The Learning Curve: Chapter 73

Bella Swan's House

A little over a week before Edward and I were due to have our weekend together, I received my first college responses. When I checked the mail after school, there were two envelopes waiting for me, one from Northwestern and one from Amherst.

I took them to my room with a heavy heart. Neither came in the fabled large envelope that signaled an acceptance. I had the feeling I would be getting a lot of small envelopes.

I opened the letter from Northwestern first, wanting to get the disappointment out of the way. Northwestern was one of Edward's top choices after Dartmouth, and if they wouldn't take me, Dartmouth likely wouldn't either.

I pulled the single sheet of paper out and skimmed over the opening paragraph, and then I sat back against my pillows in surprise.

I had been put on the wait list.

That wasn't half bad, I realized. If Northwestern had been iffy on me, other schools might be more certain.

I felt hope.

The Amherst letter held a simple rejection, but I didn't mind so much. It hadn't been at the top of mine or Edward's list.

I tossed the letters on my desk and started on my homework. About twenty minutes later, a knock sounded on the front door. I looked out the window and saw Edward's car parked in my driveway.

I hurried down to the door. Edward stood on my porch holding a few envelopes of his own. He was smiling.

"Good news?" I asked, leading him up to my room.

"I got into Johns Hopkins," he said with a grin. "I don't know if I should go, though. I mean, they probably limit the spots in the medical school for students who did their undergrad there. Harvard and Princeton both rejected me, but I knew they would. Did you get any today?"

I snorted. I hadn't even done the Harvard and Princeton applications he'd handed to me. There was no point wasting the money on the fee. "I got wait-listed at Northwestern."

Edward sprawled out on my bed and tugged me down with him. "That's awesome, Bella. Just you wait. One of these schools will take us both."

I curled into his side, unconvinced, but I was in a good mood and didn't want to bring us down. "I'm trying to imagine what it will be like at college with you. Will you live in the dorms?"

Edward shrugged. "I was thinking about asking my parents if I could get a small apartment. I could do work-study or something to pay for some of it."

I thought about visiting him in his apartment, staying the night... "Would you live alone?"

He turned his head to me. "I was thinking you'd live with me."

I stared at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. It makes sense, doesn't it? We won't have to fight to get time alone together in the dorms, and you'll save a bunch on room and board. It's going to cost about the same for two people to live together as for one person to live alone."

"That would be really great," I whispered. So many hopes were gathering within me these days; I worried about how many of them would be disappointed.

A/N: A further point of clarification. Bella is 18, but she wouldn't be able to get a hotel room (at least, not a decent one) without a credit card, which I don't picture her having. As for whether Bella can legally have sex with Edward - yes, the age of consent in Washington (as in Kansas, by the by) is 16.

Thank you for almost unanimously agreeing that I am younger than I sound. It's nice to hear, considering people tend to think I'm younger than I am by looking at me - at least I come off as mature in one way, lol.