"I'm sure dad and I could pull some strings and you can come home and go to Cal Tech instead of coming here," Amy tried to persuade tried daughter as she carried another bag to the girl's new dorm room.
The eighteen-year-old rolled her eyes. "Mom. Leonard and Penny aren't giving Rory a hard time about choosing to come to Nebraska. I thought you'd like the fact that I wasn't here alone. Rory and I even have a class together, so we'll see each other all the time."
"I don't understand your thought process for picking a college," Sheldon shook his head, setting the bag he had been carrying on his daughter's bed. "You were accepted into wonderful universities. Yale, Cal Tech, UCLA, yet you chose to this backwoods university."
"The University of Nebraska is not a backwoods university. You know those schools don't have a journalism major. You've told me for as long as I can remember to do what I love. I want to study journalism. If I went to one of those other schools, I'd end up majoring in English or history or something I don't really want to study."
Sheldon shrugged his shoulders. "I know, we just don't like that our little girl is living halfway across the country. We won't see you again until Thanksgiving after we leave tomorrow. Do you remember what you told me the day of Max's high school graduation party?" Katie shook her head, prompting the physicist to continue. "You were upset about Max leaving. When I pointed out that you would leave too one day, you told me that you were going to live at home forever."
"I was five then, dad. Of course, I thought I was going to live at home forever. My freshman orientation is in twenty minutes, so I better head over there. You and mom go find Penny and Leonard. Rory and I will meet you guys for dinner before you head back to the hotel for the night," suggested Katie after she noticed the time.
Rory quickly found his best friend following the freshman orientation. "My roommates heard about a party across campus tonight if you want to join us."
"I don't think so," Katie shook her head. "You know I don't like that kind of thing. I told my mom and dad we would meet them and your parents when we were done with the orientation. I figured they'd want to have one last dinner with us before they leave tomorrow. Can I ask you something that doesn't go further than just between us?"
"What?"
Glancing around to make sure her parents weren't nearby and would overhear her, Katie took a breath before continuing. "Are you completely freaked out right now? I mean, we're about to be halfway across the country from our families. My mom said she and dad could pull some strings if I change my mind and want to go back with them and go to Cal Tech and now I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have come here. I mean, I'm from LA, what the hell am I doing in the middle of Nebraska?"
"Katie. You need to calm down. You made this decision completely on your own. Yeah, you came on the tour with me and mom and dad last year, but we went on all of our college visits together. We didn't even say what schools we applied to until after the fact. I'm guessing there are a lot of other people who are worried about being away from home," Rory pulled the girl into a hug. "Don't forget that my grandma and grandpa are less than an hour away. They said you can come over anytime, even if I'm not there. And Uncle Randall lives across town."
"I'm sure my dad would love knowing I'm spending time with your Uncle Randall," Katie chuckled, stepping back from Rory's hug.
"Leonard and Penny," Sheldon called out between knocks on their hotel room door the following morning. Jumping when Penny flung open the door, he informed her, "Amy and I are getting breakfast at the restaurant downstairs before leaving for the airport if you'd like to join us."
"Uh, sure. Give us ten minutes to get dressed. We'll meet you down there," she groggily replied, running her hand over her face.
Sheldon and Amy snagged a table at the restaurant, ordering coffee for their friends while browsing the menu, waiting to order food until the rest of the group was there. Sliding into the seats across from their friends, Penny took a long drink of the coffee waiting for her. "Thanks. How was your night?"
Exchanging a look with her husband, Amy shrugged her shoulders. "We got one call from Katie around ten-thirty to say goodnight. Leo called us a few times, though. He wanted to see Katie's dorm room, and to tell us what he and John had for dinner while Max and Gabby went out, and to ask for the third time yesterday alone what time our flight gets in this afternoon."
"I called Rory this morning to check if he needed anything else before we head out," Leonard started. "He sounded horrible on the phone. Taking after his momma already and drank too much last night. Hungover on his first morning of college."
"You've always said you loved how he's my mini-me. Does this really surprise you?" Penny grinned at her husband.
"He and Katie said they were going to hang out last night after dinner. You don't think Katie was drinking, too, do you?" Sheldon worried about his daughter.
Amy rubbed Sheldon's leg under the table. "I'm sure she's fine. She's an adult now and is capable of making her own decisions. Granted, she only turned eighteen last week, but she's technically an adult. We can't control what she does anymore. But go ahead and call her, I know you want to."
Already picking up his phone before Amy gave him permission to call their daughter, Sheldon had a brief conversation with her. "Good morning. Just wanted to check in before mom and I head to the airport. Okay. Have fun. I love you, Katie Beth. Oh, keep an eye on Rory for all of us." He ended the call and placed his phone back on the table. "She sounded fine. She and her roommate are going to try taking the bus to Target this afternoon. She'll watch out for Rory and let us know if he's going too crazy."
One more chapter to go. It should be posted on Friday. Thanks again for following along with this story.
