Chapter Text
[CHARLIE POV]
I have this little sister named Lola. She's grown quite a lot, but she's still very funny. Lola has been very busy lately. She's in high school, and I can tell she has a lot on her plate. Everyday, when she arrives home, she always comes to me first, and she would tell all about what happened to her day—even the most stressful classes that kept her brain in circles for hours.
It feels as though she clings to me, a little like a tiny magnet, and it's no surprise. After all, Mum and Dad told me to watch her a little more often, especially because people like her can get pretty…“overwhelmed”, sometimes.
For me, Lola doesn't really seem like the type of girl to act like that. She's pretty confident for a 14 year old, and she won't hesitate to do everything herself. But that all changed after this morning…
[8:00 AM]
It's breakfast in our house. The table is already set with something delicious, and I know by the sweet aroma drifting in the air.
I grab the toast that freshly popped out of the toaster and take my seat across from Lola, who was eating a strawberry smoothie bowl she made for herself earlier. Her face was buried in a stack of newspapers beside her, towering above the both of us like a divider.
“What's that you're doing, Lola?” I ask, grabbing the jar of blueberry jam beside me.
Lola looks up from the newspaper she's holding, revealing a pair of scissors in her hand. “It's a school project, Charlie. I have to make it the bestest one yet.”
Judging by the pictures in the pages, it might be something to do with a collage.
As I glided the knife (filled with jam) across the toast, I pop her up with another question. “What's it about?”
“Oh, it's a Geography thing! We have to pick some sorta location and make an infographic about it.”
“Hmm, really?”
“I chose the Tower of Pisa, because that way, our research will be easier and guaranteed to get an EXTREME A!”
“Wait, ‘our’ research?…”
“Yeah! They said we should go in pairs, so I went with Lotta!”
Oh, Lola. She's always doing stuff like this so early. As I take a bite of my food, I can't help but smile when I see her. This is the same little girl that never wanted to eat a tomato for dinner, now working on a project like it's worth her life…
Just then—
DING DONG!
She gets up from her seat immediately. “I'll get that, Charlie!”
The mail was here again. It arrives every morning, usually around this time. It was mostly just bills Mum and Dad had to pay for the electricity, or maybe just some invitation to an event in town. But today, I noticed something…different.
Lola comes back from the door, a letter in hand. But instead of putting it on Mum's desk like she usually does…
…she hands it to me.
“It's for you, apparently!”
I stare at it with utter confusion. “Wait, wha…?”
The envelope was folded rather neatly, in a smooth, quality brown mailing paper. There was a red seal in the middle, an intricate symbol engraved in the front, leaves and flowers embellished around it like a medallion. It looked rather professional and formal than our usual mail…wait…doesn't that mean…
“…this is from Sunfield Bells College!”
For a full minute, I stared at the letter with astonishment.
Lola sprints to my side, perching her head behind my shoulder. “Hey, what're you waiting for? OPEN IT!”
“Lola, please—”
“Come on, Charlie!” She pleaded. “You've pulled all-nighters for this thing!”
“Fair point.”
“SO??”
“I'll read this myself, then. It's a reward for me.”
“Aww, Charlie!!”
She gleams at me with puppy eyes.
“Alright, fine. You did bring me dinner every night anyway…”
Lola let out a noise that seemed like a mouse who had too much cheese. Sliding a finger beneath the seal, I carefully open the envelope, revealing 3 pieces of paper inside it.
I take out the first one, which was thick and cream-colored. My eyes landed on the first paragraph.
“Dear Charlie Sonner,
We like to inform you that you have been accepted as a fully fledged student in Sunfield Bells College. Based on your score from the official Entrance Exam, you have shown superior excellency in the subjects covered, earning you a spot in this school year's lineup. Our dearest congratulations to you!”
My chest swelled from excitement. I actually got in…
“Charlie, what happened?” Lola asks.
“I did it, Lola. I got accepted!”
She lets out a gasp so dramatic that I nearly drop the paper.
“YOU DID!?”
Before I could react, she starts wrapping her arms around me, squeezing my shoulders tightly.
“Ow—ugh—Lola—”
“This is so AWESOME!! I can't believe you ACTUALLY got in!”
“I know! I guess I did really well!”
My heart skips a beat as I skim through the rest of the letter. Those sleepless nights, endless studying, late dinners...it all finally paid off.
Taking out the second and third pieces of paper inside the envelope, I carefully spread them out across the table. All it said on the title was:
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENTS
"Hm?"
I picked up the first sheet, looking at the guidelines below.
"All first year students are required to choose either going home through a Mode of Transportation (MoT) or selecting a slot in our school's dormitories."
Oh. I forgot about that. Sunfield Bells wasn't exactly...close to home. The last time I came there, it took nearly 2 hours for Mum to drop me off there, so staying here in the flat wasn't really possible.
"If a student were to choose going to the dormitories, he or she will spend Monday morning until Friday afternoon attending classes here while settling in his or her respective dormitory in the campus."
My smile slowly started to fade.
Monday to Friday? You mean...5 days? In the campus? It's not like it's bad or anything. It's not the school...
...it's her. I can't just leave her here. What if she's not ready? Will she be okay—by herself?
I look at Lola, still perched onto my shoulder, her smile gone from her face as well.
"...Charlie? You okay?"
I put on a smile, shrugging it off. "It's nothing."
"You're doing that look."
"What look?"
"The thing you always do when Dad talks about electrical bills."
"OH—UH, WHAT!?—No, I guess I just zoned out..."
Telling by her look, she didn't really take what I said. Instead, her eyes shifted from the paper to my face. After a while, she looks at me, her eyes expressing her concern more than ever.
"Hey...is this about the dorms? Charlie, don't tell me..."
We stood there for a moment, staring at each other in silence. For once, I can picture how the home would look like without me...and I don't think it would settle with me. For the first time, I'd be leaving home...for college...and I won't expect Lola to come to me the same anymore.