Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The school day was over and it was the start of spring break. Unlike the other students who fled out the door, Takara Koizumi took her time. What was the point anyway? All of the kids at the school lived nearby, so most of them walked home. Cars and buses were prohibited (something about being "too hazardous to the earth's atmosphere") so if kids didn't walk, they would use bikes, skateboards, roller skates, or, if they lived further away, SolarScooters, an invention of one of the former students, which is what Takara used since she lived a good 8 kilometers (roughly 5 miles) away. After a while, Takara concluded that they probably just wanted to go home and spend the break either doing awesome things or doing nothing.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to Mrs. Mizushima's room. Today was the day. Unlike her fellow pupils, Takara would be staying on the campus for another hour or so taking what probably might have been the most important test of her life. If she passed this test, she would earn a scholarship to one of the largest, fanciest, and most expensive high schools in all of Japan. I have to pass this test, she thought, I just have to! I didn't study for months for nothing! She opened the door slowly and quietly to see other students already taking the test. Some were chewing their nails, some were biting their lip, some were even crying! Mrs. Mizushima finally spotted Takara and waved her over. Takara set down her bag against the wall and walked over to the teacher to receive her test.

Mrs. Mizushima smiled, for she and her first period pupil were very close. She handed Takara the booklet and a pencil, "Good luck," she mouthed as her star student took the booklet, bowed, and sat herself in a desk, as far away as she could from the other test takers. Takara never trusted her peers when it came to testing, for classmates knew how educated she was and would often try to sit near her on tests to try to cheat or volunteer to partner up with her on a class project so that they would get an easy A without having to do much work. Takara knew this, so she would always do a project either on her own or with Ayame Tachibana, her best friend since preschool, who was also very bright. Ayame also was taking a test in seperate classroom for Lobelia Girls Acadamy. As much as she wanted to go to Ouran, Hitomi's parents believed that boys would be a distraction to her learning in high school. The only reason that they let her into this middle school (which taught both boys and girls) is because of the school's eco-friendly policies.

Takara took a deep breath and opened her booklet. There was no going back now.

~~1 month later~~

"TAKARA! TAKARA!" Her mother's shrieks could be heard from the kitchen to under the covers of Takara's futon, in her room on the other side of the house.

Takara dashed out of her room to her mother to see what the emergency was. When Takara entered the kitchen, her mother's back was to her and she had one hand up to her mouth, her other hand was holding something.

"What happened, Mom?" Takara asked. "Is everything okay?"

"It's more than okay!" Ms. Koizumi squealed as she turned around to face her daughter, a letter in her hands, sealed off with a wax stamp, the Ouran Acadamy stamp. "Come on! Let's open it up!"

Takara had been waiting for this letter for about a month now, and the suspense of whether she made it or not was maddening. She and her mother sat down in the living room and she was handed the letter. Takara hesitantly opened it, preparing for the worst.

It turns out that she didn't have to. She had won the honor student scholarship to Ouran Acadamy, the only scholarship to be given out after tens of thousands had taken the test, she had gotten the highest score. Immediately the phone rang in the kitchen, but Takara ignored it. She just stared at the letter, mouth gaping open. She felt her mother stand up and go into the kitchen, her audible squeals echoing through the otherwise silent house. Her mother walked back into the living room and handed Takara the phone.

"It's Ayame," she whispered, snapping Takara out of her trance. Takara traded the phone for the letter, and her mother ran out. Knowing her, she was probably going to find a picture frame for the letter to hang it up somewhere.

"Um, hello?" she quietly talked into the phone, and was given a loud response.

"Oh my gosh! Your mom told me everything! Congrats!" Ayame's squeal made Takara chuckle, quietly though, for she was still in shock.

"Still in shock, huh?"

Takara nodded, before realizing that Ayame couldn't see it. "Yeah," she said. "But you possibly couldn't know about this when you called. What's up?"

"Well, I am kind of in a similar situation!" Ayame squealed again.

"OH MY GOSH YOU MADE IT INTO LOBELIA!?" Takara exclaimed through the phone.

"YES!"

"CONGRATS!"

"Thanks! You too!"

The next few minutes were spent with the two girls squealing and talking about what their new lives would be like before Ayame was called for dinner. Takara set the phone down and sighed.

She was going to Ouran Acadamy for high school.