“Wahhhhhhhhh!” I screamed from the top of my lungs, my voice echoing through the apartment walls like a siren on a calm sea.

My phone slipped from my hand and clattered onto the floor, but I didn’t care. My heart was pounding so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest. Tears welled up in my eyes—big, warm, unstoppable tears—and before I knew it, I was crying and laughing all at once.

“What?! What happened?!” Nina shrieked, bursting out of the kitchen like a whirlwind, spatula still in hand. She dropped the bowl of pancake batter she was holding, letting it splatter across the floor as she sprinted toward me in pure panic.

I turned to her, shaking, unable to form words for a second. My throat felt tight, and my hands were trembling. Nina looked ready to fight someone—or something.

“I got accepted, Ninaaaaaa!” I finally blurted out between gasps. “I’m a lawyer now—at the Highstone Firm!” I screamed again, louder, my voice rising with disbelief and pride.

Nina froze. Her eyes widened like saucers. “Wait. Wait. Are you serious?” she asked breathlessly, hands covering her mouth.

I nodded furiously, tears falling freely now. “It’s real! They called! Just now! I checked my email too—it’s all there. I’m in, Nina! I’m freaking in!”

And then it happened.

Nina let out her own scream—this one filled with pure joy—and tackled me in the biggest, tightest hug of my life. We laughed, we cried, we jumped up and down like little kids. It was chaotic, messy, loud—and completely perfect.

The pancake batter on the floor? Forgotten. The world outside our tiny apartment? Forgotten. In that moment, there was just us and the joy of a dream finally coming true.

“Highstone, Leal,” she whispered into my ear, voice shaking. “You did it. After everything—you did it.” Nina is my Friend. She also works at Highstone, she was one of the best attorney at that firm and i really want to be like her.

The next day, I woke up early. Not because I had something urgent to do—but because I still couldn’t believe it.

“I’m a lawyer now…” I whispered to the mirror while brushing my hair. I smiled at my reflection, tears welling up again. This time, not from exhaustion or pressure—but from genuine happiness.

I wore my favorite blazer—the one I had saved for “the day my dream would come true.” It was old but classy, black with a soft lining and shoulder pads that gave me a bit of courage. Today, I was going to visit my old law school. I wanted to personally thank the mentors who helped me along the way.

“Nina, I’m heading out!” I shouted while fixing my bag.

“Go, Attorney Leal! Show them who you are!” she yelled back, toothbrush in her mouth and a towel on her head. “Bring that confident walk of yours, okay? The kind that says: ‘Yes, I’m that girl from San Isidro, but now I’m at Highstone.’”

I laughed. “You’re something else. But you’re right.”

As I stepped out of the house, I was greeted by the familiar scent of a waking street—the mix of freshly baked bread from the corner bakery, a bit of smoke from passing tricycles, and the smell of damp earth from last night’s drizzle. Familiar. I had walked that same path for years—through mud, dust, and rain—carrying borrowed books and a heart full of dreams.