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Now that I was home and safe, her bragging abilities were back in full swing. I sat at the kitchen table and listened while she made phone call after phone call. She never stayed on the phone too long, always ending it with, “Well, I gotta go! I’ve got more people to call, but I wanted you to know! We’re just so happy over here!”
Then would she hang up and immediately dial the next number.
By the fourth call, I hoped she would run out of numbers soon. I knew that was wishful thinking though. She would be on the phone all afternoon.
With a small wave, I walked out onto the front porch, my acceptance letter in hand. I sat down on the porch swing and reread the letter three more times. I wanted to make the words sink in. This had been my dream for as long as I could remember.
My mind drifted to the past and the memories swirled around my head.
When I started college, going pre-med was the only option. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor and my time in the Army only served to solidify that wish. As a medic, I learned more than four years in a classroom could ever teach me.
I knew I was ready for whatever was thrown at me.
As I imagined what medical school would be like, I thought back to my undergrad years. It felt like a different life, those four years at the local college. Almost everyone from Bradberry went there, if they even went to college at all. I never considered going somewhere else. I graduated high school and enrolled in pre-med classes the very next week.
I loved college. I was fucking great at it. I studied hard and partied harder. I could outdrink most of the football team and they all loved to see me do it. Most of the kids there had known each other since elementary school, so we all got along well.
There were only a few people I didn’t automatically know on sight, and Hailey was one of them.
Hailey Clarke drew my attention the very first time I laid eyes on her. We were in a Biology class and I sat down beside her. It was her major and a requirement for mine, so we both took the class more seriously than most. We quickly became study partners, then friends, then more.
I could still picture the small bird tattoo she had on her shoulder. Whenever I thought about it, I remembered what it felt like to kiss that spot.
As I held onto my acceptance letter, Hailey drifted in and out of my mind. We were together when my father passed and everything changed. I left for the Army and I moved on, but Hailey always found a way to pop back in my head from time to time. When I was overseas on a long night, I would picture her face. The next morning would arrive and I would be ready to face the day. Hailey was my secret good luck charm, the little memory I carried around in my pocket and pulled out whenever I needed it.
I reread the letter for a fourth time and sighed. As I folded it up, I immediately thought about telling Hailey. Even after years of silence, I knew she would be happy for me. Hailey was the one who helped me study for the MCAT. She pulled more all-nighters for me than she did for herself.
I thought about calling her, but I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t even know where she was now.
Or if she wanted to hear from me.
We didn’t part on good terms and it was all my fault.
I decided not to dwell on that fact and how much it fucking hurt to let her go.
I let thoughts of how we met consume me instead.
Chapter Two: Wyatt
It was the first day of Biology.
I needed to get a great seat. This class was my first prerequisite for all my pre-med classes and I couldn’t afford to fuck it up. I knew I was smart - I always had been - but I also knew pre-med classes were no joke. As much as I acted to the contrary, I knew I wouldn’t be able to skate through college the way I did high school.
I walked into the classroom fifteen minutes early and took a seat in the front row. We were in the lab that first day, so I took the lab table closest to the window, which would also put me closest to the professor. Slacking off wouldn’t be an option.
As the minutes ticked by, no one walked through the door. I sat alone in the classroom for a full ten minutes before the door finally opened.
A small girl with short brown hair walked inside. She let the door slam behind her while she scanned the room. Her eyes fell on mine and she looked at the lab table where I was sitting. I could tell she wanted to sit there, too, but she felt awkward with us being the only two people in the room.
I lifted my arm and waved her over with a smile. She was cute, she could definitely sit with me. She hesitated for a second before she shrugged and walked over to join me. She smiled shyly and set her bag down on the table before she climbed onto the empty stool.
“Thanks,” she said softly. “I like to be close to the teachers. Or, professors.”
“I had the same idea,” I said with a nod. “Back in high school, I didn’t care because I could basically get A’s without lifting a finger, but I have a feeling college will be different.”
“Is this your first class?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m pre-med. You?”
