Chapter 37 Graduate School Entrance Exam
Sebastian's chin was practically brushing her head as she looked up. Without his arm holding her up, she would've been all up in his space.
Camilla caught on and quickly stepped back.
Sebastian cleared his throat, pulled his hand back, and said, "High heels are a trip hazard; flats are way better."
Camilla chuckled and after a beat said, "Thanks."
Juniper, who'd been waiting forever, heard the commotion and called out from inside, "Camilla? That you?"
Camilla glanced outside, "Gotta go, see ya."
"Alright."
Sebastian clenched his fist a bit and as he headed upstairs, he could still hear the chatter from below.
"Why so late?"
"Something came up."
"Did you bump into Sebastian?"
Juniper knew Sebastian lived nearby but had no clue they were neighbors.
Camilla nodded.
She looked chill, and Juniper didn't pry, instead switching to where to grab food. They finally settled on a spot.
Over dinner, Juniper spilled the tea on her last blind date, "I can't stand these stuck-up dudes. Someone should just blow these lazy rich kids to bits."
Everyone in their circle knew Juniper was a wild card. Her sudden dive into blind dating had everyone waiting for the drama.
The guys forced to show up weren't exactly thrilled either. Their snide comments hinted that Juniper should just stay low-key and handle house stuff.
Juniper was so mad she laughed. "These clowns thought everyone was like them, just wasting away? So, I aired all their dirty laundry." Juniper snorted. In their circle, everyone knew everyone's business.
Camilla wasn't shocked. Juniper was always a firecracker, "No wonder the trending topics have been so spicy lately."
It was either someone getting busted for cheating or another family getting nailed for tax evasion. Even Camilla, who was buried in her studies, had heard the buzz.
"They had it coming," Juniper sighed, "My family's top dog in the circle. Sebastian is still single., yet my parents still bug me to get hitched. It's so annoying. But enough about me. You probably don't know, my aunt's also stressing over Sebastian's marriage and keeps trying to set him up."
Camilla thought for a sec, 'Sebastian? Getting marriage pressure? That's hard to picture.'
"But Sebastian's hardly ever home, so my aunt doesn't get many chances to meddle." Juniper shrugged, "I'm just curious what kind of wife Sebastian, who's never dated, will end up with."
For some reason, Camilla suddenly flashed back to the hallway scene earlier.
Sebastian seemed all cold and distant, but he was actually super thoughtful, meticulous, and warm.
Whoever he ended up with must be pretty special too.
Before you knew it, it was December.
Grad school entrance exams rolled around as planned.
Winter in Shadow City was damp and bone-chilling. The weather forecast had called for snow last week, but it never showed. Instead, there was some freezing rain at night, and today the roads were slick.
On exam day, Camilla bundled up in a thick down jacket, cashmere scarf, gloves, and warm snow boots before heading out.
Before stepping into the exam hall, she double-checked her exam gear to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.
Juniper had promised to see her off, but Camilla knew she was swamped with two big projects and probably couldn't drag herself out of bed, especially in this freezing weather.
Sure enough, Camilla didn't spot her outside the exam hall and wasn't bummed about it.
She thought, 'Good friends don't need constant check-ins; it doesn't mess with our bond, and we always have each other's backs.'
The exam took two hours. When it was over, some folks looked pumped, others bummed, but Camilla was chill.
As she left the exam hall, it was drizzling, and cabs were scarce. She planned to take the subway home but hadn't walked far when someone called out, "Camilla?"
She looked up and saw Clara standing under the eaves ahead. Clara said, "It really is you."
Since the last time Clara had tried to drag Camilla to the hospital and failed, they hadn't crossed paths.
Months had passed, and as far as Clara knew, Leopold and Camilla hadn't patched things up.
This time, the split was so bad that even Elodie, who never thought they'd really break up, was starting to doubt.
Clara occasionally heard Elodie griping at home, "Why's Leopold been having so many stomach issues lately? He never went to the hospital this much when he was with Camilla. Clara, do you think they really broke up this time? Is Camilla nuts?! She should know when to quit throwing fits. Does she still want to marry into the Wipere family?"
For years, Elodie had always thought Camilla wasn't good enough for Leopold and had probably told them to break up a hundred times. Now that they actually had, she seemed a bit thrown off.
Not just Elodie, Clara also found it hard to wrap her head around.
It wasn't that she had always backed Leopold and Camilla; she just couldn't believe that in this breakup, Camilla was the one standing her ground.
She had even asked Oliver about the breakup details. Leopold had flaunted his new fling right in front of Camilla; of course, she would be pissed.
Now, Clara was starting to think they wouldn't get back together.
"Clara." Camilla greeted her with a smile.
Clara noticed the clear stationery bag in her hand, packed with exam materials, and remembered seeing Camilla in the library before, "You really are going for grad school."
Like Elodie, she had thought Camilla was just putting on a show to win back Leopold, but she was serious.
Camilla nodded, "Going for a master's is something I've always wanted. I missed the chance before because I was immature. I hope it's not too late now."
Clara looked her up and down and couldn't help but frown, "You must've started studying after breaking up with Leopold, right?"
"Yeah."
"In such a short time, it's probably..." Clara thought, 'Her chances are slim, really slim.'
Lots of people were applying for grad school this year, especially at top schools like Harmony College, where the competition was even tougher.
Camilla'd been out of school for years and hadn't worked in a related field. Cramming for the exam might not cut it.
While the idea of hustling after a breakup was inspiring, getting into grad school wasn't something she could just wing.
Clara didn't want to burst her bubble, so she only said half of what she was thinking.
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