Four Minutes Before He Stole My Future
1.1k Views · Ongoing · Piper Hayes
I was ranked first in my class, which made me this year's valedictorian.
Years ago, my dad served overseas, and a war correspondent wrote a story about him. He cut the article out and kept it in the inside pocket of his old jacket for twenty years.
I read it for the first time when I was twelve, and ever since then, I'd wanted to be a reporter like that.
But I almost turned down Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism for Spencer, my childhood best friend. I was going to follow him and his girlfriend, Chloe, to Stanford.
Four minutes before the Decision Day deadline, a video popped up on my phone. There was no sender.
The woman on the screen had fine lines around her eyes and a raspy voice. She had my face.
"Spencer logged into your account and switched your enrollment to the local community college. All because Chloe told him she was sick of you tagging along after him."
"After that, you fought to transfer, fought your way through grad school, and you still never got that press pass."
"Nora, you could have made it to the farthest corners of the world."
The screen went black. I ran back to my room and pulled up the applicant portal.
Right there under enrollment choice was some community college I'd never even heard of.
My hands were shaking as I switched it back to Medill. When I hit confirm, there was one minute left.
Then I realized something. As of that moment, eighteen years of friendship between Spencer and me were done.
Years ago, my dad served overseas, and a war correspondent wrote a story about him. He cut the article out and kept it in the inside pocket of his old jacket for twenty years.
I read it for the first time when I was twelve, and ever since then, I'd wanted to be a reporter like that.
But I almost turned down Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism for Spencer, my childhood best friend. I was going to follow him and his girlfriend, Chloe, to Stanford.
Four minutes before the Decision Day deadline, a video popped up on my phone. There was no sender.
The woman on the screen had fine lines around her eyes and a raspy voice. She had my face.
"Spencer logged into your account and switched your enrollment to the local community college. All because Chloe told him she was sick of you tagging along after him."
"After that, you fought to transfer, fought your way through grad school, and you still never got that press pass."
"Nora, you could have made it to the farthest corners of the world."
The screen went black. I ran back to my room and pulled up the applicant portal.
Right there under enrollment choice was some community college I'd never even heard of.
My hands were shaking as I switched it back to Medill. When I hit confirm, there was one minute left.
Then I realized something. As of that moment, eighteen years of friendship between Spencer and me were done.


















































