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She nodded, following Rachel down the stairs. She needed to meet with her advisor, and then she could go back to her apartment and talk to Aiden. He should be out of classes by then.

The meeting with her advisor went as expected. Now armed with a list of programs that the credits from her current classes—if she finished them—could seamlessly transition to, she had a better foundation to decide her future. She still lamented not choosing a school closer to home or doing a remote online degree program, but she had more options if she stayed here than she realized.

When she mentioned she thought her only options were accounting or something in marketing, her advisor seemed surprised. She spent the next hour describing the different programs available that would enable Charlotte to work with both her mothers’ businesses, like marketing and E-commerce.

The knowledge should have elated her, and it did for about five minutes, but after leaving her advisor’s office she could barely manage to rouse anything more than a sigh of relief that she had options. She hated days like this, when the lows were particularly low and sucked the hope and joy out of everything.

Still, with the strange events lately, and the return of the depression she had struggled with since puberty, taking a break before moving into a new program seemed like the smartest choice. Thankfully, her advisor agreed and let her know her credits wouldn’t expire if she took a temporary leave. She also informed Charlotte that if she wanted to keep her grants, she couldn’t drop out completely, but the temporary leave was acceptable.

Charlotte didn’t mention the things occurring around her, or her mental state, only that she considered returning home before transferring.

The line at Barberitos in the Tate Student Center was longer than expected, but the smell of marinated steak appealed the most when she passed by the eateries available to students. A burrito would be worth the wait. It was the first thing in days she wanted to eat. Any other time, she made herself eat so her medicine didn’t make her sick. Her appetite disappeared a month ago, and it felt more like a chore than anything to eat some days.

Her phone chimed. Pulling it from her back pocket, she smiled.

Aiden:

Riley is dragging me and Seth out shopping and to dinner later… send help.

Giggling, she tapped out a reply before stepping up to place her order.

Charlotte:

I thought you liked hanging out with Seth.

Aiden:

I do, but I wanted to stay in the dorm. Tired.

She took a measured inhalation through her mouth, releasing a slow exhalation through her nose. It was her fault he felt too tired to go out with his sister and her boyfriend Seth. She shouldn’t have called Aiden last night. Pressing her lips in a tight line, she tapped at the screen.

Charlotte:

I’m sorry.

Aiden:

For?

Charlotte:

Keeping you up last night?

Aiden:

Nah. I told you. Had a bad dream anyway. I wasn’t gonna sleep much after that. Besides, I’m mostly tired from swimming all day yesterday.

She found it hard to believe. Had she not called him the night before last, and then kept him up on a video call last night, the dreams he had both nights may have faded away and he would have enjoyed a peaceful sleep. Looking down at the burrito in her hand, she frowned. The spark of appetite she felt earlier was gone.

She stepped out of the flow of foot traffic and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes to take a break from the chaos around her. Her mood had been deteriorating throughout the day.

“Charlotte?”

Opening her eyes, she peered up at Noah. His brows crumpled as he studied her.

“What are you doing hanging on the wall?”

She pushed down the emotions bubbling under the surface and forced a smile, sliding her mask back into place.