Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

athletic team for the past twelve months, I’m sorry to inform you that your scholarship has been revoked. We are under legal limitations to distribute the athletic scholarships solely to current high school athletes.
    You are still welcome to participate in the IES program provided you arrange your own transportation and pay tuition costs which include discounted room and board on the University of Barcelona campus. The cost of tuition for one semester of high school in the IES program is $4,625.
    Please remit payment by December 15th to the IES office in order to hold your place in the program. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
    Sincerely,
    Helena Cortez, President
    International Exchange Student program,
University of Barcelona, Spain
    When my brain comprehends the words scholarship revoked , my smile instantly fades.
    “I can’t go,” I whisper. Mom had to work overtime just to get me a Juicy Couture outfit that cost a hundred dollars. There’s no way we can afford over four thousand dollars. I squeeze my eyes shut. This isn’t happening . Not now. My hands start to shake again. I feel them shivering as I cover my eyes with my palms.
    When my mom gets home from work in the evening, I hold the letter out to her.
    “Okay, don’t panic,” she says after reading it. “There must be some way we can manage.”
    “Mom, it’s useless to even think about. We don’t have that kind of money.”
    “My boss might let me work enough overtime. Let’s see . . .” She grabs a piece of paper and starts scribbling numbers down.
    “Mom, forget it.”
    “Wait. Sixty hours a week minimum, sometimes seventy . . . and if I work on Thanksgiving and add in my Christmas bonus—”
    “Mom!”
    She stops writing and looks up at me. “What?”
    “Stop writing, stop compensating . . . just stop.”
    I’m depressed enough as it is without watching her attempt to kill herself to make me happy. I’ll figure this out. But it’s my problem, not hers.
    The phone rings. It’s Mr. Reynolds telling my mom she forgot her paycheck at work. Now she’s got to go back and get it. “Come with me, Maggie.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “Oh, come on. I saw Irina baking some new pies this afternoon. Pie always cheers you up.”
    Irina is one of the chefs at the diner. She likes having me try her new pie creations before she offers them on the menu. Irina’s pies are one of the reasons I’ve gained weight this past year.
    At the mention of pie, I give in. If there was any time I need pie to cheer me up, this is it.
    “The place is crowded tonight,” Mom says to Mr. Reynolds when he hands her the forgotten paycheck.
    Mr. Reynolds, usually so calm and in control, seems panicked. “It’s the men’s bowling league,” he explains. “They just came in and Yolanda went home sick ten minutes ago.”
    There’s about thirty hungry men milling around the tables, and I only see Tony, a new waiter, looking more frazzled than Mr. Reynolds.
    Mom taps her boss on the shoulder. “If you need help, I’m sure Maggie won’t mind if I stay for a bit.”
    Mr. Reynolds smiles. “Really? That would be great.”
    “No problem.”
    “You’re the best, Linda. I owe you one.”
    My mom rolls her eyes playfully as she heads behind the counter to wrap an apron around her waist. “You owe me more than one, Lou, but we can discuss it later.”
    “You got it,” he says, then rushes to greet new customers who’ve just walked in the door.
    Mom scurries to the group to help Tony take orders while I follow behind her with a pitcher, filling water glasses.
    After I pour the water, Mom tells me to sit down at a booth. I pull out the Frommer’s book on Spain from my purse and stare at it longingly. If only we were as rich as Kendra’s parents, I’d be able to go to Spain. Even if we were as rich as Caleb and Leah’s parents, we’d probably be able to afford it without thinking twice. Their dad is an oral surgeon and has just