Thursday after practice, Tim pulled up to Applebee's where I was taking time to talk to Tyra. I hadn't seen her in a long time and wanted to catch up on her break, so Tim and I planned to meet there after he was done.

Tim sat down across from me as Tyra said bye after greeting Tim. He lounged back and brushed his knee against mine. I smiled and asked about practice.

He ignored my question. "Do you wanna come to New York with me and Street?"

"New York? That's a long way from here."

"We leave tomorrow morning and we'll get back Sunday night. You'll only miss a day of school."

"Why are y'all goin' there?"

"Street has a girl up in New Jersey he's tryin' to get a job to support her. There's someone up there he wants to talk to about it. He's really hopin' it works out. I'm goin' and I want you to come, too."

"Tim." I took his hand and smiled softly. "Why do you need me to come? I'm not sayin' I won't, but I wanna know why."

"I don't wanna come back alone."

"Oh, Tim." I got up and sat next to him. I kissed his cheek and squeezed his hands. "Do you really think he's gonna stay?" I watched Tim's eyes get shinier before he turned to look out the window.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Yeah. He's set on being with her and his kid. Dillon is gonna lose a good guy."

I turned his head toward me again. "Of course, I'll go with you. You'll need a tour guide, right?"

He kissed me. "I love you."

"You, too, Riggins."

I stood up to go back to my side, but he grabbed my waist to pull me back. I didn't care that half the restaurant looked over at us when I laughed.

New York was a place I flourished. I felt comfortable there, free amongst the buildings. It was that way every time I came to the big city. I was a big city girl in a country way of life. But looking at Tim talking to Jason, I was glad I lived in Dillon.

Before lunch, we grabbed Jason some cheap suits for his chat and we brought him to the man with the job. Tim and I sat by the reception desk while Jason went into the office.

I put my head on Tim's shoulder, grabbing his hand. "You think he's gonna get the job?"

"He has to. It'll kill him if he doesn't. I've never seen him want anything this bad." Tim let his head fall back on the wall.

"Then it's our job to make sure he gets it. He deserves that from us. From you."

Tim looked at our hands. "I'm not sure I'm ready to tell him goodbye."

I kissed the side of his head. "It's not goodbye. He'll come back. We just need to be strong for him right now. We'll see him again if this all works out."

He closed his eyes and took slow breaths. Tim put his head on my shoulder and squeezed my hand.

When Jason came back out five minutes later in a huff, we knew it didn't go well. As soon as we were back on the streets, Jason started ranting. Tim and I patiently waited for him to calm down, but that didn't happen until the sun was almost gone and we were walking around Times Square.

Tim was ready to do something, suggesting we see the play Gypsy. I rolled my eyes, but I was willing to go if we could get Jason to take a second and chill.

"If you want this job then Wendell is your way in, Six," Tim said exasperated. "Go talk to him. Get him to pick the other guy. That's how you'll get the job."

Jason seemed genuinely surprised by Tim's idea. "Guess what we're doin' tomorrow?"

"Talkin' to Wendell?" I grinned.

Jason matched my enthusiasm.

"All right, all right. But we're goin' to this play first," Tim said, holding the bulletin up.

Jason agreed and started rolling forward.

I pulled Tim back to me to kiss him. "Thank you for doin' that for him."

"I don't want to hold him back."

"And you won't." Our lips connected again.

"Hey! Quit makin' out over there and let's go to that play!"

We pulled apart. I smiled sheepishly at Jason, taking Tim's hand, and pulling him behind me to catch up to our friend.

Once again, Tim and I were left alone while Jason did the talking. That time we were able to walk around campus while he met with Wendell. It gave us a chance to talk more privately.

I held Tim's hand, strolling along the sidewalks. The campus was pretty, full of trees changing their leaves and old brick buildings. I didn't think schools could be that pretty.

"You thinkin' about college yet?" Tim asked me, looking at the gray sky.

"Sorta. There's a great school out in Florida – Full Sail University. It's the perfect school for art geeks like me."

"Florida's nice."

"I was thinkin' about doin' online courses. The school encourages it and has a great online program. I want to try it out, maybe stay in Dillon."

Tim stopped walking and embraced me. He spread his legs out to bring himself more to my level. I laughed and put my hands around his waist, threading each pointer through a belt loop of his jeans.

"You should go to Florida, Barton. You look like you belong in a city like this and going to that art college will be good for you. You don't have to stay in Dillon. If you're stayin' because of me, I told you I'd go with you."

"Tim, I can't make you leave Dillon. I know there are colleges askin' for you and maybe you should look into it." I kissed him. "I'm not tellin' you to go to any of them, just look into it. See if you feel like going."

He stood back at his full height and brushed my hair back. "I'll look into it because you're cute. If I decide I'm not goin', I'm comin' with you to Florida."

"You're still gonna make me go there?"

"You want to go there."

I frowned. "How about I go for one year. You come with me if that's what you want, then we go back to Dillon where I take the rest of my classes online.

Tim kissed my forehead and smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Jason got the job. It was entry-level, but it was a start. Convincing Wendell was the best move he had and it worked. As soon as Jason accepted the position, we were in a taxi to New Jersey. It was cramped in the back seat between the boys, but none of us cared about the strange silence growing in the vehicle.

The house Erin lived in was cute. Small, but cute. I climbed out after Tim and we worked together to get Jason in his chair. I saw them stare each other down, so I stepped around to the other side of the taxi to give them space. They started talking in low voices. My eyes instantly teared up when they struggled to keep it together. Sometimes life was cruel to best friends. I came back around when Jason met my gaze.

"You take care of him, Catherine," Jason said. "You're good for each other."

One tear rolled down my cheek. "Thanks, Jason."

He smiled once more before wheeling up to the front step.

I put my head on Tim's shoulder as we watched a pretty redhead come out with a chubby baby in her arms. Jason's posture changed at the sight, making me smile and cry at the same time. Their kiss broke my heart for Tim but mended it for Jason. I couldn't look up at Tim because I didn't want to see him upset. I didn't want to start sobbing right there.

"Let's go, Barton."

The force it took for him to speak leveled caused me to peer at him. His face was a lot to take in. My sigh was shaky. I wiped away my steady tears and brushed Tim's hair behind his ears. I kissed his cheek and tugged him behind me to the trunk so we could leave Jason's bag.

The drive to the airport was quiet. The flight was even quieter. We managed some small talk during the taxi ride to Tim's house.

The mood shifted when we saw Tim's truck parked in the bushes with a dent in the front of it. Inside, beer bottles were everywhere and Billy Riggins was out cold on the couch. Tim went over to wake him up.

"What the hell did you do to my truck, Billy? You had it for three days."

Billy stared at his brother confused, still waking up.

"You're gonna pay to get it back in better shape than before."

They started arguing until Billy said it.

"Mindy broke up with me."

The tension fizzled.

Tim sighed at his brother. "You're still payin' for it. Come on, Cat."

Tim led me into his room where he fell back on his bed, rubbing his face.

"I'm sorry, Tim," I said, shedding my coat. "Is there somethin' I can do for you?"

"You can get over here and spoon with your boyfriend. That'd be a big help."

I smiled and crawled onto the bed. I tugged on the collar of his coat. "Are you thinkin' of sleepin' in this?"

His eyes met mine and he smirked. "Who said we were sleepin'?"