Status: on hold :: set up issues
The Jamestown Virginia School for Gifted Minors
3 - Hailey
“Mom, I really don’t need to go to this school, I can stay home—” I started before be smacked lightly on my leg by my youngest sister, Rachel.
“Go to school so you can be famous!” She said in her squeaky, three year old voice before getting distracted by the television turning on in our crowded condo. My mother turned and looked at me with her soft brown eyes.
“Hailey, you have to go to this school. You have a gift, and there you’re going to be able to make it so great.” Her voice didn’t soothe the fear that was bubbling inside of me.
“But what about all of you? I can stay and see if I can get my job at Gibson’s back.” I let my eyes fall on my siblings all crowded onto the old, deteriorating family sofa. My three sisters and one brother all were snuggled up together watching an old tape of Full House we’d kept over the years. We were a poor family, and we couldn’t afford much. My mother and I both worked as hard as we could in order to keep our family alive and off of the streets. I used to work part time at a restaurant called Gibson’s as a waitress, busser and host, and my mother worked full time as a maid at a local Hampton Inn. We lived in a run-down condo and it was a fantasy to us because we had a TV and an old computer, both working properly.
“We’ll be fine, just go get your bags, you need to leave soon.” She kissed my cheeks and ushered me into my shared room.
I gathered my things quickly as she watched and waiting sadly in my doorway. “Dave said he’d take me to the airport, so you don’t have to be late for work.” I saw her slowly nod out of the corner of my eye as I picked up old photographs of the whole bunch of us. “Are you sure you want me to go? Rosie’s only thirteen; I don’t want her to have to do what I did.” Rosie was the oldest of my siblings and she had a determined and stubborn way about her, and both my mom and I knew that she might not be able to handle things when/if I left.
“I’ll handle it.” She came over and hugged me and soon we heard a car horn beep from outside. “That’s Dave, come on, say goodbye to everyone.”
I brought my two bags out to the living room and was instantly jumped on by Jake, the second youngest of the group. I caught him and brought hi close to me, as I started to put him down again he kissed both of my cheeks and said, “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything.”
It took everything in me to not cry in front of them as they each said goodbye. I mentally blocked out the car ride and plane ride to the school and before I could actually come to terms with the fact that I left them, I was inside of the enormous school being scanned and patted by the guards.
“Alright Miss Ruby, here’s your student ID card, a map around the school and the key to your dormitory. Welcome to The Jamestown Virginia School for Gifted Minors.”
I smiled timidly at him and started to walk down a beautiful hallway that, by the looks of the map, should be in the direction of the girl’s dormitory. You’re already here, make the best of it, I thought as I unlocked and opened the door to my dormitory only to find that it was lacking another person. I brought my bags in and closed the door behind me as I surveyed the room. It was large enough to be the size of my whole condo back home, though of course that was too hard, and it held two beds, two dressers, two desks with a modern and up to date computer resting on each and as I walked farther in I saw a door leading to a shared ‘His and Her’ styled bathroom. I walked back out and placed my bags on the bed that had a window beside it and started to unpack my things.
Once that was all finished I sat on my new, very soft, very expensive looking bed and waited patiently for my roommate to walk in.
“Go to school so you can be famous!” She said in her squeaky, three year old voice before getting distracted by the television turning on in our crowded condo. My mother turned and looked at me with her soft brown eyes.
“Hailey, you have to go to this school. You have a gift, and there you’re going to be able to make it so great.” Her voice didn’t soothe the fear that was bubbling inside of me.
“But what about all of you? I can stay and see if I can get my job at Gibson’s back.” I let my eyes fall on my siblings all crowded onto the old, deteriorating family sofa. My three sisters and one brother all were snuggled up together watching an old tape of Full House we’d kept over the years. We were a poor family, and we couldn’t afford much. My mother and I both worked as hard as we could in order to keep our family alive and off of the streets. I used to work part time at a restaurant called Gibson’s as a waitress, busser and host, and my mother worked full time as a maid at a local Hampton Inn. We lived in a run-down condo and it was a fantasy to us because we had a TV and an old computer, both working properly.
“We’ll be fine, just go get your bags, you need to leave soon.” She kissed my cheeks and ushered me into my shared room.
I gathered my things quickly as she watched and waiting sadly in my doorway. “Dave said he’d take me to the airport, so you don’t have to be late for work.” I saw her slowly nod out of the corner of my eye as I picked up old photographs of the whole bunch of us. “Are you sure you want me to go? Rosie’s only thirteen; I don’t want her to have to do what I did.” Rosie was the oldest of my siblings and she had a determined and stubborn way about her, and both my mom and I knew that she might not be able to handle things when/if I left.
“I’ll handle it.” She came over and hugged me and soon we heard a car horn beep from outside. “That’s Dave, come on, say goodbye to everyone.”
I brought my two bags out to the living room and was instantly jumped on by Jake, the second youngest of the group. I caught him and brought hi close to me, as I started to put him down again he kissed both of my cheeks and said, “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything.”
It took everything in me to not cry in front of them as they each said goodbye. I mentally blocked out the car ride and plane ride to the school and before I could actually come to terms with the fact that I left them, I was inside of the enormous school being scanned and patted by the guards.
“Alright Miss Ruby, here’s your student ID card, a map around the school and the key to your dormitory. Welcome to The Jamestown Virginia School for Gifted Minors.”
I smiled timidly at him and started to walk down a beautiful hallway that, by the looks of the map, should be in the direction of the girl’s dormitory. You’re already here, make the best of it, I thought as I unlocked and opened the door to my dormitory only to find that it was lacking another person. I brought my bags in and closed the door behind me as I surveyed the room. It was large enough to be the size of my whole condo back home, though of course that was too hard, and it held two beds, two dressers, two desks with a modern and up to date computer resting on each and as I walked farther in I saw a door leading to a shared ‘His and Her’ styled bathroom. I walked back out and placed my bags on the bed that had a window beside it and started to unpack my things.
Once that was all finished I sat on my new, very soft, very expensive looking bed and waited patiently for my roommate to walk in.