I brushed a hand through my hair and sighed. For the past three years, it had been the same thing. Sam and I walked to school together, sat together in every class (except for Mr. Oakland's chem class, where seats were assigned, and I was beside Eleni, while Sam was beside Todd…I swear, Oakland had it out for us) and hung out until I had to go home. It was almost like middle school, only we were older and more mature. But, I was freaked out. I didn't want it to change. I always knew that Sam was brilliant. Trying to say that he wasn't was like trying to say that NSYNC and Britney Spears were more than just a fad. And no, I wasn't going on an emo 'Sam is smarter than me' trip, because ever since we'd started hanging out again, my grades had gone up to the straight A's I always got before I started hanging around with the cool crowd.

But for months, I'd been focused on the fact that Sam had gotten his acceptance letter from Stanford, and I hadn't. And yeah, it bugged me. Not because of some selfish, evil, bratty, vindictive desire I had to always be the smartest person ever, but because I was scared. Scared to be alone. Or, at least, scared to be without Sam. It was a problem I'd never been faced with before. I'd never been alone. I'd always had someone to go to, someone to tell when situations like this arose. I was starting to freak out, really. Hearing news about my best friend moving halfway across the country…leaving me by my self to go to whatever college will take me? I didn't like it at all.

I mean, that's not to say I wouldn't be supportive. If Sam got in and I didn't? That was great for him. Maybe he just deserved it more. Well, actually, I knew he deserved it more. He was always so brilliant. But I just…wanted to go because I wanted to be…close to him. That night was prom night, and it was supposed to be a happy time, when Sam and I could pretend that we fit in, pretend that we were normal kids. I was supposed to be happy. Supposed to be giggling with my mother as she did my hair (even though she wasn't home quite yet), but my mind was focused on the fact that maybe, possibly, this would be one of the last nights that I would spend with my best friend. And maybe I didn't measure up. Maybe I wasn't…good enough.

I ran a hand through my hair and stared into the mirror. Part of me was wondering what had happened. Why I was so obsessed with being the smart girl when it was never what I'd been before. But, even before I was…whatever I was up until freshman year, I'd always managed to be smart. At least average. Maybe the switchover of friends was better for me. Maybe Sam was better for me. Without him, though, I wasn't sure if I could be…good at things. I felt tears forming in my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. I had to be happy. For Sam. At least tonight. Sure, I knew there was no 'prom king and queen, Sam Winchester and Page Fabrizzio' in the future, but we were going to hang out and dance, and have fun.

I looked at the dress in my closet and then back at the mirror, unzipping my bright blue hoodie and tossing it onto my bed. I clamped down tightly on my lower lip. "Just be happy, Page. You can do this. And besides, you have three hours. It's not like Sam's gonna show up and--" I paused as I heard a knock at my door. "Uh, who is it?" I asked, a little surprised, as I thought that no one else was home.

But I heard my mom's voice on the other side of the door, cheerily piping away. "Page sweetie, come downstairs. I want to talk to you for a minute…" she opened the door a crack.

I took a deep breath and looked at her. "Uh, I'll be down in a sec, mom…" I toward the bed and grabbed my hoodie, putting it on quickly. This was probably the lame birds and the bees speech, and God knows I didn't need to hear it. I swallowed hard and made my way to the stairs, and turned into the living room, I saw Sam sitting on the couch beside her. So, she was going to give both of us this talk? Oh God. "Mom, I don't think Sam needs to hear this, do you?"

Sam grinned at me and nodded toward the couch beside him. "Just have a seat," he said simply. The look on his face suggested that he knew something that I didn't, and I was starting to become really nervous and curious.

My mom walked out into the dining room for a second and then came back into the room, holding something behind her back. "Page, tonight is a really big night for you. Really big, a defining night if you will. Something that could change your life for--"

I scoffed and looked from my mom, to Sam, then back at my mom again. "You are so not giving me the birds and the bees talk in front of Sam, mom!" I shouted, watching as Sam bust out into a fit of laughter, and my mom giggled a little. "What's so damn funny?"

My mother flashed me a death glare for cursing, but let her anger give way quickly, which was strange, because I learned a long time ago never to swear in front of her. "This is not the birds and the bees talk, Page, hun. Just hear me out…" she knelt in front of me and put her hands on my knees. "As I was saying, tonight could change your life for the better or for the worse. For more reasons than you realize…" she told me with a small smile. "What I hold behind my back could totally alter what you do after this year, honey. Are you prepared to see it?"

I raised an eyebrow and, though uncertain, I nodded my head, watching as my mom brought an envelope out from behind her back. My eyes widened as I held my hand out to take it from her. 'Stanford University?' "Oh god…" I bit my lower lip and looked at Sam. I eagerly stuck my finger beneath the unopened flap of the envelope, only to feel Sam's hand on my arm. I looked at him and shook my head. "I can handle it, Sam. I promise…" I told him, feeling his arm wrap around my shoulders. I opened the letter and felt Sam's eyes peering over my shoulder as I read what was inside… "Dear Page Fabrizzio," I read aloud, so my mom could hear me. "We would first like to apologize for the delay in getting this letter to you, as there were problems with our mail carrier…blah, blah, call us when you receive this copy, blah…" I skipped a few more details. "Congratulations on your ACCEPTANCE TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY!" I practically squealed as I clutched the paper tightly in my hands, looking from my mom, to Sam, and then back at the letter again, staring at the word 'acceptance.' "I GOT IN!" I jumped from my seat, and threw my arms around my mother.

She smiled wide and clutched me tightly. "I knew you would, honey, I knew!" she pressed her lips to my cheek and looked me in the eye. "They'd have to have been fools to turn you down, with your transcripts. I am so…so proud of you, honey…" she nodded her head and ran her hand over my hair. "I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you, Page Marie."

"Me too…" Sam spoke from behind us. I turned around and looked at him, a smile on my face from ear to ear. I let go of my mom for a second and hugged him, too. "I'm so glad I don't have to go alone," he said softly, holding on to me tightly. "I…was really hoping you'd get in too…"

I hugged him tightly and started to cry against his shoulder, but these were not the same tears I'd held back while I was waiting for my mom, to start getting ready for prom. These were entirely different tears. Maybe not tears of joy, though they were pretty damned close. More like tears of relief. I was relieved that my best friend wasn't going to leave me. That I was going to go with him, halfway across the country, to go to school together. "Me too…"

My mom smiled wide and looked at her watch. "You know, I hate to ruin this for you. I really do. But, you two need to start getting ready for your prom. You don't wanna miss it, do you?"

Part of me wished I could just hug Sam forever, because I felt so good right then, but I knew that I needed to be at the prom. It was a moment I'd dreamed of since high school started, and I didn't want to miss it. I kissed Sam on the cheek and smiled at him. "I'll see you in a couple hours, huh, Sam?" I asked in a much happier tone.

Sam nodded and grinned at me. "I'll be here…" he promised me, running a hand over my hair and heading for the door.

Go figure. In five minutes, I'd gone from wanting to cry like a baby to wanting to jump for joy and scream from the rooftop. I looked at my mom. "Fix my hair?" I asked, watching as she nodded, then turned to go into the bathroom and get all of our hair supplies.