Chapter 3

Kelly was having breakfast the next morning. Everyone else was there except for Sarah (who was getting the mail). "Man, I really thought Austin was different. I thought that he, of all people, the brooding Vampire, could handle all this."

"You've just gotta give it some time, Kelly," Tech said, sitting down next to her, "If he really loves you, he'll come back. If he really loves that pretty boy face of his, he won't be."

Kelly glared at him. "Dad…"

"I'm sorry. I just hate seeing you hurt like this."

Sophie sat down on the other side of her daughter. "He's right, though, you know. If he comes back, that's great. But—even though I know you probably don't wanna hear this—if not, there'll be other boys."

"I keep praying there won't be, but there always are," Tech muttered.

Kelly looked at him. "I heard that."

He looked at her.

"And I'm not sure. After this, maybe I should just give up guys for good."

"Oh, now you're just teasing me." She looked at him. "OK, different approach: not for good, just until I'm dead…again."

Kelly smiled.

"The truth is," said Daniella, across the table, "life has a funny way of working things out. One door closes, another one opens."

"Yup," said Tech, "but all you've gotta be ready to tell yourself is—"

Sarah then rushed in, screaming as loud as she could without using her power.

"—when you're married and already have one kid and your spouse wants to have more, think about it for more than a second."

Sarah started squealing again, jumped onto the couch, jumped up in an excited bunny hop, and jumped over the couch to the table.

"And then say 'no.'"

Kelly smiled.

The kids gathered together.

"Is it…" Nadine started to ask.

"The Acme Tech acceptance letters!" Sarah said.

All the girls joined together and started jumping and shrieking "Yay!"

Nadine and Lucy turned to the guys.

"Why aren't you jumping?" asked Nadine.

"Why aren't you 'yay-ing'?" asked Lucy.

"Why aren't you jumping and 'yay-ing'?"

Lucy stopped. "Seriously, why aren't you happy-dancing?"

Ryan took the letters. "Because we don't know if we really got accepted yet…and guys don't 'happy dance'."

Tech smiled. "Doesn't matter. See that, Kelly? You already forgot about Austin."

Kelly stopped smiling entirely. "AUSTIN!" She sat down next to Sophie, buried her head in her chest, and started crying.

"Oh, Kelly, I'm sorry, I just—"

Wendy stopped him. "Zip it!" He looked at her. "I'm sorry, it's just that…sometimes, you—"

"—have a tendency to be a big, dumb daddy?"

"Now, I would never say that because you're married to my sister. But since you said it, oh, yeah."

Sarah picked up Kelly from the chair. "Listen, Kelly, Aus—that guy Dad just mentioned is your past and these letters are your future!"

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I'm right!"

"OK," said Benny, handing out the letters, "we start a chain reaction—oldest to youngest—on three. And I mean '1, 2, 3!' Not '1, 2, 3, GO!'"

"Good thing we cleared that up," said Nadine, preparing to open her letter, "OK, 1…2…3!" She opened her letter. "I got in!"

Benny opened his. "I got in, too!"

Lucy opened hers. "This must be a family thing! I got in! Group hug!" They did.

Robert opened his. "Make some room! I got in, too!" Lucy pulled him in. "I was making a joke, but OK." He hugged her.

"Boy, am I glad I didn't apply," said Jack.

Kelly smiled. "You didn't apply anywhere." She pulled out the letter…and her smile slowly faded… "I didn't get in." Everyone looked at her.

Ryan opened his. "Yeah, me neither."

Sarah opened hers and shook her head.

Michael opened his. "No."

"Wow," said Wendy, "I actually kind of find it hard to believe that Tech's kids, of all people, are the ones that didn't get into—wait a minute, Ryan, yours says you got accepted."

Ryan hid his letter behind his back. "No, it doesn't!"

"Yes, it does." Wendy checked Sarah and Michael's. "Theirs say it, too!"

"No, they don't, that's crazy!" Sarah denied, getting ready to tear up her letter behind her back.

Michael started moving his around. "How can you read it? It's just moving all over the place!"

Kelly snatched them all. "Let me see those." She read them…and confirmed Wendy's story.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said, "It's just…we don't know how much more bad news you can take. I mean, you just found out you don't get to go to college with your best friends right after you get dumped by the best boyfriend you've ever had…" She then noticed Kelly glaring at her. "…and now you've got an eye twitch."

Kelly groaned. "But my grades were perfect! I killed on the SATs! This isn't fair!"

"I know," said Lucy, "I guess that stuff just wasn't important to Austin."

Kelly glared at her, resisting the urge to Vamp and bite her. "And Acme Tech accepted you?!"

"Lucy!" Tech hissed, "Stand extremely still and don't let her sense your fear!"

Lucy looked at Kelly.

Kelly kept glaring…

A couple hours later…

…just like she did to the admissions lady at Acme Tech. "There's got to be some kind of mistake! All eight of us have pretty much the same grades—except for me and Ryan, who have slightly higher—and I was only the worst grade on the SATs by one point, and that's just because I had to go to the bathroom twice and my friends can hold it like camels!"

"I must say, Ms. Coyote," said the admissions lady, "the fact that you drove 200 miles to plead your case is very impressive. It shows great determination and that's one of the qualities we really look for here at Acme T."

Kelly smiled.

"We're gonna be very sad not having you here. Cookie?"

Kelly groaned. "This isn't fair! I'm being discriminated against because I have a small bladder! And lady, we are not a group you want picketing in your lobby!"

"Listen, Kelly, the difference between you and your friends isn't academic…or fluid-related…it's just that…" She picked up a folder. "Nadine was in the sewing club for five years and was a cheerleader…" She picked up another. "…Benny was in a karate class…" Another folder. "…Lucy was in gardening club and the skateboard club and the poetry club and the volleyball team…Robert was in the surf club and the photography club…Ryan was in the tech club and the book club and the gaming club…Sarah was in the glee club and the cooking club…and Michael was a volunteer at an animal shelter." She then picked up Kelly's folder. "And you…were a tricycle-riding pirate mascot for half a basketball game…and then in 12th grade, you climbed a rope."

"In a record time of five seconds, and that sucker went all the way up to the 20-foot-high ceiling."

"Yes, I believe you mentioned that in your essay: To the Ceiling and Back; A Girl, a Rope, and a Dream."

"Which was exactly the required 500 words while Lucy's was 502 and Michael's was 503 and Ryan's was 505, Benny's 504, Nadine's 501, Robert's 498, and Sarah's 497. I'm just saying, rule follower, rule breakers."

The admissions lady sighed and started to lead her out. "Listen, Kelly, you are an excellent student…but you don't have any extracurricular activities. And here at Acme Tech, we're looking for applicants with a skosh more."

"You mean my album didn't show up in your records?"

"What are you talking about?"

Kelly sighed, realizing that her album must have just been a big seller locally. "OK, new technique…" She got down on her knees and grabbed the admissions lady's leg. "Please! Please! You've gotta let me in! This is the only school I applied to!"

"This is the only school you applied to?"

"OK, now on one hand, that could sound incredibly dumb. But on the other hand, it could be an admirable display of school spirit! It doesn't show up on a test, but, lady, at a pep rally, I'll skosh you up one side and down the other. Go AT! Whoo-hoo! Uh-uh! Whoo-hoo! Hey!" She then realized that the lady wasn't following her and slowly stopped.

"Please, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but…just tell me something you've done in the last four years that's been the least bit out of the ordinary."

"Are you kidding? The last four years of my life have been anything but ordinary!"

"Wonderful! How?"

"I…I can't tell you."

"Then we can't reconsider your application."

"But if I could tell you, you'd be all like 'nuh-uh' and I'd be like 'yeah-huh' and you'd be all 'no way' and I'd be like 'yeah way!' Please!" The admissions lady showed her out. "I never even got a cookie!" She walked off.

As she walks off, she passes the mini-Loonakids, who are standing on a piano, Sarah dressed extravagantly, the guys dressed in show-boy costumes, and the other girls in backup.

Sarah: If you're wondering what she'll do
Now that her plans have fallen through
And you know she's got a real strong will
And she's got a lots more show to fill
Now she's going, going back to the tower, ooh
Guys: We kind of thought we'd be singing, too
Ryan: Instead, we're stuck in her chorus line
Kelly: 'Cause your agent's not as good as mine
Jack: Wait, wait, if Kelly leaves, we have no ride…

They all stop singing, exchange looks, and then race off.