2 8 T H E T U S C A R O R A R E V I E W 2 0 2 3 2500 Miles K A T Y P E N N I N G T O N Stacks of brown cardboard boxes filled the back seats of the cream colored station wagon that sat in the Ross family’s driveway. Wendy’s eyes watered when she saw Julie hop out of the passenger side of the station wagon. Julie’s perm was still intact and thriving from the sleepover they had only a week prior, where they spent the entire night watching MTV while doing each other’s hair. Her hair would have stuck out in strange ways had it not been weaved tightly into two thick French braids that rested on her shoulders. Julie wrapped Wendy into her arms, not taking notice of the tears threatening to fall from her best friend’s eyes. Wendy melted into the embrace, she didn’t allow for the tears to fall because if she did she wouldn’t be able to stop crying. Behind them, their fathers engaged in their typical talk about Ronald Reagan and politics. Wendy didn’t know exactly what they were talking about now, instead she kept her face firmly pressed against Julie’s shoulder. “I’m really going to miss you,” Julie whispered. “I’m still pissed you didn’t get into USC.” “Yeah … me too,” Wendy whispered. Truth is, Wendy didn’t apply to the University of Southern California. She probably would have gotten in, but her family didn’t have the money to send her there like Julie’s family did for her, and she didn’t get the scholarships that would have allowed her to go. She settled for community college here in Georgia close to her family. “Are you applying again when you finish the two years here?” Julie asked as she pushed away from the hug, her hands on Wendy’s shoulders. “Oh …yeah … of course,” Wendy said. “Are you excited for college?”
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