(A/N: Hey, everyone! This is my next chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think in a review. Happy reading!)
BRYCE'S POV
As I woke up today, I laid in my bed for a solid five minutes, just gazing at the ceiling above my head. This is it. Today's THE day. I'm moving out of my house, driving to Chicago, and moving into COLLEGE! COLLEGE! Honestly, it's so unreal to me. I can't believe that I am really going to college. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a grown-up and I'm facing the real world. I just hope the real world likes me as much as I'm going to like it.
Right now, I'm sitting at my kitchen table, enjoying my last breakfast with my family. My mom out-did herself this morning. She woke up at five o'clock in the morning just to cook French toast, waffles, scrambled eggs and freshly squeezes orange juice. I appreciate it, but I don't want to be fat for my first day of school.
That's just a joke. I love my mom's food. Don't tell her I said that.
"So, Bryce, are you ready?" Chet asks me from across the kitchen table.
I gulp down my orange juice and nod my head. I wipe my mouth with a napkin and look up at my mom, who is wiping away her tears.
"I am, but I don't think Mom is," I say with a smile.
She looks at me and shakes her head. She lowers her napkin and grabs my hand. She squeezes it tenderly and smiles.
"I'm ready to see what amazing things you'll accomplish, but I'm not exactly ready for you to leave. You're my baby," she tells me.
I shake my head and point to Landon, my baby brother, who is sitting in his baby stroller, fast asleep.
"No, he's your baby," I tell her.
She sighs and stands up from the kitchen table. She grabs my plate and leans down to kiss my forehead.
"Yeah, but you're still my baby," she says. She turns to the kitchen sink and places my empty plate down in it. "I just hate to see you go."
"You weren't like this when Loretta went to college, and she went to a college farther away than Northwestern."
"Umm, we needed some space," she says with a laugh. She turns and shakes her head. "No, I don't mean that. I love your sister. It's just, she can be difficult."
"Don't we all know that," Chet mutters under his breath.
I laugh and look at my grandpa. I really hope he's okay when I leave. He may spend his days reading the newspaper and sleeping on the couch, but he looks forward to talking to me. We have grown really close over the years. He hasn't told me that he's going to miss me, but I know he will.
"Have you talked to your dad lately?" Mom asks me.
I shake my head and stand up from the kitchen table. I visited my dad last month, but since then, he hasn't bothered to call me to wish me good luck in college. Throughout the years, my dad and I have been talking less and less. He remarried a woman and I attended the wedding with Loretta, but it was awkward. He said he still loves us, but I know that he has already replaced us with his new family.
Being a divorced kid is hard. You usually have to say good-bye to a parent and your relationship is never the same.
"Well, I'm sure he'll call your phone in your room once you get there," she tells me.
"It's fine. I don't even care."
"Bryce, he's your father. You have to talk to him," she says.
"PATSY! WHY AM I UP SO DANG EARLY?"
I look up to see Peter walk into the kitchen, angrily grabbing a chair and sitting down. Landon begins to cry at the loud shouting and Mom bends over to pick him up from his stroller. Peter rolls his eyes and points to his table.
"Where's my breakfast? Why isn't it on my plate?" he asks her.
"I didn't know you were coming down yet," she responds. She places Landon down into his stroller and pats his head. She turns to the table and grabs his plate. She walks to the stove and places two scrambled eggs onto the plate and a piece of toast. She places the plate on the table in front of him. "Here you go."
He stares at the plate and shakes his head. "This is it? They get French toast and I get dry toast and sloppy eggs?"
"Umm, appreciate the food you have," I tell him.
He turns to me and shakes his head. "Who made you the boss of this household? I'm your father. Treat me with respect."
"My mom may have married you, but you're not my dad."
He turns and stands up from the kitchen table. He walks over to me and stands directly in front of my face, staring down at me.
"Do you want me to take away your college tuition money? Because I can," he threatens.
I glare at him and shake my head. He wouldn't have the nerve to do that to me. College is going to help my future. He may not approve of my career decisions, but I think it is great. My mom supports me, and so does Chet. Therefore, nothing can stop me.
"Mom, can I just go see if Juli is ready to leave yet?" I ask her.
"Of course. Tell her we're planning to leave in ten minutes," she says.
I nod my head and walk to the front door. I hear Peter shout my name, but I ignore it. Once I am out of this house, I don't really have to answer to him anymore. He may be my step-father, but I don't care. My mom decided to marry him one weekend last month because she thought it was about time that she did. They have a child together and she says that she needs his support. Unfortunately, when I leave, Chet still has to live with that jerk. Poor guy.
I open the front door and walk outside. I see the lights on inside of the Baker's house across the street. I can't imagine the atmosphere inside that house right now. Everyone must be running around, making sure they have everything ready. Juli is the boss of everyone because she wants to make sure she doesn't forget anything. She would die if she left one notebook behind. I'm not kidding.
I walk across the street and approach the front door. I knock on it and wait for someone to open the door. Finally, the door opens and Juli peeks behind it. She sighs and leans against the door.
"Oh, it's you," she says, not sounding very thrilled to see me.
"I can always leave," I say with a smile.
She shakes her head and opens the door wider. She steps aside and motions for me to walk into the house. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just stressed."
"I've told you that everything's going to be okay. You have to believe me," I tell her. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and pull her close to my body for a warm hug. "You'll be okay. Every freshman feels the same way. I'm scared too."
She pulls away from me and turns to her backpack. She picks up a piece of paper and shakes her head.
"No, I found this list in an article in some magazine I saw in the bookstore last week. It's terrifying!" she exclaims.
"What's on the list?" I ask her.
She grabs my hand and leads me to the couch in the living room. I sit down and she sits across from me. She folds her legs underneath her and looks down at the list in her shaking hands. She needs to calm down. Everything is going to be okay.
"This list explains the common mistakes freshmen in college make and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do all of these," she says.
I reach for her hand and force her to look into my eyes. She stares at me and I shake my head.
"You're normal and you'll do fine. Trust me," I tell her. She sighs and looks down at the list. I sit back and decide to let her read it, even though I know none of this applies to us. "Go ahead. Read it."
"First, you shouldn't proudly wear your student ID everywhere on campus because everyone knows you're a freshman. Umm, where am I going to put my ID if I don't carry it with me?" she asks me.
I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, in your wallet?"
"I don't have a wallet," she says.
"Ooh, then you really need to get one of those," I say with a laugh. She looks up at me and glares. I stop smiling and clear my throat. "Yeah, um, what's next?"
"You shouldn't attend every single event during orientation week. Why not? What if I miss out on something important?" she asks me.
I shake my head and look down at my feet. "I don't know. Maybe you can just use your own judgment and go to the events you think are important."
"How come you know more than me? You've never been to college," she says.
"Juli, relax," I tell her.
She needs to calm down. She's starting to worry me. If she is acting this way right now, how is she going to act once she gets to campus? The RAs better be ready for her.
"You shouldn't enroll in 8 a.m. classes on Mondays or evening courses on Friday. You're going to hate them," Juli continues to read. She lowers her list to her lap and looks at me. "But, when I went to the summer orientation over the summer, my schedule was basically chosen for me. I didn't get to choose! I have an 8 a.m. class on Mondays! What am I going to do?"
I take her hand in mind and shake my head. I can't help but smile at her. She's so cute when she's stressed. "Juli, it's okay. I have 8 a.m. classes too. As freshmen, we don't get to decide. It's completely alright. You'll hate them, but you'll have to push past that."
"You're getting a lot of practice of being a therapist when you're around me," she says.
I shrug my shoulders. I don't mind. I love helping her. I have to do it all the time, but I don't complain. She's my girlfriend. I am supposed to help her with anything that she needs. It's my job.
"What's next?" I ask her.
She looks down at her list and sighs.
"Assuming the jungle juice isn't that strong," she reads. She looks up at me and frowns. She shakes her head. "Jungle juice? What kind of college is that?"
"You know, beer? Alcohol? All of that stuff," I tell her. She raises her eyebrows and smiles. I quickly raise my hands and shake my head. "No, no, no! I don't know from experience, but Loretta told me that all of the colleges have that stuff at the parties."
"And we're supposed to try that stuff?" she asks.
"If you're dumb, yes. But if you're smart, which you are, you'll stay away from it. Loretta wasn't smart. She got drunk a lot in college. That's why her grades weren't too good."
"What are you going to do?" she asks me.
I smile and shake my head. I don't plan on attending those wild college parties. I know they must be fun, but to me, that isn't fun. Getting drunk and getting naked is not fun, in my eyes. Spending the night with my friends, watching movies, or even playing a few card games in the lounge, well, that sounds like fun.
"I'm a good boy, Juli. You should know that. I'm not going to those parties," I tell her.
She smiles and straightens her posture on the couch. She looks down at the list and nods her head. I guess I pleased her, which is what I wanted.
"You shouldn't sit in the front of the class. You'll be named the teacher's pet by the upperclassmen," she reads.
"Then sit in the second row. You can still see, but you won't be a teacher's pet. Moving on," I tell her.
She glances up at me and smiles. I know I am calming her nerves. The more she smiles, the more she releases the stress. I'm doing my job, thank goodness.
"Remember to always have your dorm key with you at all times, even if you're going to the bathroom across the hall. You'll lock yourself out if you don't have the key," she reads. She looks up at me and smiles. "Isn't that common sense?"
I smile and tap her knee. "Juli's back."
She blushes and looks down at her list. "You need to take advantage of the meal plan, but don't take too much advantage of it. Freshman fifteen, anyone?"
I look at her thin waist and shake my head. Juli won't gain weight this year. If she did, it wouldn't matter. She will always be beautiful in my eyes. Though, I think it is impossible for Juli to gain weight. She's naturally petite. She has nothing to worry about.
"Eat all you want. You know you won't gain anything," I tell her.
"I was saying that one for you," she says, giving me a wink.
I gasp and reach across the couch to smack her elbow. She laughs and smacks my knee.
"I am not going to gain weight!" I shout.
She holds up her hands and smiles. "I know! I know! Relax! Let me finish the list!" she shouts. I sit back and fold my arms across my chest. She smiles and looks at her list. "You most likely won't become best friends with your roommate, but you think you will."
"Who's your roommate again?" I ask her.
"The letter said it's a girl named Amy and she's from Indiana. She's a journalism major. She should be nice," she says.
"Journalism? Uh oh…she must lie all the time then," I say with a laugh.
"Bryce!" she shouts.
She reaches across and tackles me to the sofa. I laugh and tickle her stomach, which sends her into a frenzy of laughter. She pushes her body away from me and shakes her head.
"What's wrong with what I said?" I ask her.
"You know what's wrong with it. I'll tell her you said that."
"If you become friends with her," I respond, grinning until she glares at me. I shake my head and sit back on the sofa. "Continue."
"Don't forget to log out of the library's computers. Again, common knowledge. Umm, you will learn the mistake of choosing to stay with your high school sweetheart. It won't work out. You'll break up by the end of the first semester."
She looks up at me and frowns. I shake my head and reach across the couch. I pull her close to my body and take the list out of her hand.
"I think we're done with the list," I tell her.
"But I'm not done with it."
"Well, I'm done listening to it. It's a bunch of baloney. It's not true. We are going to stay together forever. You know that, right?" I ask her. She looks at me and nods her head. I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Good."
"I guess I just want to make sure that you'll fight to keep us together," she says.
"Of course I will. You're my girl. Nothing's going to change that. We stayed together through high school. Why is college going to be any different?" I ask her. She shrugs her shoulders and looks down at her hands. "I mean it. We're going to be fine."
"Thanks," she responds. She stands up from the couch and places her hands on her hips. She sighs and looks down at me. "We need to get going. We don't want to be late."
Juli's parents walk into the living room. They smile when they see me.
"Bryce, I thought I heard you two laughing and talking in here," her mom says while placing a box on the floor. She turns to Juli and smiles. "Juli, we really need to get going if we want to get there on time."
"But first! Let me take a picture of you college kids!" Juli's dad shouts, while grabbing his camera.
I stand up from the couch and walk over to Juli. She smiles shyly and turns to her dad.
"Dad, is this really necessary? You have a million pictures of Bryce and me," she says.
"But I don't have any pictures of you two going off to college. Now, say cheese!" he shouts.
Juli looks at me and we both roll our eyes. We look at the camera and try our best to smile.
"Cheese!" we shout.
The camera flashes and I blink my eyes, trying to erase the dots from my head. I look at Juli and she smiles at me.
"I guess the next time I'll see you is on campus," she tells me.
I nod my head and lead her to the front door of the house. I can see her swallow, and it looks like she is swallowing her entire life. Relax, Juli. It's just one day and it's the beginning of the rest of our lives.
"You'll be fine," I whisper.
"I wish I can ride with you," she says.
"I'll see you soon. Please try to be calm," I tell her. She smiles and shakes her head. "Please."
"Okay, fine. But I won't be happy until I know everything is in place in my room and I know where my classes are," she says.
"I'll help you find them," I tell her. I lean down and kiss her quickly on the lips. I pull away from her and smile. "See you soon, college gal."
I turn around and open the front door of the house. I step outside onto the porch and sigh. I close the door and look across the street. My mom, Peter and Chet are loading my suitcases and luggage into our car.
I run across the street and approach them. Chet sees me and smiles.
"Did you spend some time with Juli? Did you calm her down?" he asks me.
He knows her just as much as I do. Maybe even more.
"Yeah, I did. She's still so worried about it, but I think she'll be fine," I tell him.
"Oh, of course she will be. Juli is fantastic at everything she does!" he shouts.
I turn around to see my mom standing behind me. She leans down and wraps her arms around me.
"Oh, Bryce! I can't believe that this is it! I am going to miss you so much!" she shouts.
She steps away from me and places her hands on my shoulders. She kisses my cheeks and quickly wipes away her tears.
"Mom, don't cry. You'll still see me. I'll come home more often than Loretta did," I reassure her.
She nods her head and grabs her handkerchief from her pocket.
"I know. It's still sad to see you go. This isn't easy for a mother. You know, you raise a child for eighteen years. You watch them grow up into their own person. You take care of them when they're sick. And then when they're all grown up, they leave you. It's the way of life, but it's so hard."
I stare at her and nod my head. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheeks. I love my mom. She has always taken care of me and she defended us when my dad would be so cruel. She's an amazing woman and I'm really going to miss her.
"I love you, Mom," I tell her.
"I love you too."
I turn around and see Peter holding Landon in his arms. I walk over to my baby brother and smile down at him.
"Take care of yourself, Landon. Remember who your older brother is. Don't believe them when they tell you the horrible stories about me. They're completely exaggerating it. Oh, and watch out for the mean kids on this street. Some of them can be really hard on you sometimes!"
Peter smirks and shakes his head. "How lame can you be?"
"I guess I learned it from you," I tell him without missing a beat.
I turn around and walk over to the car. Chet giggles and winks at me. My mom shakes her head, but I can see that she wants to laugh as well. She opens the backseat door for me and I climb inside.
"It's time to go! Peter, please remember to feed Landon his bottle and make sure he naps. We'll be back this afternoon," my mom tells him.
He nods his head and steps away from the car. He holds up Landon's hands, as if Landon is waving at us. At least Peter has some personality.
Chet walks around the car and opens the front seat passenger's door. He climbs inside and closes the door.
"You ready?" he asks me.
"Yes," I answer.
Mom walks around and opens the driver's seat door and sets inside. She closes the door and turns to look at me.
"This is it, Bryce. You sure you don't want to stay here and go to the community school here?" she asks.
"I think I'm good," I tell her.
She laughs and turns around. She turns on the car's engine and pulls out of the driveway. I glance through the car window at my house. Wow, I never thought I would see the day in which I would be moving out of my house and going to Chicago. This is amazing.
I look at my house as my mom drives down the neighborhood road. I stare at it until it vanishes from my sight.
Good-bye home. See you in three months.
A/N: I wasn't intending for this chapter to be so long, but I'm proud of it. I hope you guys liked it as much as I do! Please tell me your thoughts in a review. I appreciate it so much! Also, I got the list of the freshman mistakes from BuzzFeed, so if some of those sounded familiar, that's why. BuzzFeed is so helpful sometimes! Well, really…all of the time, right? :D Thanks for reading and I hope to update soon!
As always,
Fiddlegirl