I shouldn't have been upset. I was barely 18, I wasn't ready to be in a committed long distance relationship, and I had been looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life anyway. My parents had been thrilled when I'd told them about the full scholarship for zoology at the Florida university, but Eric had just stared at me, his mouth dropping open slightly.
"I thought.. I mean, I know you applied to the University of Washington. Didn't you get in?"
I sucked in my breath, surprised by his response.
"I did, Eric, but you knew I was applying to other schools as well. There isn't a better school than this one for my field of study. And Florida would be amazing for college! And I got a full scholarship." I repeated with less enthusiasm. I hadn't realized he had been assuming I'd stay here with him, go to school together, maybe take the same classes, drive home together to see family every holiday. Sure I'd applied to our state school, but I never actually saw myself settling so close by.
"I just thought, you know. That we'd be together through college and then…." he reached over to finger the necklace he'd given me as a graduation present. I read the fairytale in his face. We'd be married, settle down in Forks and he'd get a job at the town journal he'd been interning at over the summer.
"Yes, but you know I've dreamed going to an out of state school, I've told you I'm planning to get my doctorate, then study in the field,…. There aren't jobs like that here…. I can't…." I know he had heard me. He was a great listener, he knew my hopes and dreams and yet, he must have assumed I would grow up and my dreams would evolve to fit his own. "You know I wanted to travel, to discover…" I trailed off as I watched his face crumble with hurt and confusion. My sweet boyfriend. I knew he cared, I knew he wanted the best for me, but I hadn't realized until now that his best was not what I needed for myself.
I'd left his house and drove to my own. I only stopped long enough to make up a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grab a jacket for the inevitable sprinkle that would come while I was out, and my camera. I threw them all into my day pack with a bottle of water and drove to the base of the tallest mountain in the area. It was a bit outside of town, but I didn't mind. I needed some distance. I knew better than to think I could climb the whole thing and get back in half a day, but I was ready for a workout and would go as far as I could in a few hours. I needed to push my body, clear my mind and think through my relationship and my options.
About a half an hour in, I got into my stride and I decided to take the lesser used, steeper but more direct path. By the end of a few hours I found myself on a small plateau, only part way up, but with a gorgeous view of the valley below. I settled down on the edge of a large outcrop of rocks and gulped water as I took out my sandwich. I was just finishing it up and getting ready to take out my camera for a few pictures when I noticed a small group of people suddenly appear in the valley below me. I say appear because it seemed that one minute it was empty and then suddenly there was a group of figures huddled in the middle, surrounding what looked like a gigantic wolf.