Steven had been seated at the kitchen table looking at the almost empty glass of orange juice in front of him. His mother was seated opposite him, looking at him with an assessing look. Almost reassuring.
"So," she began, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "you've been quiet since graduation. Do you have any idea what you're going to do next?"
Steven sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I don't know, Mom. College, I suppose. I applied to a few places, but…"
"But what?" she inquired gently.
He scowled. "It just feels… strange. Like I'm moving on, but I don't even know what I'm leaving behind. Fairmount was all one place. Now I don't even recognize the place. I mean, I was just going through school, you know. That was all that matters. I barely made friends, I was always in my books, but… why does it feel like I've been robbed of something I actually cherished? Like I made a connection to the place?"
His mother crossed her hands together in front of her on the table. "That's because you're not the same boy you were when you started high school. You met Jessica, things didn't go as well as you hoped, but… that's not necessarily a bad thing. Life happens, baby. It's a learning process."
He smiled sardonically. "I guess so."
"Considered splitting town?" she continued. "Perhaps to somewhere completely different?"
Steven considered it. He'd been offered a spot. One at a college in Newyork, the other in Chicago. Both far enough away to start over. Both tempting.
"Yeah," he admitted. "I have. But it's… a huge leap."
She smiled knowingly. "So was everything else you've gotten through. And you pulled that just fine."
Steven nodded slowly, the seriousness of her words sinking in. Maybe it was time to go on to something different. Something that didn't have anything to do with Fairmount, or Jessica, or her friends.
Maybe it was time to finally start over.
Jessica sat on her bed, the acceptance letter trembling in her hands. She read the words over again, although she'd already committed them to memory.
We are excited to inform you that you are a Global Scholars Grant recipient.
A scholarship. A full ride. To Paris.
Paris!
She breathed deep, setting the paper aside as feelings washed over her. This was everything she had ever dreamed of, an escape, a second start, an opportunity to be new again.
But even with excitement churning in her chest, doubt had crept its way in with her.
She had spent so much time looking behind. Could she ever let go of the past?
Her phone beeped on the table next to her. A text from Ava.
So, you're leaving? No emojis.
Just a matter-of-fact statement. Like a detective trying to collect information.
Jessica gazed at the screen, contemplating whether to reply to the message.
Screw it, she thought, leaving Ava on read.
She tossed the phone onto the bed and rolled over, staring up at the ceiling. For the first time in so very long, she wasn't holding out for someone to dictate to her what was good. Wasn't trying to fit into a world that no longer accommodated her.
For the first time, she was choosing herself.