“Then come with me.”
She shifts her books into her other arm and stares at me. “For me to sit alone in California while you travel the country? How is that going to work?”
“We’ll make it work.”
“Zach.” She sighs and wipes her face. “You don’t get it. I came to this school for you. I gave up my scholarship, moved, had to take out more loans so we could be together. I understand that this is your dream.” Her eyes water again. “But do my dreams not matter? I worked so hard to get in here. This culinary program is one of the best in the country. I can’t follow you wherever you go. That’s not fair. And I don’t have it in me to do long distance again so soon. The last two years were unbearable. If you leave, you’ll be focused on baseball, you aren’t going to have time for us. We both know you’ll be traveling most of the year. Not to mention all the girls that will be all over you. I’m sorry, I’m not ready to live through that.”
We had plans, but this doesn’t mean those can’t change. We made it through the two years she was still in high school. This will be easier. I can afford to fly her out and visit.
I’m not sure what she expects, but baseball is my life too. This is my chance, and I won’t walk away from it. We’ll figure out a way to make it work.
“Yes, but this is my dream, Presley. Right now I can play ball for a living. I can’t give it up. I won’t. I leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” she practically yells. “You’re kidding me! Tomorrow, Zach?”
I nod.
“I guess we’re done then.” She chokes on the words.
“Done?” I yell. “The hell we are. We’re not breaking up over this. We’re engaged!”
The tears she fought back are now streaming down her face. I hate making her cry. I try to step forward but she puts her hand up.
“No, Zach. I can’t be away from you like this again. I almost went crazy back in Tennessee, but Wyatt, Grace, and Emily were there. Who do I have now? Angie is my only friend. I’m only here because you promised me we’d be together.” Her voice cracks. “We’re supposed to get married, start a family, and you didn’t even talk to me before you signed that deal!” Presley grows more upset with each word. “I’m happy that you’ve gotten this chance, but this isn’t just your life. I’m the other half in this too!”
“We have plenty of time to start a family. We can still do all that, just not now. Not when my career is about to take off.”
“So all the plans we had are gone, like that?”
“Plans change, Presley.” I want to take her in my arms, but each time I move forward, she moves back. “Don’t,” I plead. “You’re not looking at the whole picture!”
“You painted the picture of us spending the next two years with you finishing school, getting married, living together, and then entering the draft. You did all this behind my back.”
“But now I don’t have to do that. I can go play ball now,” I explain. She’s missing that this is my chance. “And what if I get hurt this year playing here? Then I might not get this opportunity again.”
“I get that. I know the risks, and you’re right that this is your chance. You already signed it and you’re going, but I can’t do this. I can’t spend four years sitting here waiting for you. I won’t move to California now either. You’ll be training or playing, which means you’d never be around. It’s not fair to me either.”
I can’t lose her, but I can’t quit baseball either. “I won’t give you up, Presley. I lived the last two years without you.”
“I know. I lived through missing my prom and having to see you only on breaks, and even then, you were training. I was the one who dealt with the drunken phone calls and heard about girls hanging on you while I was a thousand miles away.”
“I never—”
“Don’t. I’m not done, Zachary.” I let her continue on, trying to think of ways to fix this. “I struggled through two years of waiting for you. I did it all because of how much I love you—and at the end of it, I thought we’d finally be together. And then you do this? Am I supposed to just up and move each time you decide something?”
I try telling myself that she’s in shock. She doesn’t mean this. As soon as the dust settles, she’ll see. “This is my dream. I mean it’s pro. It’s everything I worked for. There’s no way I can walk away from this. You’ve always known this was the end game.”
Her chest heaves as she looks me in the eye. “Then go.” She tries to catch her breath.