Hi guys! It's StylishFashionista, and I finally got off my butt and wrote this! I'm really sorry; I know that I promised a week or so later in Trust Is Only A Five Letter Word (which you should read, by the way). But I got super busy and stuff because of all of the trips I took and the fact that I'm planning something super secret for you guys (which may never be finished, but I hope it'll be done as soon as possible!). Also, school started for me, so I'll be less available. I'll most likely be on most often on Sunday, but please don't hold me on that. Also, the Jogan episode did not help. But, hey, the fact that I'm back should count most, right? *crickets* No? Okay. But I hope you guys enjoy. I'll stop rambling now so then you guys can start reading.

*insert disclaimer here*

You'll get that if you read Trust Is Only A Five Letter Word (seriously, if you didn't read that yet, go read that right now!)

New York City was surprisingly smaller than I remembered it. It was literally just an island. Okay, I already knew that, but it felt teensy compared to Gettysburg. Maybe it was because I was only 6 the last time I came here or the fact that I learned that there was more to Gettysburg than my house. It felt small though.

But I felt weird here. Extremely weird. I kind of felt like when I approached a new customer back at the shoe store.

Look at me. I was already thinking about Garrett and his dad, and I had only been at New York for a couple of minutes.

But who could blame me? Gettysburg was a huge part of my life, and I was sad to leave it. That, and I felt extremely awkward and out of place here. How was I going to adapt to this big - okay, small - city?

Jasmine, take deep breaths. You felt this way when you first started living with Garrett, and see how that turned out. You'll be fine here.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

I felt bad here. My mind would just float and start thinking about Garrett. And, goddamn, I had only just walked out of the train station, trailing behind my more-than-energetic grandmother. She was excited because I was living here with her, and I wasn't just going to think about Garrett the entire time. I was going to make friends and have fun here.

Okay. This was a lot of walking. It felt like I was walking for ages.

"Grandma, how much longer is it?" I called out to her.

She turned around, almost reluctantly. I had no clue how I could tell that. "Just a couple more blocks. We'll be there shortly."

Few more blocks my ass. The New York blocks seemed like eternity. They were much longer than most blocks, that was for sure. Or maybe Gettyburg's blocks were shorter than most blocks…

I gave up. There was no way I would stop thinking about Gettysburg, Garrett, his father, the shoe store… everything.

"This is it!" my grandmother said, finally stopping and motioning to the building in front of her. I found myself sighing in relief as I look at it. It was a small, brick building, maybe only a couple stories taller than Garrett's house. I looked at the street sign. We were on 23rd Street and Madison Avenue. The train station was on 30th Street and 11th Avenue. That was a lot of blocks. I thanked the comfortable (and fashionable!) shoes that Garrett's dad made for me.

My grandmother walked us in and then went up a couple of stairs. I had just realized that New York was practically comprised with apartments only; there were no houses here at all. A small apartment that my grandmother and I had to share? Perfect. Just perfect.

On the fourth floor, she finally stopped to unlock the door. Each floor only had one apartment, which I was relieved for. I could take all of the space I could get.

And before I knew it, the door was open and my grandmother walked in a few steps before turning to me. "So? What do you think?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe you could let me in first?"

My grandmother's face went blank as she nodded hastily. "Yes! Of course!"

I walked. It was cozy, to put it lightly. There was a kitchen with a living room, two bedrooms, and a bath. It was even smaller than a floor at Garrett's place. Granted, it was New York we were talking about, but still! And to think that I used to live in a mansion before this mishap… It was crazy!

"It's great, Grandma," I said with a smile. That lie slipped through my teeth so easily it almost scared me. Almost. Now I just needed to get used to this place and then maybe it would be alright.

My grandmother smiled, to my relief. "That's good." I then decided to disappear into my bedroom. It was much smaller than my room back in Gettysburg. All it could really fit was a bed and a small nightstand dresser next to it that would also function as a desk. I really needed to get used to this.

Automatically, I took out a piece of paper and a feather with ink. I had taken them from trading. Then, I took out the letter that Garrett gave to me. I read it once more, and blushed once more. I really miss him. I really do.

Finally, I am able to start writing a letter of my own. There were so many places I wanted to start and so many ideas that were circling through my head, waiting desperately to be inked on paper.

Garrett,

Let me just start with the fact that I miss you already. It just doesn't feel the same without you.

New York is weird, I guess. It's smaller than how I remembered it. But I'm okay with it. I'll get used to it eventually. At least, I hope. Maybe New York will stay weird forever.

Okay, that was weird…

Honestly, you're probably wasting your time reading this letter, because I'm literally writing about nothing right now. But I really wanted to write a letter to you. In fact, once I got to my apartment, the first thing I did was go to my room and take out a piece of paper and a feather to start writing. I really miss you, and I just had to say something. I mean, if I didn't write a letter back to you, I would be so mean!

I guess this leads to what I really want to say: I love you too. More than anything. And I can't wait to visit. I want to see you as soon as I can.

Love,

Jasmine

That might have been the worst thing I had ever wrote. I thought of myself as a decent writer, but obviously I was mistaken. Garrett changed me so much.

I asked my grandmother where the post office was, and she told me. It was just a couple blocks away, which was good since I didn't want to walk much farther. Once I got there, I folded the piece of paper and placed it in an envelope. Then I wrote the necessary addresses and placed a stamp on the top right hand corner, before giving it to the woman to send to Garrett.

I couldn't wait for a response.

I checked the mailbox once again. I had been doing this for a month now, just waiting for Garrett's letter. And, honestly, I was getting sick of checking. I just really wanted a letter back! Was that too much to ask? Granted, the postal system wasn't very fast, but he probably got my letter by now, right? And he probably already wrote me a letter and sent it back, correct? I was just overthinking this and it would come the next day?

No. He didn't. If he did, I would've already got a letter back and I wouldn't be standing at the post office door right now. I just needed to stop worrying. It was all the post office's fault. They were so freaking slow!

A lady who looked like she was in her 40s yelled at me to get out of the way, since I was standing in the middle of the post office entrance, so I apologized profusely and got out of the way. I stopped staring at my empty hands and finally decided to walk home. I was getting used to this city. There were a few cafes and a couple boutiques I would stop by from time to time, just so then I wouldn't be bored. Everyone said that New York is such an eventful place, but I had to beg to differ.

Maybe I was just lonely. There was this one person who my mom was friends with who said that New York was amazing if you found the right people to hang out with, and I hadn't even attempted to make friends. I determined that I would meet people after the war, when I could go to Columbia's nursing school. That, or I was just too hung up.

Once I unlocked my apartment, my grandmother was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper, which I found weird since she usually sat at the table. I internally shrugged it off, walking up to her. "Hey," I smiled, giving her a side hug and a kiss on the cheek. She turned to me and smiled back.

"Hey Jasmine." She patted the couch to motion me to have a seat next to her. "We need to talk."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I sat down next to her. "Why? Is everything okay?"

She sighed, handing me the newspaper she was reading. She pointed at a certain article, and I read the title of it. Columbia Nursing School Construction Postponed Until War Is Over. I blinked a couple times before it registered in my head. Columbia wasn't going to finish their nursing school until the war was over. And, honestly, I didn't have a clue for when the war was going to end. It seemed like it had been going on for eternity.

Well, this sucked. One of the reasons I came to New York was now thrown out of the window.

"I'm so sorry," my grandmother choked out after a long silence. I finally diverted my eyes away from the article to look at her.

"Don't worry," I said, trying to bring a smile to my face (and hoping my attempt was successful). "It's fine."

"Well, it will be," my grandmother added in a mutter, and I looked at her seriously. What was she implying?

"What do you mean?" I asked her, bracing myself for the answer. I meant, my grandmother brought me here for crying out loud. I needed to expect the unexpected.

"I've been thinking," she started with a sigh, "and I think that we should move back to Gettysburg."

I was honestly shocked. My grandmother was notorious in my family for always bringing abrupt changes, and I knew to expect the unexpected, but I was certainly not thinking that. We moved here just about a month ago, and now she wanted me to move back? What was this month for?

My thoughts were super cluttered, so all I could ask was, "Why?"

She sighed. "I really wanted you to go to that nursing school and for you to live here with me, but I know that you're not enjoying it here that much. I really want you to be happy. So, let's move back. I know you loved it there."

I looked at her, just blinking. Was she serious?

"I-I don't know what to say," I choked out, and I wasn't lying. I seriously didn't know what I was supposed to say. Of course I was happy. In fact, I was ecstatic. But, Garrett. He hadn't responded to my letter yet. Did he still want to see me?

I shook my head. Of course he did. He said he loved me. He still had to mean it.

"Just say what you're thinking," my grandmother urged.

"I'm thinking that this is great," I said to her, hoping that was the right thing to say. "When will we move?"

"Honestly, I was thinking that we would be at Gettysburg in a week or so," my grandmother told me. "Are you okay with that?"

I just nodded. I didn't want to say anything.

"That's great," my grandmother exclaimed, smiling. "I'll pack up. You don't have to do anything! We'll be on that train back next week, I swear!"

I just smiled, allowing her to rant on. Of course I was excited. But I didn't know if Garrett would be.

Just on a note, Columbia's nursery school didn't open until 1892, well into the Reconstruction era and way after the Civil War ended.

Okay, updates may be a bit slow since I'm in high school now. But I'll be sure to work on this anytime I can. I really love this trilogy; I can't just give it up! Again, sorry for posting this so late. I hope you guys are still interested, because I know I am!

Anyways, Jasmine's going back to Gettysburg! I mean, could you expect anything less? I honestly hope you like this chapter; I'm feeling okay about it, to be honest. Are you excited for more? If you are, please write a review! I would love to have 5, please. :)