Returning to Bakersville was bittersweet. I was ready to begin my last semester at Rinard and Maysie and Garrett were leaving.
Saying goodbye to my best friend was as hard as I thought it would be. She had cried a lot, I gave her tissues and made a show of being strong. But in the end I had lost it as badly as she had. There was a lot wailing. A lot of snot and blubbering. But in the end I sent her off to the next chapter of her life without judgment, without a list of reasons she was making a bad choice. I simply gave her my support.
I’d come a long way fellas.
Rinard would be an empty place without her crazy energy and our apartment was way too quiet without her incessant chatter. It wasn’t until she had left that I realized how much I appreciated her drama. Hell, it had kept things interesting.
But she was off with Jordan and the rest of the guys, including my new boyfriend, touring the country, exposing the masses to Generation Rejects’ brand of ear destroying mayhem.
Garrett leaving took pain to a whole new level. It was ridiculous how attached I had become in such a short amount of time. I had spent so long refusing to admit how much I cared about him, now with the flood gates open it was borderline debilitating. Love sucks when it goes badly but when it’s good…damn it’s amazing.
While I had tried like hell to hold it together when saying goodbye to Maysie, I fucking lost it when Garrett left. I didn’t even try to stop the tears and total emotional meltdown that ensued.
Garrett held me and kissed me and whispered a thousand beautiful things for my ears alone. He told me he loved me over and over again and even though I hadn’t yet said it back, I promised him we’d talk every single day and I would see him for spring break.
At the time I hadn’t been sure how I’d last for three months. But between classes and finishing up my internship, the time had gone faster than I anticipated.
At the beginning of March, I got the letter that I had been accepted to my top choice grad school in Massachusetts. I was hesitantly excited, not sure what that would mean for my future with Garrett. But after telling him and hearing his own enthusiasm, I knew that no matter what, we’d get through anything. And he promised we’d make it work, no matter if we were together or apart. That my dreams, my goals, were important to both of us.
And if I hadn’t been sure I loved him before, I most definitely was now.
Generation Rejects were a hit. Their shows, which in the beginning were selling minimal tickets, were now selling out. Mitch’s cousin had gotten them radio interviews and their venues were getting bigger and bigger.
I had no doubt the day would come when they would be signed to a major label. And then Garrett’s dreams would be realized as well. And even though I was a little freaked out by the thought, I wanted it for him more than anything. He deserved to have his dreams come true. Even if he swore to me daily that his dreams began and ended with me.
“Knock, knock!” Gracie’s high-pitched voice called out as she pushed open the door. She was looking much healthier. She had gained some weight and no longer looked washed out and tired. Her eyes sparkled with that mischievous twinkle that always made me a little bit nervous.
She hadn’t returned to school yet and was now saying she wasn’t sure she wanted to. I tried talking sense into her, pointing out she only had a semester left until she earned her degree. But she wasn’t ready to make definitive decisions about her future and I didn’t want to push it. Even if it was in my nature to push.
“You ready?” she asked and I nodded, grabbing my suitcase. Following her out into the hallway, I locked up the apartment. We walked down the stairs, passing Maysie’s ex, Eli Bray, who was sitting on the steps strumming a guitar.
At one time I would have made a nasty remark as I passed. I would have looked at him like he was a loser, judging him unfairly. I hated that thinking those thoughts would have been second nature to me.
But not anymore.