym though!" she teased with a smile, Karim taking a while to register it before squeezing his eyes shut with another grin.

"I won't, I promise." he said with broken English. He'd been learning English ever since he'd moved in, and he pretty much had it handled a year later.

Karim retreated back to the garden, Linda walking forward and giving Rae's shoulder a squeeze, misty eyed, before putting the letter on the table and leaving to get dressed. Rae sat back down, alone once more, trying to get a grip on her erratic thoughts.

There was so much to do, so much to plan; she'd finally be getting out of Lincolnshire! Albeit, not very far away from it, but still, a new place was a new place. She never thought about going to university until the beginning of joining the upper sixth. Her Mum had been bugging her to apply herself and try and get into university so she wouldn't be in a "dead end job like her" but Rae had enough to worry about without thinking about that at the time. Yet as they began giving talks on it in school, the idea became more and more appealing to her, and her passion for literature and storytelling compelled her to go for it, the enthusiasm for the idea only increasing as she went through the motions.

Finn had decided to stay in Lincolnshire after he left school, taking a year out and getting a job at the local veg market with a mate of his Dad's. He'd insisted it wasn't because of her, after Rae had pleaded with him not to consider her too much in the decision.

"I don't know what I wanna do w'myself. Everybody tells ya to pick a career dead early on, but I don't like the thought of boxing myself into a corner, ya know? Anyway, there's no rush, is there?" he'd said, slinging an arm around Rae as they sat on the railings by the small playing field at school, discussing what his plans were.

"Alright, just as long as you're not staying because of me. If you wanted to move away, we'd make it work, I know we would." Rae said, Finn leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

"I know, but this is what I want."

Rae felt a pang of sadness amidst her joy. Finn had been on board, encouraging Rae with her endeavour, even helping her with the application, but that had all been easier to deal with when the decision was up in the air and anything was possible. Now, she'd been accepted, and it was likely she'd be moving away within a few months. She hated the thought of being away from Finn, despite insisting they could make it work. They saw each other nearly every day, were pretty much inseparable. If they weren't visiting each other's houses, she was at the veg shop chatting to him on his break or he was driving her somewhere nice to hang out, eat chips and commit PDAs like they were going out of fashion – they were in each other's pockets, practically, so Rae had no idea how he'd take the news when she told him. She didn't even know how to go about it. Should she call him? Go round to his? He'd be working today – should she tell him at the shop, or wait until his shift had ended? Anxiety mingled with her shell shock as she eyed the photo of herself, Finn and his parents on a holiday in Corfu stuck to the fridge with a magnet, Finn soaking wet and beaming, his arms wrapped around Rae's shoulders as Steve and Julie stood behind them smiling, also in their swimsuits. Rae let out a sigh, the need to tell him the news gradually winning out over every other thought she had.