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“Hey, you.” His handsome grin graces the screen. Behind him, a stack of boxes just like mine is beside his bed. “I’m guessing your Mom finally left?”
“Yes, and I don’t want to talk about it. Can’t you see my panda eyes?”
He chuckles softly. “You’re still beautiful. So, did you meet your roommate?”
“I did. She’s nice and really friendly. She invited me to a party tonight.”
“A party?”
“Yeah, not sure where. I said yes only because she begged.”
Austin lowers his gaze, his expression changing almost instantly. If I didn’t know better, he’s not pleased that I’m going out.
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” He clears his throat, still avoiding my eyes. “Listen, I should go. I’ve got a lot to unpack.”
“I love you, Austin,” I say, missing him so much. “Please don’t forget that.”
Slowly, his gaze lifts to meet mine, and his face softens. “I love you, too, Millie. Call me when you get back, okay?”
“Promise.” I smile before I hang up the call.
Alone, inside my dorm room, I fall back onto my bed and stare at the ceiling. It all seems too hard—moving across the country and saying goodbye to my family and the boy I love. I’m fighting hard for exactly this—Yale. But for what? What if I don’t enjoy studying or change my mind about being a lawyer? I’m waiting for a sign to tell me I am on the right path, and this is exactly where I’m meant to be—that Austin and I will endure the distance and find a way to stay together.
But something warns me otherwise, a voice telling me this is all just the beginning. Just like my mom so wisely said, the stronger the love, the harder the fight.
And what terrifies me the most is that the true test is yet to come.
Heartache is just around the corner.
Eight
Amelia
Nothing anyone could’ve said would’ve prepared me for my first few months of college.
It was even better.
Being surrounded by intellectual students who want to learn is vastly different from high school. Our lectures often turn into discussions I thoroughly enjoy, giving me a chance to interact with my peers on a non-social level.
I frequently find myself immersed in reading, and studying has become so much more challenging than senior year. At times, the pressure mounts, yet I quickly learned that I thrive on it. It pushes me to work harder, and if I want to make a career out of the law, I need tough skin and a strong work ethic.
Aside from Liesel, it hasn’t taken too long to make friends with those who have similar interests to me. We often have lunch together and hang out for coffee, which I despised before college life. Yet now, I can’t get through a day without it. It has become my staple diet when I’m unable to stop for a bite to eat. The coffee cart guy knows me on a first-name basis, and yes, he’s cute.
If there’s some social get-together in New Haven, we all go together, depending on our study schedule. All in all, my parents are pleased I haven’t found the “bad crowd,” who spends the entire time planning keg parties and getting laid.
Yes, I know who they are, and I just choose to avoid them.
But like anything, the good comes with the bad. I invariably find myself homesick, the nights being the hardest.
In times of need, I call Mom and just talk for hours about anything I can, missing the sound of her voice and needing her reassurance. Most of the time, I have questions about papers, though Dad helps me a lot with things I struggle to grasp. Surprisingly, our bond strengthened upon my departure.
Yet milestones pass like my siblings’ birthdays, makings it hard when I can’t be there in person. I plan to head home for Thanksgiving, having not seen my family in two months, and then to add to all of that, I miss Austin.
It’s Friday, a rare class-free day, and I opt to train it into the city. I take my phone out, texting Austin.
Me: Why does the train have this odd smell?
