ever since. We didn’t live as comfortably after that, but the bills got paid, and we were happy.
It was good to remember those times; the good and the bad. When times were tough at school, it helped to keep things in perspective. It helped to remind myself of why I was there in the first place.
To make a better life for myself.
To make a better life for my parents.
To make a better life for those I loved.
A tear welled and rolled down my eye. Love. That’s a funny thing. Hours earlier I would have said that I was falling in love with Ethan. He was to be the new thing in my life; the person I could lean on and grow with. What a fool I had been.
More tears came. I didn’t stop them. I couldn’t stop them. Why couldn’t Ethan have just been honest with me from the start? Would it have been too much to ask?
I cringed and thought about Dana again. Why couldn’t I have been honest with her from the start? She would have told me outright what had gone on between the two of them - and I could have saved myself the heartache all the same.
I looked out over the city lights again. Now, they were blurred by the stream of tears flowing down my face. All I saw was one big jumbled mess in front of me. Like the lights, my life had gone from being in neat little rows, everything in its proper place, to being one big jumbled mess.
I buried my face in my hands and cried for hours. I cried until my chest hurt; until my face hurt; until my throat hurt. I got it all out. And when I was done, and when there were no more tears to cry, I wiped them away as best I could.
The moon had risen higher into the night’s sky, and shown its light directly on top of the city. The city’s lights were once again in neat little rows, waiting to be explored. It was going to be a rough few weeks - but I was going to make it. I was going to succeed. I was going to pull through. My parents had given me the strength to weather the storm, and I was more sad than ever that I wasn’t going to see them for the holidays.
I drove down the mountain slowly that night. I was returning to life with a renewed purpose; with a renewed energy. I wasn’t going to let things pull me down - if not for myself, then for those I loved.
Chapter 7
“Remind me why we’re at this hole in the wall,” Trevor said, looking around the tiny coffee shop.
Ethan shot him a contemptuous look.
“Dana is going to meet us here,” Ethan reminded him for the fifth time since they had left the house.
The coffee bar was quaint and, more importantly, out of the way. A few students studied in the corners, but for the most part it was quiet and sleepy. It was the Saturday before finals, and most of the town had hunkered down into studying mode. But, not Ethan. He had a different objective in mind.
He had called Kayla twice, but she hadn’t answer. He hadn’t expected her to, but he had to give it a shot anyways. Two days had passed since he had spoken to her; since she had walked out of his life. It was the longest time they’d gone without speaking since they had begun their affair weeks ago. He missed her.
Trevor sipped his cup of water, his face ambivalent. A girl sat in the corner, studying from a huge textbook. It wasn’t long before she noticed him, too.
“You’re wasting your time,” Trevor said. “There’s plenty of talent in this town.” He nodded at the girl. “She’s pretty hot. Go talk to her, instead.”
Ethan didn’t bother looking.
“It’s not a waste of time,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“You sound desperate,” Trevor said, still making eyes at the girl.
“I am.”
Trevor’s narrowed as he turned to Ethan. He studied him for a long second, but didn’t press the matter.
“Well, if you’re not going to make a play for her - then I will,” Trevor said.
“She’s all yours,” he said.
Trevor set the cup of water on the table and slid away to the corner. Ethan watched his brother as he struck up a conversation
It was good to remember those times; the good and the bad. When times were tough at school, it helped to keep things in perspective. It helped to remind myself of why I was there in the first place.
To make a better life for myself.
To make a better life for my parents.
To make a better life for those I loved.
A tear welled and rolled down my eye. Love. That’s a funny thing. Hours earlier I would have said that I was falling in love with Ethan. He was to be the new thing in my life; the person I could lean on and grow with. What a fool I had been.
More tears came. I didn’t stop them. I couldn’t stop them. Why couldn’t Ethan have just been honest with me from the start? Would it have been too much to ask?
I cringed and thought about Dana again. Why couldn’t I have been honest with her from the start? She would have told me outright what had gone on between the two of them - and I could have saved myself the heartache all the same.
I looked out over the city lights again. Now, they were blurred by the stream of tears flowing down my face. All I saw was one big jumbled mess in front of me. Like the lights, my life had gone from being in neat little rows, everything in its proper place, to being one big jumbled mess.
I buried my face in my hands and cried for hours. I cried until my chest hurt; until my face hurt; until my throat hurt. I got it all out. And when I was done, and when there were no more tears to cry, I wiped them away as best I could.
The moon had risen higher into the night’s sky, and shown its light directly on top of the city. The city’s lights were once again in neat little rows, waiting to be explored. It was going to be a rough few weeks - but I was going to make it. I was going to succeed. I was going to pull through. My parents had given me the strength to weather the storm, and I was more sad than ever that I wasn’t going to see them for the holidays.
I drove down the mountain slowly that night. I was returning to life with a renewed purpose; with a renewed energy. I wasn’t going to let things pull me down - if not for myself, then for those I loved.
Chapter 7
“Remind me why we’re at this hole in the wall,” Trevor said, looking around the tiny coffee shop.
Ethan shot him a contemptuous look.
“Dana is going to meet us here,” Ethan reminded him for the fifth time since they had left the house.
The coffee bar was quaint and, more importantly, out of the way. A few students studied in the corners, but for the most part it was quiet and sleepy. It was the Saturday before finals, and most of the town had hunkered down into studying mode. But, not Ethan. He had a different objective in mind.
He had called Kayla twice, but she hadn’t answer. He hadn’t expected her to, but he had to give it a shot anyways. Two days had passed since he had spoken to her; since she had walked out of his life. It was the longest time they’d gone without speaking since they had begun their affair weeks ago. He missed her.
Trevor sipped his cup of water, his face ambivalent. A girl sat in the corner, studying from a huge textbook. It wasn’t long before she noticed him, too.
“You’re wasting your time,” Trevor said. “There’s plenty of talent in this town.” He nodded at the girl. “She’s pretty hot. Go talk to her, instead.”
Ethan didn’t bother looking.
“It’s not a waste of time,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“You sound desperate,” Trevor said, still making eyes at the girl.
“I am.”
Trevor’s narrowed as he turned to Ethan. He studied him for a long second, but didn’t press the matter.
“Well, if you’re not going to make a play for her - then I will,” Trevor said.
“She’s all yours,” he said.
Trevor set the cup of water on the table and slid away to the corner. Ethan watched his brother as he struck up a conversation
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