Riverside Academy

A Chapter by siloqui

Chapter 5 of TBD

Slowly but surely, Dakota adapted to living in a home, and after a week, he wasn't feeling so intrusive. Len was one of the kindest people he had ever met. Yes, he looked intimidating, but he was really just a huge teddy bear. Sue was so incredibly kind-hearted and he could tell she truly wanted to help Dakota. They were incredibly sweet together, and Dakota caught himself a time or two actually thinking of them as friends.

At school, Zak left Dakota alone, and people seemed to stop picking on Diane as much. At the house, Dakota slept on the couch. Sue and Len got him a bunch of blankets, and every morning there was a lunch packed for Dakota in a paper bag with a note wishing him a good day. On Sunday, Len had the night off, so when Dakota and Sue got back from the diner, they all sat down and ate dinner together. Len had made fettuccini alfredo, and it was delicious.

As Dakota scraped the last few noodles off his plate, he saw Len look up and raise his eyebrows at Sue, who smiled, nodded, and went to the kitchen counter, returning with a few envelopes.

"So Dakota, we have something to tell you. We talked to your school, and as long as you agree and are willing to sign this, then this will be your official address. We also spoke to..." she trailed off, looking nervous, and looked to Len, who supportively nodded at her. "We spoke to an adoption agency. If you would like... all you need to do is sign." Dakota just stared at the envelopes in front of him. How had this happened? Never in a million years would he have thought he'd consider accepting an adoption, but... these people were different. He really liked them, and he felt at home here, which was a completely new and alien feeling to him.

"Um... can I think on it? I'll tell you by tonight?" Sue's face fell. "And thank you!" Dakota quickly added. "Thank you so much. Sorry, it's just - a lot of changes very fast."

"Of course, no rush. Here, let me take your plate, I'll start cleaning up." Sue quickly gathered up all the dishes, and rushed into the kitchen, clearly upset.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to be ungrateful. I truly am so appreciative of everything you've done for me, it's just a big decision--" Dakota said, turning to Len.

"It's okay. We just really enjoy having you here. Between you and me... Sue's always been a very motherly person, but we found out a few years ago that she can't have kids. I think that you coming into our lives kind of gave her that shot at motherhood that she never had. We're not dirt poor, but most adoption agencies would go for a couple that's a bit better-off financially, so we had both resigned ourselves to accepting that we probably wouldn't get that chance. I'm sorry she's putting all that on you."

"Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. And you know... Yes. I'll sign them. Thank you." Dakota pulled out a pen he always kept in his pocket and began leafing through the paperwork. After a minute or two, he realized Len hadn't replied. He looked up to see if everything was okay, and saw Len with a small smile flickering on his face, looking at Dakota with a tear rolling slowly down his cheek. Reaching out, Len patted him on the back, nodded, wiping the tear away, and went into the kitchen. A few moments later, Dakota heard a small shriek, and Sue came rushing out of the kitchen, holding a sponge in one hand and a soapy plate in the other.

Sue ran up to Dakota, throwing her arms around him, getting soap from the plate all over the right side of his face. Dakota involuntarily let out a laugh, and then hugged her back. He honestly couldn't believe what was happening. He had a family. A family that chose him, but also allowed him to choose them. A family he loved. Feeling a small tight ball forming in his throat, Dakota cleared his throat. He couldn't get choked up or cry. He didn't cry in front of people. Not that Sue or Len would mind - they were both blubbering at this point.

Within an hour, all the papers were signed and mailed. That night, Dakota maybe slept three hours. He just couldn't turn his mind off that night.

In the morning, Dakota headed to school, carrying his paper bag that Sue had packed him. As he entered the school, he saw the principal standing in the hall. Upon seeing him, she seemed to remember something, and came up to him.

"Mr. Dawson? Could you step into my office for a minute?"

"Um... Sure, Mrs. Brown." Dakota turned and followed her to her office. He sat in the slightly uncomfortable plastic chair across the desk from her. His chair creaked, and he felt there was a good chance it was about to snap. This school was sad. Mrs. Brown pulled out a few papers and laid them on the desk in front of her. She also pulled out a stack of at least thirty envelopes and tried to stack them next to her, but they went so high that they kept falling over, and after three attempts to keep them standing, she adjusted it so that there were two shorter stacks.

"Dakota, as I see here, you have a current address? And I see here that you've started an adoption process?"

"That's correct, ma'am." He wouldn't have been so blunt about it with most adults, especially at the school, but he and Mrs. Brown had always had an understanding. Ever since he joined the school, and she realized he didn't have parents to sign anything for him. She had questioned him, and, realizing he was caught, Dakota told her his story. Come to think of it, she may be the only person he'd ever told his full story to. Surprisingly to Dakota, she understood, and ever since had turned a blind eye when necessary, and allowed him to forge signatures. She was still a bit condescending, but for the most part, Dakota liked Mrs. Brown.

"Well then. I think it's time I finally gave you these." Mrs. Brown pushed the stack of envelopes across the table to Dakota, and only then did he see that they were all from the same place. Riverside Academy.

"What's this?" Dakota asked, opening the first letter.

"It's a boarding school. One of the most prestigious in the world, and less than two hours away. They've had an eye on you for a while. You're a smart kid, and they've noticed." Dakota squinted his eyes slightly. He was so sick of being called 'kid'.

"There's no way I can afford a fancy boarding school. Yes, I have somewhere to stay now, but it's not like I've been taken in by millionaires."

"That shouldn't matter. They've been trying to send these to you directly for years now, but because of your lack of address, they were sent here. The head of this school won't be so lenient as I have been about... your previous situation, and I didn't want to get any prying eyes on you who might end up forcing you into a foster home, so I kept these, hoping that eventually, you'd find a legal guardian, whether it was an adopted parent or a relative you didn't know about." When she said that, Dakota realized she had come to him several times over the years, asking him (vaguely so as not to cause suspicion in case anyone overheard), how his family was doing. Here and there she had even suggested that he searched for relatives when she knew people weren't listening, but he had never thought about it.

"It doesn't matter how much money your parents have because the school's offers have gotten better over time. At first it was a small scholarship, but as you didn't answer, it must have made them want you more, and it's worked its way up over time to the point where..." she paused for a second, looking at Dakota, and a big smile formed across her face, "they're offering you a full ride. All expenses paid, you simply have to go there." Dakota just sat there for a second. How had his life changed so much in just ten short days?

Dakota had always been the kid who never got anything handed to him. He had always worked hard for everything he got, and even then, he'd usually lose it. He wasn't successful at much, except staying alive. He guessed he was a good student on paper, but he wasn't very nice to people. He was a pretty quiet person. Yes, he always got 100% on assignments and tests, but his grades got taken down a bit because of attendance. He felt suspicion rise inside of him, but he couldn't think of any way this could be a trick... he just didn't understand it.

"Wow... um thank you. Yeah I'll take a look at it."
"Please do. You're smart, kid, and as much as we try to make this school a good place, you're better than this. You'll thrive somewhere like Riverside. It's a once in a lifetime chance, don't brush over it, okay?" Mrs. Brown looked very serious.

"I won't. Don't worry. Thank you." Dakota took the envelopes and began to leave.

"Wait, Dakota! Here's a pass so your teacher won't mark you late."
"Thanks, Mrs. Brown." Dakota left the office and walked home. He could miss his classes today. Today, his time was going to be spent researching this school. He always had loved being mentally challenged. He thrived when he had good teachers, the sad truth was that there weren't any great teachers at this school. Maybe he really would enjoy a fancy boarding school. Man, he'd be out of place with all the rich kids.

Looking at the Riverside website, Dakota couldn't help but be intimidated. To start, the annual tuition was $62,000. This school wanted to give him an education that equated to $248,000? That was almost a quarter of a million dollars, and they wanted to just give him that for free? This was ridiculous.

He did like how the school was set up. This school was modeled after a college. Instead of everyone taking the same generic classes, you chose a major, and took classes specifically designed for that major. Their list of majors was extensive, and you also had the option of designing your own degree, and they would get teachers to help you who were specifically hired to help people learn about almost any subject you could think of. The more Dakota researched this school, the more he started to get excited. How could he turn down an opportunity like this? And it was only about an hour and forty-five minutes away from Sue and Len's, so he could visit on the weekends. He felt bad thinking of leaving almost as soon as he started living there, but this wasn't the kind of thing that gets offered to you every day.

...Unfinished Chapter, more coming soon...

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© 2017 siloqui

Author's Note

Very rough draft, please ignore grammar problems. I'm very new here, and this is my first novel. Super hungry for constructive criticism, would be honored if you take the time to read this and leave your honest opinion below. Thank you so much :)

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Coyote Poetry

You did very well. The story had great opportunity. I like the main character. Having little but strong back-bone and succeeded. I liked the offer of a good education. A well written and entertaining story. Please send read requests to me. I would be honored to read your work.
Coyote