The day college decisions came out, I was on an Amtrak train back from our senior trip with my boyfriend, Ethan, and my foster sister, Olivia.
The moment Olivia boarded, she took a window seat. Ethan sat down beside her without hesitation.
By the time I put my luggage away, the only seat left was across the aisle. I froze for a second.
Ethan said casually, “Jenny, Olivia and I were talking about what we might study at Harvard.”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t too confident about your applications? Just sit over there and watch something.”
They laughed and talked the whole way, while I couldn’t get a word in.
At five that afternoon, the decisions finally came out.
Olivia threw her arms around Ethan. “Oh my God! We both got into Harvard!”
Ethan grinned. “Check the family chat. Everyone’s congratulating us.”
From across the aisle, I could hear my parents’ voices through his phone.
“Olivia and Ethan both got into Harvard! We’re so proud of you!”
Then came Ethan’s parents.
“It’s great that you two will be at Harvard together. You’ll be able to look out for each other.”
I opened iMessage.
I wasn’t in the family chat.
No one had asked about me.
Forget it. None of them had ever considered me anyway.
It was time to choose a future of my own.
They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 09 Ethan was standing outside one of the academic buildings. He looked thinner and more worn than before. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up. “Jenny!” “I’ve come looking for you so many times. I finally found you.” There was a wounded note in
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 08 The medal slipped from my hand. I stumbled backward, caught my foot on a stone, and fell hard. Mom and Dad rushed forward to help me. The memories I had almost buried came rushing back, squeezing my chest until it hurt. “Don’t touch me! Don’t
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 07 When I landed and turned on my phone, it practically exploded. Hundreds of messages appeared at once, along with missed calls from different people. Mom had left me message after message on iMessage. [Jenny, why do you have to make everyone worry like this?] [You
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 06 Ethan’s breath caught. He lunged forward and snatched the phone. He stared at the acceptance email, student ID number, and scholarship notice again and again. Then he pulled out his own phone and opened his Harvard acceptance email, comparing the two back and forth. He
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 05 The phone slipped from Mom’s hand and hit the floor. She stood frozen. Dad, startled by her reaction, picked it up. He asked again, unable to believe what he had heard. “Ms. Bennett, are you sure there hasn’t been some mistake?” “You mean… Jenny got
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 04 After Senior Awards Night, everyone began filing out of the school. Mom, Dad, and Ethan didn’t notice I wasn’t with them until they reached the parking lot. “Jenny, why are you walking all the way back there by yourself?” I didn’t answer. I got into
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 03 A few days later, it was Senior Awards Night at school. That morning, voices downstairs woke me up. Still groggy, I got up and looked over the railing. Ethan was already downstairs in a dress shirt and blazer. When he saw me, he waved. “Jenny,
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 02 When we came out of Route 128 Station, Ethan was pushing Olivia’s suitcase ahead of us. I followed behind. I had just stepped into the elevator when the display showed it was full. Olivia was still outside. Ethan nudged my suitcase back out, then pulled
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They Thought I Failed—Until I Turned Down Harvard Chapter 01 The day college decisions came out, I was on an Amtrak train back from our senior trip with my boyfriend, Ethan, and my foster sister, Olivia. The moment Olivia boarded, she took a window seat. Ethan sat down beside her without hesitation. By the time
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