:

"Again, that was my exact reaction." Joshua said happily.

"But how? Are you sure it's not a mistake?" Richard asks, getting his voice under control.

"I double check, this is legit. So I thought, maybe he paid someone to take the test for him. I tracked down the person who was in charge of the test and she remembered it was indeed him who was there, she said something about someone that handsome was bound to be remembered. The security camera confirms that fact. Pretty weird right?"

"What is weird is your implication in a simple application case. In general you just threw that kind of file in the trash."

"Yeah I know, I was the first surprised, I don't know what compelled me to look at the file. But come on, a kid who never went to high school, didn't graduate and ace the LSAT? I love solving a mystery." He said excitedly.

"Yeah I know and now I'm interested to know what you find to be that excited." He said with a smile.

"Okay, while I was there I was asked to be given a copy of his LSAT test. Look at it." Joshua said, opening the remaining folder in his hand and sliding files on the desk.

Taking the files, Richard started looking threw it. His curious expression morphing into a frowning one as he was reading through the response on the test. The LSAT test was an exam that did not change from years to years so it was possible to be prepared for it even if it takes an humongous amount of time and energy. It was even possible to hire a tutor exactly to pass the test but they were quite expensive and so impossible to have for the low and middle class kid. That was why a huge percentage of wealthy kids succeed in the test compared to the middle and low class income.

In the last ten years, Richard saw a huge number of LSAT but he never saw one like that. The kid had gone far and beyond each subject, going as far as making presumptions on a number of ancient laws that even he failed to remember.

"It's unbelievable. A kid wrote that?" Richard says in wonder.

"Yeah, there is more. That LSAT exam created a storm in the Law School Admission Council. They even wanted to give him a grade exceeding 180 but it was ruled down eventually. They finally agreed to write a newsletter with that test and send it to every law school in America as a textbook example."

"Every law school in the country is going to want that kid." Richard realized.

"It has already started. I was told that the headhunter from Harvard and Yale already took a copy of that test." Joshua nodded.

"It's going to get ugly real fast."

Richard knew exactly what he was talking about. There was a fierce, under the surface, competitiveness between the top university in the country to get the most exemplary student. They were willing to go to any length to have the best with advantage and sometimes even bribes to coerce students into attending their university. With the upcoming renown that kid is going to get once the newsletter is going to be published, there is going to be a huge target on his back.

"Yes but I learned that the kid is a legacy. His mother attended Columbia, class of 1997." Joshua adds, taking another file and passing it to Richard.

"Smart young lady I see." Richard said, looking at her grade. "What is her current occupation?"

"Prosecutor for the district attorney here in NY, amazing reputation too. She got in the spotlight a few weeks ago when she convicted a huge russian mob, a day after an attack on her home."

"Yeah I remember that, I read about it in the newspaper. Her name was Karine Lyndon, I remember now. What more do you have on the kid?"

"I looked him up on google and found out that he's kind of a celebrity. He is a talented young singer with a little over 2 millions followers on Twitter. His first song was in duo with Taylor Swift and he gave the money from the sale to a foundation who help war veteran. Hard to tell if he did that because he is nice or for PR purposes. You know that health issues that he invoked for not attending high school? It checks out." Joshua finished, taking the last page that he had in his folder, and putting out on the desk. It was a page coming from a newspaper.

"Drunk cab driver on the street, a young kid goes to the hospital in critical condition" Richard read out loud. "That was him?"

"Yes, he then passed the next four years in a coma until he miraculously recovered six month ago. I even heard he is currently turning a movie in LA as we speak. This kid is like the wet dream of all university in the country."

"Yes, I understand your dilemma now. He is obviously brilliant but are we ready to accept a teenage kid who did not even graduate from high school among other gifted eighteen years old students? And more importantly, is it the best thing to do for him?" Richard mused out loud, his hand on his chin, eyes seemingly lost in thought.

"I think we should accept him." Joshua finally said.

"Oh? Why is that?" Richard asks, refocusing to the man in front of him.

"I look at his tweet and even his tv interviews... Yeah he did that too… and I find him really adult for his age. I think after what happened to him he matured really fast. I watched him being questioned by Ellen Degeneres and that was a walk in a park for him. It's not college kids that are going to rattle him."

"Humm… okay. I will back you up if the council has a problem with that even if I doubt it if he is as famous as you say he is. But I want to have a meeting with him before the start of new semester." Richard demanded.

"That would be easy enough to organize, he would have to come for the visit day before the semester begins, I will schedule it with your secretary."

"Good, anything else?" He asked impatiently, he had work to do.

"In fact yes, since I'm here, I could use your opinion on some matter. Since we decided to take the kid, it leaves me with only one spot and two very good candidates."

Taking out two folders from his bag, he looked at the first one.

"Number one: Melissa Hiddy, eighteen years old coming from Minnesota. Straight A student with two medals in regional swimming championship. Her speciality is the 400m freestyle. She scored a very respectable 172 in LSAT." Joshua said, giving the folder to Richard.

"Number two: Na Yung Kim, eighteen years old, born and raised in South Korea but living in NY for the last month. As brilliant as Melissa but with different skills. She was the archery champion in Seoul three years in a row. Surprisingly, she uses the recurve bow and not a compound bow. She also scored a 172 on LSAT."

Looking through both files, Richard had to admit that was not easy to choose from the two. The two girls had both their strengths and weaknesses. He didn't know who to choose until he remembered the sports performance of Columbia this year.

"We will go with Na Yung Kim, our feminine archery team finished dead last this year. We could use her ability to win a couple of places. Comparatively, our swimming team is in the top3 so the skill of Melissa would not be of much use to us." Richard decided.

"Okay, I will make the necessary arrangement." Joshua says, getting back the file that he deposited on the desk until he was stopped.

"Let me keep the LSAT of the kid, I want to read it again later when I have more time."

"No problem. Later Richard."

"Later Joshua."